Here's the thing, sometimes sports are *just* like food: they bring people together. When you gather at the stadium or around the dinner table, you can set aside tensions and instead focus on an experience and that's often a wonderful thing.

France, of course, is celebrated for its food, and dining is such a part of it's identity -- from a simple pique-nique to haute cuisine -- that with Bastille Day, Tour de France, and of course a World Cup *win* this weekend, we couldn't help but pour a glass of rosé and slather our summer BBQ in Maille...

Surround the little ones in an *international spirit* from early on, with a book or toy that inspires Francophile-foodie fun.

We're currently dreaming about the cuisines of Provence, Alsace, Brittany, Dordogne... so we rounded up some great spots for dining out en famille!

And whether you'd like to recreate some authentic recipes chez tous, or conjure up a Proustian madeleine moment, some of our fave food writers can take you there:

Links we Love: French Edition:

An illustrated gastronomic guide to *female* foodie Paris
Mama of Le Bernadin, Maguy Le Coze, profiled in the NYT
Secrets of a French Mom, from Maisonette's Le Scoop
Hélène Darroze inspired a Barbie Chef Doll?
Dominique Crenn (French #chefmom) for Vogue

And while we are in the mood for wine...

Napa, like Paris, is always a good idea -- even with a pipsqueak in tow for the journey.

Sonoma may be less famous than its sister valley, but that's changing...