Window Wednesday

 A lifetime of stories.... One rendezvous at a time.

Sit-down Sunday

 

Weekend downtime.

 

Les Cinq Marches

Café-Cantine

12 rue Girardon 75018

 

Thursday threesome

 

Deep in discussion outside a small coffee shop in the 2nd arrondissement.

 

Thursday therapy

Cellphones: the portable therapist.

 

Thoughtful Thursday

 

A good time for a good book. 

 

Tchin tchin Tuesday

 

An early evening apéro at a local café. 

Sipping Sunday

A pre-lunch apéritif.

***

Happy Sunday

To tip or not to tip Tuesday

Ignorance of a culture can get expensive.

 

You’re in Paris. You've researched your trip yet are still confused about tipping etiquette. There were as many opinions on what to do/what not to do as cobblestones on a Montmartre 

 side street.

 

First of all, in France, there are no specific services where tipping is legally required. If you encounter a situation where a tip is demanded, it’s not standard practice and you are not obligated to comply.

For cafés, restaurants and anything to do with food service, and this is the area where most of the confusion lies, it doesn’t operate like in the U.S. where workers rely on tips to make ends meet. Being a server is a profession, and servers are in for the long haul. They’re not students or actors waiting to be discovered, as one older American lady found out during lunch at a Left Bank bistrot. Clasping her hands she said to the waiter, “My, you are handsome! You must be an actor!” to which he sternly replied, “Non! I am a waiter!” clicking his heels.

Paying your bill and walking out without leaving anything extra won’t raise an eyebrow. Tipping in restaurants and cafés or anywhere to do with food/drink isn’t mandatory. In France, servers earn a proper salary, complete with benefits - paid vacation (5 weeks!), all healthcare. It’s hard to fire them and if the establishment changes hands, they can stay on. They return from their August congés well-rested and cheerful, having been able to afford travel to exotic locales - India, North Africa, Cuba, San Francisco.

A 15% service charge is already built into the price of every item at cafés, bars, and restaurants (the famous “service compris”). It might be visible on the menu and/or bill or it might not. It won’t be tacked onto your bill separately.

 

Service compris was in that €400 Michelin tab as well as tiny espresso taken standing at a counter. At café bars, leaving a few “pièces jaunes”  - small yellow coins - is common. It’s called a "pourboire” meaning “to drink,” so at the day's end the server will be able to buy a glass of something.

 

Having said that, some touristy restaurants are now presenting the bill (l'addition) with a “tip line” and digital screens with pre-set tip percentages - 15%, 18%, 20% or 25% along with "custom amount" or "no tip" options U.S.-style - which is counting on customer ignorance. Choosing not to tip won’t earn you The Evil Eye.

 

One tactic at mostly trendy fashion-forward restaurants is when the waitress, hand-picked for her allure, glides straight to the payer (often a man), and breathily purrs, “Did you enjoy zee service?” playing on lingering doubts. If you did, you can simply reply, “Yes!” And if you don’t want to leave anything, you don’t have to.

 

However if you liked the service and found it exceptional, it’s a nice gesture to leave a little something. Many locals don’t; or they round up their bill to the nearest euro. If you still can't shake those feelings of guilt, some leave €5 if they're two, €10 if they're four, and at high-end spots like Michelin-starred restaurants €50, although a modest €2 to €20-tip is fine. As for the tip, cash is preferred. Mais bien sûr, if you feel the service deserves more - especially if you’ve been high-maintenance - don’t hesitate to leave a bit extra.

 

Remember, "good service" means that once you've received your order, your waiter will pretty much leave you alone, not wanting to interrupt your meal. And I like that.- BPJ

 

*** 

 

Adapted from:

Paris and The French: A Unique Culture - Barbara Pasquet James

 

Sun spot

 

 

Tables are spread out to take advantage of the autumn sunshine.

 

Mocha Monday

 Coffee on a terrace.

 

Café crawl

A row of tempting cafés along rue de Buci.

 

Wine Wednesday

 

From a Paris evening: good friends good food good wine.

 

 

Theater Thursday

Inside a favorite small film theater in Paris.

Studio 28

10 rue Tholozé  75018

 

 

Espresso and Proust

 

 

A Paris cliché.

 

Floral Friday

Flowers spill over the awnings of this corner café on the Left Bank.

 

Flashback Friday

 

Looking back on warmer days.

 

Teatime Tuesday

Teatime on the Place Saint-Sulpice.

 

Wistful Wednesday

 

 

Large teddies, leftovers from le confinement, can still be seen at some restaurants and cafés all over the city.

 

Above: outside a café in the Latin Quarter

Promenade

A man stops during his daily walk to tell his dog to stay put as another dog approaches.

 

 

 

Back to France

Les vacances have come to an end and Paris wriggles back into its skin.