The Land of Desire: French History and Culture

The Land of Desire: French History and Culture


Latest Episodes

71. Marie Bonaparte, Part I
October 28, 2021

Welcome back! After a long break to buy new soundproofing equipment which may or may not have been successful were back with a new miniseries. Im excited, as I think were covering one of the

70. Fifth Anniversary! Listener Q&A
July 15, 2021

Aloha from Hawaii! Your host is celebrating a lot of things right now: Bastille Day, the ability to travel responsibly, the birthday of a certain overworked and abused producer-intern, and oh yeah, th

69. The Boy Who Solved Vanilla
June 24, 2021

Were back! After a big move, which required the dismantling and relocation of the trusty recording studio (a.k.a. Dianas closet), Im excited to record in my new space! Next month is the shows six

68. Antoine Parmentier & The History of the Potato
April 29, 2021

April showers bring May flowers unless they bring floods, famine, and fear. This month, Im looking at the moment in French history when farmers turned their nose up at the foods of the New World

67. Marcel & Celeste, Part II
March 25, 2021

What better way to celebrate a year of sheltering in place than a closer look at Frances most famous social distancer? This week, Im looking at the curious relationship between the eccentric, recl

66. Marcel & Celeste, Part I
March 25, 2021

What better way to celebrate a year of sheltering in place than a closer look at Frances most famous social distancer? This week, Im looking at the curious relationship between the eccentric, recl

65. A Trip to the Spa
February 24, 2021

The darkest days of winter are here, and I think its time we all indulged in a little self-care,non? My own quarantine hobby, skincare, set me down a particular path. Why was I spraying my face with

64. Louis Pasteur and The History of the Vaccine
January 21, 2021

Happy New Year! The Land of Desire is BACK with an exciting and hopeful story to set us off on the right track in 2021. Your happy host gets to indulge her love of epidemiology a little bit withou

63. Jeanne de Clisson and the Black Fleet
October 29, 2020

BOO! It’s spooky season, so I’m bringing you a chilling tale of piracy, treachery, and blood-soaked revenge. This week, we’re digging into the very beginning of the Hundred Years’ War, when a bunch of scheming men had their plans ruined by scheming wom...

62. Surya Bonaly
September 24, 2020

"Please, try to be fair." - Surya Bonaly, 1994 World Championships