What do you mean the French never gave us anything? In addition to the country's notable contributions to the international world of haute cuisine (french fries, french toast, french dressing, french dip, french bread pizza, French's mustard and Grey Poupon-- the list goes on and on) and personal grooming (french braids, french tips), the French have also given us stuff like the Statue of Liberty, a newfound appreciation for Jerry Lewis, and the lovable character Mr. French from A Family Affair. Personally, we think they've kicked in more than their fair share.

But if you still don't think that's enough, well, you're in luck: now the French are also giving away free iPod minis! Or rather, Air France is giving away free iPod minis, but we figure that's pretty much the same thing. See, according to MacMinute, all you need to do is buy an Air France "l'Espace Affaires" (rough translation: "belt made of rhubarb") business class ticket, and you'll qualify for a bonus miniPod absolutely free. And here's the clincher: you don't even have to fly to France. That's right, you can fly from "any Air France U.S. gateway to any European destination" and still qualify for the promotion, so even if you harbor some horribly misplaced ill will for the people who, after all, gave us the French bikini (oh, find your own links, you pervs), you can fly Air France to, say, Spain and still collect your booty.

As always, there are catches; for one, you have to do your traveling by mid-January, so unless you live in Hawaii, you can forget about scoring a free miniPod for your Arbor Day trip to Pamplona for the annual Running of the Ginkgos. For another, apparently Air France is only giving away silver minis, but given the popularity of the silver model, unless you've got some deep-seated psychological trauma stemming from a childhood near-smothering accident with a wayward roll of Reynolds Wrap, we don't expect that'll present much of a problem. The biggest catch of all is probably the most obvious: if Air France is giving away $249 iPod minis for free with every international business class ticket, the price must be packed with more zeros than a Microsoft singles mixer.

Okay, so we're not actually talking about trillions here, or anything, and these prices probably aren't all that different from any other carrier's, but just for giggles, we priced out otherwise identical tickets on Air France from Boston to Italy, and the difference between an economy ticket and business class comes to-- get this-- $1,761. Yeesh, no wonder they're going to give you a free miniPod; for that differential, they could give you a rainbow 5-pack of them and still pocket a $500 difference. But hey, if you've got access to a cushy expense account and your boss will foot the bill for the extra legroom, why not snake yourself a free mini in the process?

And don't forget to thank the French for all they've given us. After all, the Belgians only gave us waffles.