Welcome back! After a long break to buy new soundproofing equipment – which may or may not have been successful – we’re back with a new miniseries. I’m excited, as I think we’re covering one of the most interesting subjects this show has ever

70. Fifth Anniversary! Listener Q&A

Jul 15th, 2021 15m 25s

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, the fifth anniversary of The Land of Desire!!!

69. The Boy Who Solved Vanilla

Jun 24th, 2021 35m

We’re back! After a big move, which required the dismantling and relocation of the trusty recording studio (a.k.a. Diana’s closet), I’m excited to record in my new space! Next month is the show’s sixth anniversary – I know, right?!! – and I’m

68. Antoine Parmentier & The History of the Potato

Apr 29th, 2021 49m 12s

April showers bring May flowers – unless they bring floods, famine, and fear. This month, I’m looking at the moment in French history when farmers turned their nose up at the foods of the New World – until they realized what the potato had to o

67. Marcel & Celeste, Part II

Mar 25th, 2021 25m 22s

What better way to “celebrate” a year of sheltering in place than a closer look at France’s most famous social distancer? This week, I’m looking at the curious relationship between the eccentric, reclusive writer, Marcel Proust, and his beloved

66. Marcel & Celeste, Part I

Mar 25th, 2021 32m 46s

65. A Trip to the Spa

Feb 25th, 2021 45m 11s

The darkest days of winter are here, and I think it’s 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 thermal spa water from France? What is ther

64. Louis Pasteur and The History of the Vaccine

Jan 21st, 2021 43m 49s

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 without leaving you depressed in the middle of a p

Jeanne de Clisson and the Black Fleet

Oct 29th, 2020 42m 9s

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 sche

Surya Bonaly

Sep 24th, 2020 50m 40s

At long last, I get to combine two of my great passions: French history and 1990s women’s figure skating! Let’s face it, France hasn’t produced that many great female skaters over the decades. Male skaters like Alain Calmat and Pierre Péra made

61. Euro Disney

Aug 27th, 2020 41m 54s

It’s that time of year – les vacances! Oh, wait, you’re stuck at home? No big international trips? Global pandemic got you grounded? Yeah, me too. My favorite summer destination, Disneyland, is closed for COVID, and it’ll be a long time until i

60. The History of Madeleines

Jul 30th, 2020 34m 32s

It’s our birthday!! Today, The Land of Desire kicks off its fifth year and what better way to celebrate than with a little cake? This week, I’m focusing on the history of one of my favorite French treats: the humble, beloved madeleine! “One cou

59. Women At War BONUS: The Witness (Rose Valland)

Jul 14th, 2020 44m 22s

Surprise! I know I said I was done with Women At War, but then I immediately sat up in bed one night and smacked myself in the forehead. This series is the perfect opportunity to tell the story of my favorite unlikely heroine of all time: Ros

58. Women At War 5: The Survivor II (Marie-José Wilborts)

Jun 25th, 2020 40m 38s

It’s the two-part conclusion of the miniseries: Women In War. This episode was a long time coming. I struggled to read the stories of Ravensbruck concentration camp. How can I pay tribute to these brave women? But I knew the story of French w

57. Women At War 5: The Survivor I (Marie-José Wilborts)

Jun 25th, 2020 54m 5s

56. Women At War 4: The Résistante (Jacqueline Marié)

Feb 27th, 2020 1h 4m

We are going underground. ― Jacqueline Marié It’s the continuation of my new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to my heart: Women In War! For the next few weeks I’ll be focusing on the experiences of women in France during World W

55. Women At War 3: The Collaborator (Coco Chanel)

Jan 16th, 2020 53m 58s

If one took seriously the disclosures that Mademoiselle Chanel allowed herself to make about those black years of the Occupation, one’s teeth would be set on edge. ― Marcel Haedrich, friend and biographer It’s the continuation of my new miniser

54. Women At War 2: The Schoolteacher (Berthe Auroy)

Oct 31st, 2019 57m 9s

Why is it that knowing how to remain alone in Paris for a year in a miserable room teaches a man more than a hundred literary salons and forty years’ experience of ‘Parisian life’? ― Albert Camus, diary entry, 1940 It’s the continuation of my n

53. Women At War 1: The Exile (Elisabeth Kaufmann)

Sep 26th, 2019 40m 41s

“We decided to take only precious items. But what did we have that was precious?” ― Jackie DeCol, Parisian refugee I’m excited to announce the launch of a new miniseries on a subject extremely near and dear to my heart: Women In War! For the ne

52. Luncheon of the Boating Party

Aug 8th, 2019 48m 34s

“It is fresh, and free.” ― Paul de Charry, art critic This week, we’re kicking off the fourth year of the podcast with some hot fun in the summertime! It’s hot in Paris – too hot – and a listener question got me thinking about historical ways t

51. Our Third Anniversary! Listener Q&A

Jul 18th, 2019 30m 12s

“Plaisir partagé, plaisir doublé.” (“Joy shared, joy doubled.”) ― French proverb It’s our THIRD ANNIVERSARY! I’m celebrating with a listener Q&A! What an amazing ride it’s been. I’ll Thank you again for all your support over the past three year

Reminder: Listener Q&A

Jul 10th, 2019 2m 12s

The Land of Desire is turning 3! To celebrate, I’m taking questions from listeners, so please submit your questions before the end of the week (July 12). You can submit via the show’s Facebook page, as a comment on this blog post, through Twitt

50. Notre Dame, Part 3: The Black Death

Jun 27th, 2019 37m 30s

“Charity is dead.” ― Guy de Chauliac Welcome back to our FIFTIETH EPISODE! Next episode will be our THIRD BIRTHDAY and I’m celebrating with a listener Q&A! Over the next few weeks, please ask me any questions you like: questions about the show,

49. Notre Dame, Part 2

May 16th, 2019 26m 47s

“Great edifices, like great mountains, are the work of the ages.” ― Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame This week we’re continuing our tribute to Notre Dame Cathedral – posted straight from Paris! Your host is currently leading a tour for

48. Notre Dame, Part 1

May 9th, 2019 35m 14s

“Great edifices, like great mountains, are the work of the ages.” ― Victor Hugo, The Hunchback of Notre Dame This week we’re paying tribute to Notre Dame Cathedral. I’ll be skipping around to the most important interactions between Notre Dame a