Bastille day in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - The French national holiday known as the Bastille Day, celebrated each year in July, has such a strong significance for the French, as well as the rest of the freedom loving world.

To commemorate such a historical event, the well-respected and visionary Honorary Consul of France in Cebu, Michel Lhuillier, and his wife Amparito hosted an outdoor reception and dinner at the beautifully landscaped garden of the Aliance Francais with French Ambassador Gilles Garachon as guest of honor.

The entire setting carried the French tri-colors of blue, white and red. The ceiling was draped with vertical bands reminiscent of the national flag. The table centerpieces which were filled with beautiful clusters of blooms also carried the same color scheme.

Ambassador Garachon, in his brief speech, highlighted not just the celebration but also reminisced about the historic events which give French citizens the opportunity to unite around the motto of the French Republic proclaiming “Liberty, Equality and Fraternity”. The occasion has been etched in history and has become firmly established as an ultimate symbol of French nationhood.     

Delectable French dishes were displayed at several stations where guests feasted on duck liver terrine in home made spicy bread with onions, beef bourguignon, sweet and salted tart with caramelized pears and grilled pork blood sausage, salted éclair caviar eggplant and provencale vegetables and pork cooked in duck fat served with beans and homemade smoked sausage.

The merriment marked a fitting Bastille Day celebration that truly epitomized the French  joie de vivre.     

* * *

The Colegio de la Inmaculada Concepcion alumni, headed by dedicated president Tina Jordana, recently hosted an intimate dinner at Gabriel’s Hotel for golden jubilarian Sanchez Dale Torrefranca Fernandez, a long time resident of Palm Springs, California,  who came to Cebu to visit family and friends.

Sanchez, as she is fondly known, graduated with honors in college. She is best remembered for her numerous lead roles in CIC’s school plays such as Romeo and Juliet (where she portrayed Romeo), as Oedipus — the tragic king of Thebes, in Antigone;  Puck, who served as Shakespeare’s    voice in the play Midsummer Night’s Dream; as Joan of Arc, the folk heroine of France,  and a lot more.

Sanchez until very recently was director of Human Resources for the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art for 16 years. (FREEMAN)