Café high

 

View from atop a stairway.

 

Wednesday whimsy

 

A reindeer welcomes visitors to a small coffee shop.

 

Teatime Tuesday

Teatime on the Place Saint-Sulpice.

 

Merde! Monday

 

One of the first expressions that newcomers to France might encounter. A lot.

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Besides the obvious, ”Merde!” in theater and ballet circles (where saying "bonne chance" is basically inviting disaster) means, "break a leg." The tradition supposedly dates back to horse-and-carriage days when a pile of merde outside a venue meant tons of wealthy patrons had shown up and a packed house was guaranteed. In the sidewalk version, Paris newcomers dodging canine landmines who step in doggie doo, depending on which foot, discover it can be a lucky break: plant your left foot, and voilà, “C’est pas grave, c’est le pied gauche!” (“It’s ok, it’s the left foot!”). The right? Doom and despair, naturally. So when life hands you merde, it could be that your luck is about to change. - BPJ
 

Soup's on

 

Une petite envie (craving) for Chinese in Paris?

With three Chinatowns and a Japantown in the Opéra district with every Asian cuisine you can think of, the choices seem endless.

Above: gigantic bowls of Chinese soups take the edge off a cold afternoon

  Below: shared starters

 

 

La Taverne de ZHAO Opera

16 rue Saint-Augustin 75002

 

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Quartiers Asiatiques in Paris:

Belleville Chinatown - 20th arrondissement

 

Golden Triangle -13th arrondissement: Avenue Choisy, Avenue d'Ivry, Rue Tolbiac

Quartier Temple and Arts-et-Métiers - 3rd arrondissement 

 

Japantown - 2nd arrondissement: start at rue Saint-Anne off Avenue de l'Opéra

 

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Chinese New Year Paris

Starts Saturday February 10 - Check link for updates

Sweet Saturday

 Today is La Fête des Rois, Feast of the Epiphany or Three Kings, and all over France pâtissiers and boulangers have been working the night shift. Although all "kings' cakes" are similar, every baker has his/her own version.

 Above: this year's homemade galette

 

Flatiron Friday

 

This corner structure reminds me of the Flatiron Building in New York, on a much smaller scale.