The amazing thing about Adam Gopnik, staff writer for The New Yorker, is that he knows more about France than many French people. It's as if this podcast was made for him.

You can ask him a question about anything, from the Statue of Liberty to French pop music, and he will give you an eloquent, informative and captivating answer.

When he arrived at the French Embassy's building on Fifth Avenue for this interview, we had just begun major renovations.

We basically met in a storage room, between two cabinets and a sofa propped on its side. Let's say, this is what added to the informal nature of the conversation.

We talked about the intellectual exchange between France and America (2:10), the role of the president in both countries (24:30), Montaigne (3:34), Romain Gary (12:40), and Bastille Day. (31:50).