Haven't posted because there's nothing to post about...
I haven’t had a coffee since Mom was here in France with me so I decided to treat myself this morning. My phone had died of minutes last night so this morning, after purchasing a new ‘mobicarte’ I decided to have a seat on a patio, load up my phone and have, “un café crème.”
Here’s a side tangent for those of you who have never been to France before I continue on with my story. If you simply ask for a coffee, (Un Café) they give you an espresso automatically. You can’t really get a brewed coffee anywhere unless you want to be a big pansy and go to a Starbucks. And I have no qualms in calling you a pansy because you’re in Europe for God’s sake! Don’t go to Starbucks! Support the little cafés. Anyway, to get a bigger coffee, much more like brewed coffee, you can ask for, "Un café american.” It will come to you with a thick, light brown ring of crema on the inside of the cup because it is an espresso pulled longer. A “café crème or café au lait” are essentially the same thing. The former is espresso lengthened with steamed cream and the latter is an Americano with a dash of steamed milk. If you prefer a latte or cappuccino, although Italian, like home, everyone knows what you’re talking about. I can’t say it will be any good, because nowhere really knows how to make a good cappuccino. So to stay on the safe side, get a café crème if you absolutely need your coffee with cow teet excretions. Lastly, you can always get an espresso by asking for one that way or in French. The servers aren’t stupid and if you treat them as such, they’ll give you attitude. If you want an espresso with a spot of milk, a macchiato, it’s called, “Une noisette.” Lastly, and this brings me to back to my story, be very wary of tourist trap cafés.
OK, so back to my story. I went for a walk to Place de la République (One of Paris’s major roundabouts) to get my card for minutes. Now, I was going to walk home and have a coffee on one of the patios closer to my apartment, but I was expecting a call, so I just quickly went to the closest café, had a seat, ordered my coffee and loaded my phone. Huge mistake. I got the bill and it was 4,50 euros for a mediocre coffee! I mean, whatever, I was treating myself and had to load my phone, but that converts to $7.28!!! So, when choosing where to eat or drink, if you can communicate in French enough to get you what you want, do not go somewhere in close proximity to high tourist traffic. Choose places with no English on the menu, only if you can. I only say this too because, and my landlady taught me this, the cuisine at a lot of restaurants, especially overlooking huge tourist spots (ie: Notre Dam or the Eiffel Tower), has gone downhill. Tourists will pay whatever just because it’s a charming looking bistro.
So I went to this event at the American Library last night. On my way there, there was this interesting looking building. Which I've learned recently, has been photographed a million times as an example of the beautiful Art Nouveau design and architecture throughout the city.
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The American Library holds these events every Wednesday night and last night there were students from Victor Hugo High (I’m sure the name is fancier than ‘High’ I just can’t remember and it had Victor Hugo in the name. It’s a fancy International private school here in Paris.) that were performing Playback Theatre. It’s a style of audience interactive improvisation. You tell them a story, the theme last night was one’s distresses and delights of Paris as an ex-pat or visitor, and they act out the feelings conveyed in the story. I liked it and would really like to see professional actors do it sometime in the future. It’s really interesting. Unfortunately, last night was just a bunch of punk, rich 17 year olds, from different countries, in the drama club at this fancy private school, that weren’t really committed to characters they were creating. So, they had their on and off moments. There was the one spotlight stealer from the US that always went first despite not really being very good. I have to say, my favourite actor was this Nigerian kid. While everyone had to add awfully delivered dialogue, he expressed the subtleties of the feelings he got from the audience through his actions and through his face. His interpretations were the best.
The most hilarious part about the whole event was this old American couple. They wouldn’t shut up about their experiences. They didn’t really get the whole idea of it being about feelings from different situations, so they would just go on and on about events that happened when they first moved here or some restaurant they always go to and the woman who owns it. They reminded me of the one continuing ed keener that’s in at least one of your undergrad requirement classes. You know the kind. The one that is always asking questions for stuff that’s already been explained in great detail. Or they’re always interjecting, when the prof is trying to give a lecture, with a story, that barely relates to the topic, about their grandchild getting into some sort of mischief. You know who I’m talking about! Anyway, so the teacher conducting the performance would have to take their stories and ask them, “OK, but what were you feeling at that moment. Let’s pick one feeling or impression…etc etc.” It’s funny because they would be telling their story and going on and on and once she asked the question about the feelings they’d just be like, “Oh, frustrated I guess.”
Then I came home, shared a bottle of wine and watched, “Paris Je T’aime,” with the American students that live across the hall from me. I said something about the movie that ended in, “Eh?” and the one girl burst out laughing. It really is a Canadian trait, I guess. That movie makes me sooo Over Paris! I get it, old, narrow streets, charming cafés and a boulangerie at every corner that is usually packed around 17h because people are getting their dinner baguette! Throw in Natalie Portman, Steve Buschemi and a scene directed by Alfonso Cuaron...I’m kidding, I’m loving it here.
Here’s a side tangent for those of you who have never been to France before I continue on with my story. If you simply ask for a coffee, (Un Café) they give you an espresso automatically. You can’t really get a brewed coffee anywhere unless you want to be a big pansy and go to a Starbucks. And I have no qualms in calling you a pansy because you’re in Europe for God’s sake! Don’t go to Starbucks! Support the little cafés. Anyway, to get a bigger coffee, much more like brewed coffee, you can ask for, "Un café american.” It will come to you with a thick, light brown ring of crema on the inside of the cup because it is an espresso pulled longer. A “café crème or café au lait” are essentially the same thing. The former is espresso lengthened with steamed cream and the latter is an Americano with a dash of steamed milk. If you prefer a latte or cappuccino, although Italian, like home, everyone knows what you’re talking about. I can’t say it will be any good, because nowhere really knows how to make a good cappuccino. So to stay on the safe side, get a café crème if you absolutely need your coffee with cow teet excretions. Lastly, you can always get an espresso by asking for one that way or in French. The servers aren’t stupid and if you treat them as such, they’ll give you attitude. If you want an espresso with a spot of milk, a macchiato, it’s called, “Une noisette.” Lastly, and this brings me to back to my story, be very wary of tourist trap cafés.
OK, so back to my story. I went for a walk to Place de la République (One of Paris’s major roundabouts) to get my card for minutes. Now, I was going to walk home and have a coffee on one of the patios closer to my apartment, but I was expecting a call, so I just quickly went to the closest café, had a seat, ordered my coffee and loaded my phone. Huge mistake. I got the bill and it was 4,50 euros for a mediocre coffee! I mean, whatever, I was treating myself and had to load my phone, but that converts to $7.28!!! So, when choosing where to eat or drink, if you can communicate in French enough to get you what you want, do not go somewhere in close proximity to high tourist traffic. Choose places with no English on the menu, only if you can. I only say this too because, and my landlady taught me this, the cuisine at a lot of restaurants, especially overlooking huge tourist spots (ie: Notre Dam or the Eiffel Tower), has gone downhill. Tourists will pay whatever just because it’s a charming looking bistro.
So I went to this event at the American Library last night. On my way there, there was this interesting looking building. Which I've learned recently, has been photographed a million times as an example of the beautiful Art Nouveau design and architecture throughout the city.
Uploaded with plasq's Skitch!
The American Library holds these events every Wednesday night and last night there were students from Victor Hugo High (I’m sure the name is fancier than ‘High’ I just can’t remember and it had Victor Hugo in the name. It’s a fancy International private school here in Paris.) that were performing Playback Theatre. It’s a style of audience interactive improvisation. You tell them a story, the theme last night was one’s distresses and delights of Paris as an ex-pat or visitor, and they act out the feelings conveyed in the story. I liked it and would really like to see professional actors do it sometime in the future. It’s really interesting. Unfortunately, last night was just a bunch of punk, rich 17 year olds, from different countries, in the drama club at this fancy private school, that weren’t really committed to characters they were creating. So, they had their on and off moments. There was the one spotlight stealer from the US that always went first despite not really being very good. I have to say, my favourite actor was this Nigerian kid. While everyone had to add awfully delivered dialogue, he expressed the subtleties of the feelings he got from the audience through his actions and through his face. His interpretations were the best.
The most hilarious part about the whole event was this old American couple. They wouldn’t shut up about their experiences. They didn’t really get the whole idea of it being about feelings from different situations, so they would just go on and on about events that happened when they first moved here or some restaurant they always go to and the woman who owns it. They reminded me of the one continuing ed keener that’s in at least one of your undergrad requirement classes. You know the kind. The one that is always asking questions for stuff that’s already been explained in great detail. Or they’re always interjecting, when the prof is trying to give a lecture, with a story, that barely relates to the topic, about their grandchild getting into some sort of mischief. You know who I’m talking about! Anyway, so the teacher conducting the performance would have to take their stories and ask them, “OK, but what were you feeling at that moment. Let’s pick one feeling or impression…etc etc.” It’s funny because they would be telling their story and going on and on and once she asked the question about the feelings they’d just be like, “Oh, frustrated I guess.”
Then I came home, shared a bottle of wine and watched, “Paris Je T’aime,” with the American students that live across the hall from me. I said something about the movie that ended in, “Eh?” and the one girl burst out laughing. It really is a Canadian trait, I guess. That movie makes me sooo Over Paris! I get it, old, narrow streets, charming cafés and a boulangerie at every corner that is usually packed around 17h because people are getting their dinner baguette! Throw in Natalie Portman, Steve Buschemi and a scene directed by Alfonso Cuaron...I’m kidding, I’m loving it here.