Hitting the spot

And the spot is Angelina, an old favorite on rue de Rivoli.

Above: hot béchamel cheese croissant; smoked salmon on brioche toast and poached eggs; coffee

A café terrace

Two tables, four chairs, two ashtrays.

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In spite of a preoccupation with la santé publique (public health) and the many precautions surrounding Le Covid in France, ironically, smoking continues as before, as evidenced by ashtrays set out on terrace tables at most cafés and restaurants. Before smoking inside restaurants was prohibited I'd been working on a book, "The Non-Smokers Guide To Paris," but while my co-authors and I were still researching and compiling information the ban came into effect and in truth, it was a welcome development.

 

When the law first appeared it clearly stated that besides interiors, enclosed terraces would be subject to the new smoke-free rules. But in no time at all smokers and their smoke invaded all terraces. Owners turned a blind eye; many of their regulars were smokers, as were they. I’d grown up around cigarettes; my father had been a chain smoker for awhile and, it seemed, so were all of his French friends who’d spend hours together all talking at the same time, puffing away. Smoking was not stigmatized, it was sophisticated, a choice, an after-dinner plaisir enhanced by an espresso, and I chose not to take it up, nor was I tempted (deaths in France due to smoking-related illnesses are high but accurate stats are hard to come by). So I shouldn't have been surprised when the prolific tabac quietly showed up on the list of “essential purchases only” establishments allowed to stay open, along with supermarkets, gas stations and pharmacies during the confinement.

 

While Paris, as any large city, has its share of noxious vapors and air pollution, for me, one thing that's come out of all this is that masks can make sense. However whether they make sense for a virus (smoke molecules are much larger yet their fumes go right through the masks) is another debate. - BPJ

Rue du Trésor

Fellow journalists-bon vivants have an apartment on this cobbled "Street of the Treasure," so named after a cache of coins dating from the 14th and 15th centuries was discovered during its construction.

 

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Merci Monique et Stéphane

Most missed

One of the things I missed most during le lockdown? Chaotic sharing meals around a table, with friends.

  

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10 things I missed most
July newsletter

Balloon boy

Graffiti in relief partially down a Montmartre stairway.

Caramel wonder

It's buttery. It's flaky. It's infused with salted butter caramel and there's nothing else like it. Anywhere.

Where is it?

July newsletter

 

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Merci Renée

A week in Provence #7

 

One of the most delightful market outings imaginable was the Sunday morning marché at Isle-sur-la-Sorgue. The market runs along the river, with no shortage of cafés and restaurants.

Above: fragrant herbes de Provence and lavender; regional olive oils and vinegars

Below: leisurely start each day with breakfasts of homemade confitures and cakes, fresh orange juice, coffee, fruit; still hot-from-the-oven artisanal croissants with chocolate filling; arriving for dinner in Lacoste to sweeping views with village of Bonnieux in the background