Paris Bites The Big Apple

I wasn’t expecting to find Paris in New York…but everywhere I
turned, she was right there. It seems that in (what I think of as)
the most "electric" city in the world, if it’s French, it must be
"chic."

Little sculpted T-shirts for young women with arbitrary French words
printed across the chest are hot at "The Warehouse" on Broadway. The
French words are meaningless to a Francophone, but "cool" to the
young waifish wearers.

French style bistrots in the Big Apple are taking a bite out of the
restaurant scene. Le Pastis at the corner of 12th and 9th Avenue (the
old meat packing district) was standing room only on the sidewalk
waiting for tables for a Saturday brunch/lunch. Food was memorably
delicious, but I must confess, I’ve never seen "Granola with Fresh
Fruit" on a Paris menu.

Le Singe Vert on 7th Avenue at 19th is run by a French staff and
serves up authentic bistrot fare as good as any I’ve had in Paris and
at a moderate price well worth it. It also looks and feels very
"Parisian" with well-worn wood tables and chairs and old-fashioned
French posters.

Along Madison Avenue, you can indulge in French chocolate from Maison
du Chocolat, stretch on a tiny T-shirt from Le Petit Bateau or lavish
yourself in the scents of Provence from Occitane.

In the West Village, Paris Posters has racks of posters and prints of
the Eiffel Tower, cafés with French names sitting at opposite corners
compete for your espresso trade and young designers with phony French
names have sweet little boutiques selling their own brand of "eau de
toilette."

Ricky’s beauty supply shops all over town sell vinyl sacks with an
Eiffel Tower cut-out stitched on top. French retail clothing chain
Zara has a big spot on Broadway in Soho and prices originally marked
in euro are covered up by stickers sporting the American flag and
prices at least 50% higher. The lines at the cash register are long
in spite of the bigger ticket.

Of course, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, rooms of
Impressionists’ work include the usual French suspects…Renoir,
Cezanne, Monet and Manet.

So, in spite of the tall buildings and the fast pace so
characteristic of New York City, reminders of Paris and France are
everywhere. I couldn’t help but feel a little homesick and realize
that if New Yorkers were dreaming about Paris, it’s no wonder I was,
too.

A la prochaine fois,

Adrian

P.S. Later today I’ll be in New Orleans for the International Living
Live Overseas Conference 2002 November 13-17 where 21 top-level
speakers from around the planet, including IL’s contributing editors
and overseas directors (that’s me) as well as a panel of the world’s
leading privacy experts, legal advisors, money managers, and tax
specialists to share with you their secrets to uncovering
opportunity…profit…and better living overseas…

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Parler Paris
/parlerparis/
Written and Edited by Adrian Leeds

Published by International Living
http://www.internationalliving.com
E-mail: [email protected]

Issue Number 64, November 11, 2002

In this issue:

*** The Gospel According to Amanda
*** Talking Turkey Can Be a Soulful Experience
*** It Costs Less in Paris to Live than Cleveland
*** Mark Your Calendar for a Parler Parlor Party
*** Drink Up, the New Beaujolais is Arriving
*** Counting French Calories
*** Programs for Kids in French and English
*** A Reader from Columbine Writes

*** NEW YORKER AMANDA DJINN SINGS GOSPEL AND NEGRO SPIRITUALS

Tuesday 12th November at 8.30 p.m.
Eglise Saint-Germain-des-Pres, 75006 Paris
Reservations: FNAC, Printemps, Virgin, Auchan, Galeries Lafayette,
E.Leclerc or call
01.55.42.81.33 (from 2:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Tickets 15 to 23 euro

*** HAVE A SOULFUL THANKSGIVING IN PARIS

If you’re looking for an authentic Thanksgiving Dinner in Paris
without roasting up the turkey yourself, African American Soulfood
Bojangles Restaurant is cookin’ one up!

Service is at 8 p.m. on November 28th
Bojangles, 47 rue Rodier in the 9th

For more information, visit http://www.BojanglesParis.com
To reserve your seat, e-mail:
mailto:[email protected]?subject=ParlerParisThanksgiving

Please confirm your reservation if you are interested so we can hold
seats for you.

EDITOR’S NOTES:

Sharon Morgan, owner and chef at Bojangles, is also the author of the
Insider Paris Guide, THE BOJANGLES BOOK OF GUMBO, at
http://www.insiderparisguides.com/bojangles/index.html

And for more information on a Soulful Paris, consult the INSIDER
GUIDE TO BLACK PARIS by Melinda Herron at
http://www.insiderparisguides.com/black/index.html

*** PARIS HAS A LOWER COST OF LIVING INDEX THAN CLEVELAND OR
PORTLAND

Finfacts Worldwide 2002 Cost of Living Survey (at
http://www.finfacts.ie/costofliving1.htm) says that with New York
City as the index of 100 and a ranking of 7, Hong Kong is the most
expensive with an index of 124.2, London ranks 10th with an index of
91.0 and Paris ranks 74th with an index of 66.8! Even Cleveland and
Portland didn’t rank higher.

*** PARLER PARLOR IS PLANNING FOR A CHRISTMAS CELEBRATION

Parler Parlor will be celebrating Christmas this year at its new
location on the Left Bank at Eurocentres, Saturday, December 14th.
Stay tuned for more information about the party to come.

Now, Parler Parlor meets 4 times a week in two locations:

Tuesdays 6:30 to 8 p.m. and Thursdays 6:30 to 8 p.m. AT COPROM
LANGUES 14 rue Lafayette, 4th Floor 9th arrondissement, Métro
Chaussée d’Antin, Opéra, RER A Auber

Wednesdays 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and Saturdays 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. AT
EUROCENTRES 13 passage Dauphine (entrance between rue Dauphine and
rue Mazarine), 6th arrondissement, Métro Odéon, Saint-Michel.

It’s free the first time you come!

For more information, visit: http://www.parlerparlor.com/

*** ‘TIS THE SEASON OF BEAUJOLAIS NOUVEAU

The Fête du Beaujolais Nouveau, in fact the first availability of the
season’s Beaujolais Nouveau wine, this year is November 21,
celebrated in wine bars and cafés everywhere. For lots of information
(in French) about Beaujolais Nouveau, visit:
http://www.beaujolais.net/frameSet.asp?page=contentHome%2Easp

*** HOW MANY CALORIES IN A CROISSANT?

Can someone to explain the mysteries of French food packaging,
specifically, the nutritional information on everything at the
supermarket. In the States, I was used to checking out calories, fat
vs. saturated fat content, etc., but I have no clue about calories
and how the French system works (which is a bit distressing, as I
feel like I’m eating fattening things all the time!) Just an idea
that I’m sure other readers would like to know about. Thanks!

BP,

Dear BP,

The French live several years longer than Americans…and diet must
contribute to that. You probably are eating fattier things, but
healthier! And more natural. I get asked regularly how I eat out 5
times a week and manage to stay so petite. The answer is in an
article I wrote a while back, but still holds true. Have a look at:
http://www.westernwebworks.net/articles/stayingslim.html

My advice is to do what the French do…stop reading lab

els and just
enjoy eating… without guilt!

*
** SUMMER PROGRAMS FOR KIDS TO LEARN FRENCH

My grandson, to be 9 this year will be coming to Paris this July for
the third time. He spends 3 weeks with us and goes to the American
School summer program out in St. Cloud. Unfortunately he has not
learned any noticeable French while there. Is there a summer program
in Paris or close by, where he can participate in a program that will
let him learn French and play with other children of his age? A
sleep-away situation is not acceptable so Ecole des Roches is not
what we want, yet. I hope you can help.

Deb M. in New York City and rue du Poteau in the 18th

Deb,

I hope our readers will have some advice for you as I know of no
programs open to your grandson. My experience with a nine-year-old,
however, is that he may be learning more than you realize and just
not yet ready to formulate it to speak in French coherently. My
daughter wouldn’t open her mouth in French for the entire first year
living here, then suddenly she was fluent…seemed like it happened
in just one day!

*** PROGRAMS FOR KIDS AT THE AMERICAN SCHOOL IN ENGLISH

THE ENGLISH PLAYGROUP is an English-language preschool for children
from 2 to 5 years of age open to children of all nationalities since
1993.

The English Playgroup provides a unique Anglophone setting in Paris
in a light and cheery setting with a large outdoor enclosed play
area.

In the afternoon 3 to 5 year old class there are 2 native English
speaking teachers for a maximum of 20 children. In the 2 year old
class, which will start on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from
November 2002, there will be 2 teachers for a smaller group.

For more information, contact Tanya LE MORVAN, Director by emailing
mailto:[email protected]?subject=EnglishPlayGroup

*** A PARLER PARIS READER REPORTS ON HER FIRST HAND EXPERIENCE AT
COLUMBINE

I was surprised to see Columbine mentioned. I just thought I would
let you know that my daughter, Alisha, was a senior at Columbine High
School when the shootings occurred. That was the worst day of my
life, waiting to see if she were going to make it out of the school
alive, and certainly the worst day of her young life, as aside from
everything else that was going on, her best friend, Rachel, was
killed.

Columbine High School is clearly visible from my house as it sits on
a hill only 3 blocks away. I will never forget that day
myself…standing in my yard, fearing for my daughter’s life and the
lives of so many of the teens that I personally know. Listening to
the bombs exploding, the smoke rising from the chaos, the lawns and
parking lot of the school littered with the kids’ backpacks, purses,
books, etc. As dark fell, and our daughter was returned to us, the
bombs continue to explode into the late hours as the swat team was
detonating the bombs in oil barrels as they located them. The snow
that fell that night and all next day as I visited Clement Park next
to Columbine where thousands of people were leaving flowers, teddy
bears, posters with pictures. TV crews everywhere. People crying,
teenagers in agony.

For my daughter and the rest of the seniors, their senior year was
not the exciting event everyone looks for. It was completely over
shadowed by the shooting event. No parties, no yearbook signings, no
last days at their high school. They had to spend their last senior
days at an alternate high school with crisis counselors.

Carolyn B.

*** HOW MANY WOODY’S ARE THERE?

Who’s Woody and Why Would I Care?

James B.

James, you’re absolutely right. I never noted his last name as Allen.
Guess I assumed that everyone would know the Woody who is greatly
admired by the French audiences and who regularly plays clarinet
outside of his usual talents. You know what they say about someone
who
assumes…it makes an "ass" out of "u" and "me."