In an effort to get inside the mind of French citizenry, SFist asked our very own opera critic, Cedric Westphal - an openly French-born and French-speaking person living right here in San Francisco! - to speak on behalf of his native country. more ›

Alice Waters (Chez Panisse founder, slow food movement high priestess, mafia Donna) is set to receive France's esteemed Legion of Honor (). Does she to it? Yes, she does. Maybe even one of those Nobel trinkets too. See, many moons ago, Waters took a plump clove of garlic to the tines of a fork so as not to bruise the oil (or so we like image) and, voila, history was made. Now the famous (and infamous) food philosopher, according to SF Weekly's Meredith Brody, could receive the medal at any moment. "As of this morning, assistant Varun Mehra didn't yet know when his boss would be getting the award or where -- he's been trying to get in touch with the French Consul General in S.F. to learn more," Brody reports. (Other notables who have received the Legion of Honor? Dwight Eisenhower, Douglas MacArthur, Quincey Jones, Giorgio Armani, Clint Eastwood, Steven Spielberg, and-- but of course -- Celine Dion.) Congratulations, Alice. Shark fin soup for everybody! more ›

The family and friends of Hugues de la Plaza, the 36-year-old French San Francisco resident whose homicide two years ago was wrongly deemed a suicide by SFPD -- until the French authorities came to town and showed them what's up, are continuing their fight to get SFPD to admit they're bumbling idiots. more ›

Pierre Anton, of France, was arrested last night in connection with the brutal rape of a local woman along the San Lorenzo River early Saturday morning. In the states via a non-profit organization as part of a work exchange program -- and scheduled to leave the U.S. next week -- Anton was arrested at his workplace in Soquel. Looking to get in a little violé before heading back to France, Anton's return home has now been put on hold indefinitely. (KSBW, CBS5) more ›