Focus On Paris: February 2018

28 February 2018

Butt out

A rare anti-litter campaign (68-euro fine per mégot), but why so few anti-smoking campaigns?

On sign: "350 tons of cigarette butts per year" cleaned off Paris streets then,
"Let's do the right thing. Let's respect Paris."

27 February 2018

Open door

Door of an apartment building attached to L'Église Saint-Paul-Saint-Louis.

26 February 2018

Salon de l'Agriculture

For those missing the countryside...

Paris International Agricultural Show

2018

Porte de Versailles

Ends Sunday March 4

24 February 2018

Always check the label

A shopper carefully makes sure her choices are GMO and additive-free, yet the writing is so small she may eventually give up.

(click to enlarge)

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Remember mandatory ingredient labeling? It was supposed to empower consumers, but in practice it mostly just created a wall of fine-print chemical names that the average person either can’t (or won’t) decode. And even if they check the label they’ve become so used to seeing things like “sodium acid pyrophosphate, monoglycerides, datem, calcium sulfate, tbhq, yellow 5 lake, red 40 lake” in fine print that their eyes just glaze over. They’ll flip the box back to the front and when they see “Made with Real Fruit!!,” toss it in the cart.

The labeling of ingredients was a good step, but confronted with a clump of miniscule unpronounceable words on a package, most now just shrug it off. Food companies know this. That’s why they bury the ugly stuff in 6-point font and spend millions making the front of the package scream “New and improved,!” or “25% less sugar!”(then quietly replace it with sucralose and maltodextrin). It doesn’t feel like food anymore; it feels more like chemistry homework. I'm always surprised that people continue to buy. - BPJ

23 February 2018

Always check the bill

A customer scrutinizes his bill to make sure everything is on the up and up.

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Post-Covid update: Parisian restaurants, still recovering from pandemic losses, have seen a rise in opportunistic practices targeting tourists - especially English-speakers - though savvy locals need to stay vigilant too. Based on recent reports, always double-check itemized charges, politely question discrepancies (e.g., "C'est quoi ça?"), and note that French law mandates "service compris" (15% service included) and free bread/tap water.

But now, because of the widespread use of contactless payments, you need to not only check the bill but watch the screen: waiters might shield it while "adding" a tip (e.g. bumping 10% to 15%) or process double charges or slip in an extra glass of wine or order of fries. Always hold your card/phone yourself, confirm the total aloud, and never hand over your card. Risks are low in reputable spots (they bring the reader to you), but fraud attempts spiked during recovery.

To dine like a true Parisien, stick to neighborhood bistros away from traps. Reporting via the DGCCRF system for a small cheat charge then having to wait months for a response is a waste of time. 99% of tourists just pay and vent on TripAdvisor or Reddit instead, so learn as much as you can from online rants, reviews, and warnings before coming so you won't be hit with unpleasant surprises. - BPJ