Here at French Morning, we have two spirit animals: Anderson Cooper’s boyfriend, Ben Maisani, who is also our Patron Saint of SEO, and Camille Rowe, who bridges the divide between being American and French better than any of us could hope to. Simply put, we are Anakin Skywalker—unable to dabble in the dark side of one or the other without catastrophic damage to the galaxy—and she is Luke Skywalker, bringing balance to the Force.
In honor of her birthday today, French Morning‘s English Edition has picked the ten most French things Rowe has posted to Instagram (over at French Morning proper, you’ll find her ten most American posts):
10. Flaunting no smoking signs:
9. Practicing the art of seduction:
@imogencmc what will the answer be?
A photo posted by Camille Rowe -Bel (@fingermonkey) on Jul 15, 2012 at 5:44pm PDT
Telling an anglophone in English that you’ll speak to them in a French accent and cook for them? That’s temptation that crosses all gender lines.
8. Recreating the balcony scene from Inception:
7. Smoking in general:
A photo posted by Camille Rowe -Bel (@fingermonkey) on Dec 17, 2011 at 3:21pm PST
6. Smoking buckets of cigarettes:
5. Smoking against a chainlink fence wearing a jacket customized with her name:
A photo posted by Camille Rowe -Bel (@fingermonkey) on Nov 12, 2014 at 6:15am PST
4. Smoking on a diving board:
3. Smoking while wearing a facemask and reading Anaïs Nin:
Happy Birthday ??, I love you but I stay ??
A photo posted by Camille Rowe -Bel (@fingermonkey) on Jul 4, 2014 at 10:12am PDT
2. Valet parking at Café de Flore:
1. Drinking wine underwater:
Repost from @zoe_thebear French girls enjoy red wine even under sea!
A photo posted by Camille Rowe -Bel (@fingermonkey) on Jan 10, 2013 at 7:06am PST
We didn’t even know it was possible.
And finally, a birthday bonus for everyone: Rowe’s helpful tips on learning French:
