Exploring Paris - Supermarkets
To understand a country and its past, its culture, its beliefs and its likes and dislikes, you do not have to go too far for lessons.
All you need to do is to visit their supermarkets.
The Monoprix supermarket is bursting with produce from former French colonies. Bananas from Cote d'Ivorie, mangos, not from Philippines but Gaudaloupe, sauces from Vietnam, cheeses, strawberries and preserves from the French provinces. Cheese and deli counters are the best places to browse and imagine what wonderful meals you could plan if only you have a kitchen!
At the newspaper corner, the headlines screamed that the French government should make an exception about not broadcasting so much news about the Pope. Afterall, he was a great man and many French are Catholics. However, maintaining its republic ideals and the strict separation of church and state, state-run TV stations were told not to devote too much coverage to the Pope.
Popular sentiment was otherwise. Many magazines did huge photo splashes of the Pope and his life. Although there was comparatively no huge outpouring of grief, the French do respect the man deeply.
Galeries Lafayette is enormous. Sky-high prices for the latest fashions, and a food hall to sample exotic produce are what makes this departmental store so chic and trendy.
Dinner was at the non-descript but absolutely bursting-at-the-seams Vietnamese restaurant opposite my hotel. The Vietnamese waiter obviously did not like non-French speaking customers and solo female diners. Being both, I was ignored for at least a good 15 minutes despite my request for a table for one. One Vietnamese guy (obviously a regular) was shown his table immediately with smiles, even though I was there first.
Getting a bit huffy and hungry, I racked my brains to think of alternative dining options. My trusty Monoprix is closed for the day and I don't want to eat another kebab. I wanted something Asian, hot and soupy!
Such as the bowls of piping hot pho being brought out from the kitchen. Bowls and bowls of it, but none for me. :(
Louise was an answer to my prayers.
Louise is a solo female French diner who had just knocked off from the University nearby. Being alone, I decided to take my chances and put up my best French accent, "Parlez vous anglais?"
The good thing is, she could speak English, and exceptionally well as she's a teacher and school administrator. Agreeing to share a table, she put forth her demand to the waiter to be shown to our seats immediately.
We were shown to our seats and I ordered the noodles. Over dinner, she mentioned that she had taught at the old Alliance Francais in Singapore and what a happy coincidence, the AF was in a school near my home and it became a convenient conversational topic for both of us. Talk centred on food (both French and Singapore), our noodles (evidently, this restaurant is very popular with Parisian ang mos) and her work. She had to apologise in advance about her chopstick wielding skills. "Pleeeese ignore how I am going to eat", she said.
The truth is, she's right. I have never seen anyone twirl noodles on a single chopstick like spaghetti on the tines of a fork. At the end of the meal, she was splattered with soup, while I was trying my best not to cast surreptitious glances at this breach of dining etiquette.
The beef noodles was really good. On par with the one that I've eaten at Melbourne's Bridge Street in Richmond.
All you need to do is to visit their supermarkets.
The Monoprix supermarket is bursting with produce from former French colonies. Bananas from Cote d'Ivorie, mangos, not from Philippines but Gaudaloupe, sauces from Vietnam, cheeses, strawberries and preserves from the French provinces. Cheese and deli counters are the best places to browse and imagine what wonderful meals you could plan if only you have a kitchen!
At the newspaper corner, the headlines screamed that the French government should make an exception about not broadcasting so much news about the Pope. Afterall, he was a great man and many French are Catholics. However, maintaining its republic ideals and the strict separation of church and state, state-run TV stations were told not to devote too much coverage to the Pope.
Popular sentiment was otherwise. Many magazines did huge photo splashes of the Pope and his life. Although there was comparatively no huge outpouring of grief, the French do respect the man deeply.
Galeries Lafayette is enormous. Sky-high prices for the latest fashions, and a food hall to sample exotic produce are what makes this departmental store so chic and trendy.
Dinner was at the non-descript but absolutely bursting-at-the-seams Vietnamese restaurant opposite my hotel. The Vietnamese waiter obviously did not like non-French speaking customers and solo female diners. Being both, I was ignored for at least a good 15 minutes despite my request for a table for one. One Vietnamese guy (obviously a regular) was shown his table immediately with smiles, even though I was there first.
Getting a bit huffy and hungry, I racked my brains to think of alternative dining options. My trusty Monoprix is closed for the day and I don't want to eat another kebab. I wanted something Asian, hot and soupy!
Such as the bowls of piping hot pho being brought out from the kitchen. Bowls and bowls of it, but none for me. :(
Louise was an answer to my prayers.
Louise is a solo female French diner who had just knocked off from the University nearby. Being alone, I decided to take my chances and put up my best French accent, "Parlez vous anglais?"
The good thing is, she could speak English, and exceptionally well as she's a teacher and school administrator. Agreeing to share a table, she put forth her demand to the waiter to be shown to our seats immediately.
We were shown to our seats and I ordered the noodles. Over dinner, she mentioned that she had taught at the old Alliance Francais in Singapore and what a happy coincidence, the AF was in a school near my home and it became a convenient conversational topic for both of us. Talk centred on food (both French and Singapore), our noodles (evidently, this restaurant is very popular with Parisian ang mos) and her work. She had to apologise in advance about her chopstick wielding skills. "Pleeeese ignore how I am going to eat", she said.
The truth is, she's right. I have never seen anyone twirl noodles on a single chopstick like spaghetti on the tines of a fork. At the end of the meal, she was splattered with soup, while I was trying my best not to cast surreptitious glances at this breach of dining etiquette.
The beef noodles was really good. On par with the one that I've eaten at Melbourne's Bridge Street in Richmond.
posted by Leng at 9:13 PM
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