The tale of a Frenchman in Paris. Episode One.
So, I just spent the week-end in Paris in preparation of the moving. It’s not the first time I go there, of course not, but I’m pretty much sure it’s the first time I go there in the Fall and not as a tourist, rather as a Frenchman. What I mean by that is that in the past years, every time I’ve been there, it was coming back from the US, and most of the times with American people too. To a point that I’ve been feeling more American than French when I’m in this city. And here are a few impressions I got from the weekend.
First of all, something kinda amusing, that might seem obvious, but which is still pretty interesting to experience. The different neighborhoods in Paris have a very particular feel to them. To the point that from one to the other it feels like you’re in a complete different city. This is not unique to Paris, this is the case for most big cities all around the world, but it’s really the first time I feel it so strongly in Paris. Especially with the subway, it feels like every time you’re entering it and then leaving it, you teleported to a new city, a new world. I guess I felt it this time more than usual, cause I never took the subway straight from Passy (one of the nicest and wealthiest areas in Paris, it’s on the other side of the Seine river from the Eiffel Tower for those who vaguely know) to the 18th Arrondissement (one of Paris’ working class neighborhood). The change of scenery was really amazing, I really felt like I had changed worlds in a matter of minutes. And for you all non-French people reading this, if you ever go to Paris (soon I’ll be living there, you’ll even have a place to stay), don’t stay in the touristy areas, get lost in the other ones too (don’t start worrying, if you don’t act stupid, they’re safe too).
Another thing that struck me is that… damn… Parisian girls are hot! I don’t know if it’s because most models in the world live there or what, but I was surprised and impressed by the general hotness that was around the streets of Paris (and take it from a guy that just spent the last 5 years in Florida). Now, I also understand why Americans always say that French girls are so skinny. I should have thought about it, they meant Parisian girls are so skinny. Cause, yes, French girls tend to be skinnier than American girls, but in the South of France, they’re not that skinny. In Paris, they are. I’m not sure where it comes from. Is it because they walk way more than anywhere else? Or is it because they’re so stressed? Does pollution have something to do with it? Or are they not really Parisians, but models from all over the world, all living in Paris? I’m not sure, but the result is quite impressive. That and their height. Once again, maybe it’s just because a big chunk of the female population of Paris are models from elsewhere (I still can’t believe there are that many models in this city, it’s gotta be something else), but the average height of girls in Paris is much higher than anywhere in France. I did run into dozens and dozens of girls who were 5’10 and more. I even ran into two girls that were taller than me. With the exception of basketball players, I never ran into a girl who was taller than me before.
Also, I gotta add that the new current fashion which consists in boots, boots and more boots is somewhat pleasant. I don’t like boots with jeans, but with skirts, I have to say that it gives a strange mix of tackiness and sexiness to girls that I came to be fond of in a matter of minutes.
Now onto something completely different.
The Forum des Halles (it’s some sort of a shopping mall downtown Paris) is a very strange place indeed. One I’m not a big fan of. I won’t talk about the place itself here, but about some of its crowd. Not the shopping crowd, but the crowd that hangs there.
First of all, Goths. I didn’t even really know that there were real Goths in France. And I imagined French Goths as being some sort of pseudo-romantic vampire wannabes (like the ones one can find in Anne Rice novels), and I was quite surprised to run into the Marylin Manson type of Gothism. But he… Being ridiculous never killed anyone.
The other crowd that “lives” there is more of a problem to me. It’s the ghetto kids most of them coming from the northern suburbs of Paris (remember in France suburbs rarely mean nice neighborhoods… quite the contrary indeed). What annoys me with them is not the fact that they have nothing better to do of their day than just waste it hanging out there. No, what’s really wrong with them is that their role models are American gangsta rap and such. Even in the US, I think it’s wrong (it really makes me sad that in the US nowadays, most black kids fall into this “culture” and totally ignore the great culture of their elders (jazz and such)), but in Europe and in France I think it’s even more wrong. Not only they deny their own culture; sometimes, I feel there’s nothing much of the African culture left in these kids (we gotta thank colonialism and the ghettoisation of the suburbs for this), but instead of trying to create a new culture of their own (if they don’t want to embrace the mainstream European French culture, which I can understand, even if I don’t totally agree with that, they could at least try to create their own sub-culture), they embrace a culture that’s not theirs at all, and it’s really the worst subculture they could have embraced. (more on this touchy but important topic another day if you’re interested).
Let’s change neighborhoods and let’s go to St Germain des Prés. If you’ve never heard of it, let me refresh your memory (well if you’ve never heard of it, there’s no memory to refresh, but you know what I mean). St Germain was all along the 20th Century the neighborhood of Paris were all the main writers, thinkers, philosophers, etc were. Anybody who’s somewhat remotely interested in culture knows a few famous French names (actually even foreigners had to do with this place), you name them, there’s a good chance they were involved with this neighborhood one way or another. Even today, the biggest publishers in France are there, and a bunch of famous writers still live there. Apart from that, this neighborhood belongs to the past (well, it’s still one of the most beautiful neighborhood in Paris, but its intellectual grandeur belongs to the past). But despite all of this, when I walk on Boulevard St Germain in front of all the famous cafés (if you’re American, you’ve never lived in Paris and know the name of a café in Paris chances are, it’s located there (at the exception of the (in)famous Harry’s Bar)), I’m appalled by all these people, not only tourists that go there just because it’s St Germain. But worse, what’s really pathetic are the poses they make when going there. It’s like almost anybody that sits at the terrace of one of these cafés feels compelled to try to look intellectual or something. And in the end, this place has really become a cliché of itself. Sad…. What I don’t understand is that real writers (not all of them) participate and perpetuate this simulacrum. Hard to understand.
Another very Parisian thing that intrigues me (and I’m sure I’ll talk about it again in the future) is the importance of appearances. There it’s seems that it’s more important than anywhere else (even in South Beach I didn’t have that same feeling). I just mentioned the posers of St Germain, but it goes beyond that. I think Parisians always want to show the world, each others and themselves that they’re the most classy people in the world, even when they’re not. It’s true that this has advantages (on the “eye candy” side of things), but it also gives a rather superficial feeling to a vast majority of people, even if they’re not. And this creates a side-effect that is kinda sad. I’m thinking of this category of people that exists everywhere but who seems to be omnipresent in Paris, I’m talking about people that are poor and/or unemployed but who want to pretend they’re not in the situation they’re actually are, and that would -for example- constantly wear a tie and suit. A tie and suit that would be decades old, totally shabby in a way that nobody will ever mistake these people for businessmen or anything else, and the owner won’t seem to be aware of that fact. These people make me sad, and they seem to be quite numerous in Paris.
And to conclude with appearances, that’s it, iPods are big in France, and it’s “cool” to show that you have one, so you’ll see the famous white headphones everywhere now in the streets. Or worse, you’ll see people wearing their iPod Shuffle (or similar mp3 player) around their neck as some sort of flagrant display of coolness (which makes it right away uncool, but this is how Paris is). Just when American people stopped showing off their iPods and just used them (cause, man, they’re a great invention, I’ll never deny that), French people are starting the bad habit.
Normally I’ll be back there in a week (I’m finally in the process of almost moving there), I have the feeling that I’ll have more to tell…
Enjoy,
First of all, something kinda amusing, that might seem obvious, but which is still pretty interesting to experience. The different neighborhoods in Paris have a very particular feel to them. To the point that from one to the other it feels like you’re in a complete different city. This is not unique to Paris, this is the case for most big cities all around the world, but it’s really the first time I feel it so strongly in Paris. Especially with the subway, it feels like every time you’re entering it and then leaving it, you teleported to a new city, a new world. I guess I felt it this time more than usual, cause I never took the subway straight from Passy (one of the nicest and wealthiest areas in Paris, it’s on the other side of the Seine river from the Eiffel Tower for those who vaguely know) to the 18th Arrondissement (one of Paris’ working class neighborhood). The change of scenery was really amazing, I really felt like I had changed worlds in a matter of minutes. And for you all non-French people reading this, if you ever go to Paris (soon I’ll be living there, you’ll even have a place to stay), don’t stay in the touristy areas, get lost in the other ones too (don’t start worrying, if you don’t act stupid, they’re safe too).
Another thing that struck me is that… damn… Parisian girls are hot! I don’t know if it’s because most models in the world live there or what, but I was surprised and impressed by the general hotness that was around the streets of Paris (and take it from a guy that just spent the last 5 years in Florida). Now, I also understand why Americans always say that French girls are so skinny. I should have thought about it, they meant Parisian girls are so skinny. Cause, yes, French girls tend to be skinnier than American girls, but in the South of France, they’re not that skinny. In Paris, they are. I’m not sure where it comes from. Is it because they walk way more than anywhere else? Or is it because they’re so stressed? Does pollution have something to do with it? Or are they not really Parisians, but models from all over the world, all living in Paris? I’m not sure, but the result is quite impressive. That and their height. Once again, maybe it’s just because a big chunk of the female population of Paris are models from elsewhere (I still can’t believe there are that many models in this city, it’s gotta be something else), but the average height of girls in Paris is much higher than anywhere in France. I did run into dozens and dozens of girls who were 5’10 and more. I even ran into two girls that were taller than me. With the exception of basketball players, I never ran into a girl who was taller than me before.
Also, I gotta add that the new current fashion which consists in boots, boots and more boots is somewhat pleasant. I don’t like boots with jeans, but with skirts, I have to say that it gives a strange mix of tackiness and sexiness to girls that I came to be fond of in a matter of minutes.
Now onto something completely different.
The Forum des Halles (it’s some sort of a shopping mall downtown Paris) is a very strange place indeed. One I’m not a big fan of. I won’t talk about the place itself here, but about some of its crowd. Not the shopping crowd, but the crowd that hangs there.
First of all, Goths. I didn’t even really know that there were real Goths in France. And I imagined French Goths as being some sort of pseudo-romantic vampire wannabes (like the ones one can find in Anne Rice novels), and I was quite surprised to run into the Marylin Manson type of Gothism. But he… Being ridiculous never killed anyone.
The other crowd that “lives” there is more of a problem to me. It’s the ghetto kids most of them coming from the northern suburbs of Paris (remember in France suburbs rarely mean nice neighborhoods… quite the contrary indeed). What annoys me with them is not the fact that they have nothing better to do of their day than just waste it hanging out there. No, what’s really wrong with them is that their role models are American gangsta rap and such. Even in the US, I think it’s wrong (it really makes me sad that in the US nowadays, most black kids fall into this “culture” and totally ignore the great culture of their elders (jazz and such)), but in Europe and in France I think it’s even more wrong. Not only they deny their own culture; sometimes, I feel there’s nothing much of the African culture left in these kids (we gotta thank colonialism and the ghettoisation of the suburbs for this), but instead of trying to create a new culture of their own (if they don’t want to embrace the mainstream European French culture, which I can understand, even if I don’t totally agree with that, they could at least try to create their own sub-culture), they embrace a culture that’s not theirs at all, and it’s really the worst subculture they could have embraced. (more on this touchy but important topic another day if you’re interested).
Let’s change neighborhoods and let’s go to St Germain des Prés. If you’ve never heard of it, let me refresh your memory (well if you’ve never heard of it, there’s no memory to refresh, but you know what I mean). St Germain was all along the 20th Century the neighborhood of Paris were all the main writers, thinkers, philosophers, etc were. Anybody who’s somewhat remotely interested in culture knows a few famous French names (actually even foreigners had to do with this place), you name them, there’s a good chance they were involved with this neighborhood one way or another. Even today, the biggest publishers in France are there, and a bunch of famous writers still live there. Apart from that, this neighborhood belongs to the past (well, it’s still one of the most beautiful neighborhood in Paris, but its intellectual grandeur belongs to the past). But despite all of this, when I walk on Boulevard St Germain in front of all the famous cafés (if you’re American, you’ve never lived in Paris and know the name of a café in Paris chances are, it’s located there (at the exception of the (in)famous Harry’s Bar)), I’m appalled by all these people, not only tourists that go there just because it’s St Germain. But worse, what’s really pathetic are the poses they make when going there. It’s like almost anybody that sits at the terrace of one of these cafés feels compelled to try to look intellectual or something. And in the end, this place has really become a cliché of itself. Sad…. What I don’t understand is that real writers (not all of them) participate and perpetuate this simulacrum. Hard to understand.
Another very Parisian thing that intrigues me (and I’m sure I’ll talk about it again in the future) is the importance of appearances. There it’s seems that it’s more important than anywhere else (even in South Beach I didn’t have that same feeling). I just mentioned the posers of St Germain, but it goes beyond that. I think Parisians always want to show the world, each others and themselves that they’re the most classy people in the world, even when they’re not. It’s true that this has advantages (on the “eye candy” side of things), but it also gives a rather superficial feeling to a vast majority of people, even if they’re not. And this creates a side-effect that is kinda sad. I’m thinking of this category of people that exists everywhere but who seems to be omnipresent in Paris, I’m talking about people that are poor and/or unemployed but who want to pretend they’re not in the situation they’re actually are, and that would -for example- constantly wear a tie and suit. A tie and suit that would be decades old, totally shabby in a way that nobody will ever mistake these people for businessmen or anything else, and the owner won’t seem to be aware of that fact. These people make me sad, and they seem to be quite numerous in Paris.
And to conclude with appearances, that’s it, iPods are big in France, and it’s “cool” to show that you have one, so you’ll see the famous white headphones everywhere now in the streets. Or worse, you’ll see people wearing their iPod Shuffle (or similar mp3 player) around their neck as some sort of flagrant display of coolness (which makes it right away uncool, but this is how Paris is). Just when American people stopped showing off their iPods and just used them (cause, man, they’re a great invention, I’ll never deny that), French people are starting the bad habit.
Normally I’ll be back there in a week (I’m finally in the process of almost moving there), I have the feeling that I’ll have more to tell…
Enjoy,