February 15th · Cultural Insight
Fête du Citron
The golden city of Menton. This festival features massive sculptures made entirely of lemons and oranges. This lesson covers the commercialisation of nature and how a single fruit can define the economic and cultural life of an entire French city.
SPEAKING LESSONB1 / B2Discussion · Vocabulary · Activities
Speaking Discussion
- Why do we find it so impressive to build temporary things from food?
- Is the lemon festival a genuine celebration of local agriculture or just a tourist trap?
- If you were a fruit, which one would represent your personality? Why?
- What happens to a town when it becomes famous for only one thing?
- Would you rather live in a city that smells like lemons or a city that smells like the sea?
Activity 1: The Master Sculptor
The Task: You are building a lemon sculpture of a famous person. Who is it, and why is the sourness of a lemon a good metaphor for them? Write 3 sentences.
Activity 2: Rapid Fire Debate
Is beauty enough of a reason to spend $1 million on a festival?