Cafes, Friends, and Culture

Être Parisian

Most people have a pride and sense of Nationalism for their country. Even to the point where they think they are better than another or that where they live is the “best place to live.” As an American, I can say that in recent years, France is increasingly getting a bad rap for their love of their own country. And Parisians have a special pride for living in Paris! Having said that there is good reason for all of this. Paris is a vibrant city with a distinct culture unique to Paris. For David and I to have spent only a few days in Paris we know that we want to come back. The love for food and drink is world renown here. How can you go wrong at a bakery or boulangerie? Or a cafe where you can have wine or coffee while enjoying the company of people you have with you as you watch life moving around you?

Then there are the numerous amounts of museums and cultural venues around the city… so many to choose from with artists works that would give you chills when you see pieces of work right there in front of you! And if meandering through mazes of marble flooring is not your style, there are parks where you can bring lunch or a snack and casually sit and relax with your favorite book or person! Here you can see all ethnicities mingling together as friends or family. It is amazing to see so many interracial couples in a city outside of the United States! And at night… oh, the lights give another life to the city that you cannot see in the day! So doesn’t this sound kinda like another city that I love and hold dear to my heart…? New York City! So there is my bias. If one of these two cities top your list of places to hang out, then you must visit the other!

What Made Paris Better?

Parisian Friends! I have the luxury of having a friend to meet up with for a home cooked meal and good conversation! Myriam was the French Exchange TA at my college where we became friends who still keep in touch with! In addition to the hospitality and the meal, her and her boyfriend, Eric treated us to a tour around the city by car at night and to have drinks at a bar/club on a boat docked on the Seine River. To see how she lives and her views of life is another treat for me to have an authentic view and about life as a Parisian. What’s more is that I was able to ask her opinion concerning Parisian pride.

The Truth: French Snobby?

She told both David and I that she thought it only fair that when a visitor comes to one’s home country that there should be an effort to communicate with the locals using the local language. She felt that learning simple and necessary phrases such as various greetings and the word “please.” As in most cities, a high frequency of tourist bombard the streets and locals must encounter scores of tourist, who may have less manners in trying to quickly get their bearings in a lively city. I found Paris not much less snobby than some other big cities I have been to in and out of the USA. So my advice would be to take 10 minutes to write down and learn how to say key phrases, be patient, and smile whenever you are a visitor in any place! And if you get a “snobby” response… fugetaboutit!