The Mija Chronicles

Mexican food and culture, on both sides of the border

Parisians are nice, and three other things I learned in Paris

by

Two things I didn't know about Parisians: they love creamy potatoes, and a gamey, intense pork sausage called andouillette. That's it above, from a restaurant called Gallopin.

I meant to do a lot of research on Paris before we traveled. What was the history of the city? What is it like now? What were the top things to do and places to see? Alas, my schedule blew up and the only research I did involved a dinner with Parisian friends who now live in Mexico City. (Thank you, Luis and Elodie.)

Several things struck me about the city — first off, how clean it was. I was staying in the 7th arrondissement, which is near the Eiffel Tower and apparently Paris’s equivalent of Polanco. The buildings practically sparkled. How could it be that they were built in the 17th and 18th centuries? Even when we traveled away from the Eiffel Tower, things never looked extremely gritty. Maybe I didn’t find those neighborhoods.

The gorgeous -- and clean! -- Pont Alexander III, one of Paris's prettiest bridges

A few other things that stuck out:

1. Parisians are nice. Crayton and I had steeled ourselves to expect the worst. We’d read all the horror stories about snooty Parisians. But the people we encountered were friendly. It might’ve helped that we tried to speak French as much as possible — we said “bon jour” or “bon soir” every time we entered a restaurant or shop, and “Merci au revoir” upon leaving. (Several times I also confidently asked for the check:”Si’l vous plait, l’addicion!” Loved doing that.)

We found an extremely friendly wine guy at a shop on Rue Cler, and nice waiters at the bar-tabacs where we’d stop for beer or fries or paté or whatever. Whenever possible, I tried to smile and look charming and say merci a lot.

When I told Erik and Jesica, our American-French-Mexican friends living in Paris, that we were treated very well, Erik said, “You should blog about that.” They also said Parisians were working on being nicer to tourists. So, Parisians: merci. It’s working.

2. Parisian women are as stylish as you’d think they’d be.
 I don’t know why I thought, pre-Paris trip, that Parisian women wouldn’t be all that fabulous. Maybe this had to do with me not drinking the Paris Kool-Aid. Once I actually arrived in Paris, though, I realized the stereotype was true. Most Parisian women I saw were slim and chic. They walked around in cropped jackets and fitted jeans, and scarves knotted around their necks. Some women — a small, devastating group — wore five-inch heels and dresses that accentuated all the right parts.

Not a day went by that I didn’t gape at some Parisian woman walking down the street. And then my eyes would drift to my own sneakers and jeans, and I’d tell myself that I had to wear sneakers, because there was no other way to burn off the French pastries.

Seriously: even the toddlers look good here.

3. The city is entirely, charmingly French.

So much of the Western world has embraced and copied the French style, especially in architecture and food, that for some reason I thought that the Parisians would’ve eschewed the tradition by now in favor of something more modern and unique. This isn’t the case. Paris looks exactly like it does in the movies: There are cafés on every corner, and they all have the rattan-and-cane bistro chairs that face the street. Narrow streets are lined with boutiques, bistros, butchers, bakeries, cheese shops, patisseries, small, maze-like supermarkets, and stores that sell the most stylish baby clothes ever.

Parisians really do say “Oh la la!” when they’re delighted by something. And they say “Oh la la la la la la” when they mean, “Oh boy.” I realize, by the way, that eschewing the traditional for something modern and different is an American sensibility, but that fact didn’t hit me until after I got there.

4. Paris, for a city of two million people, is actually quite… tranquil. Maybe it was the pesero driver who recently hit Crayton and drove off (he’s fine, by the way), or the cars that cut me off when I’ve had the light, missing my body by inches; or the cracked, uneven sidewalks, or the motorcyclists who ride on the sidewalks in front of the police — but I’m reminded on a daily basis that rules don’t really exist in Mexico City. Sure, there are tranquil pockets. But the city, at its heart, is chaos. Most of the time I love the chaos. Other weeks, it makes me want to bang my head against the wall.

Paris, somehow, is exciting and orderly. There is no snarling, horn-blaring, parking-lot traffic. Or if there is, I didn’t see it. Cars go only one direction inside a roundabout, not two. Jesica told us that the police once stopped her for running a red light on her bicycle, something that gave me a pang, because that would never, ever happen here.

Crayton and I talked a lot about how Mexico City could eventually be like Paris. That’s in another post.

A few more photos:

Outside the Louvre, late afternoon

Les escargots -- one of our last meals in Paris

Tuileries Garden

A sunny day at the Luxembourg Gardens. Parisians are fanatical about picnicking.

Another view of the Luxembourg Garden

And yet more Luxembourg Garden...

The Louvre at sunset (taken from inside the Louvre)

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Be sure to walk around the Marais ! If you want a neighborhood a little funky but very cool, check out Belleville .
    Thanks for you blog.
    Mark
    An american who’s lived in DF in the 90’s , Paris in the 00’s and now GDL.

  3. Mexico tried to be like Paris during the “Porfiriato”. Hopefully, Mexico can be a better Mexico and not a mirror of Europe. Sounds like you had a great time in Paris! I miss Europe and hope to go back to my fave…Italy soon. (nice to run into Crayton recently at the Sunday Colonia Cuauhtemoc “tianguis” market–wish you had been there too to catch up. Un abrazo

    • Hi Stephanie: I don’t want Mexico City to mirror Europe either. I love the vibe and culture here and I don’t want that to change. What I meant was, how can DF retain its identity, but somehow show the rest of the world how amazing it is? Right now most people — or at least most Americans — are too scared to come visit. I want Mexico City to be adored like Paris is.

      • Yes, I know and agree, Lesley! Keep up the great work you are doing to showcase our estimado Mexico. The more I visit other countries the more I realize the cultural powerhouse that Mexico is..in its tradition/history & present day expressions and living culture. Hope to see you on our next visit to Mexico!

  4. Thanks for sharing Paris with us.

    Mexico is getting more and more like a clean, orderly European capital. Can it change and still retain the surreal, chaotic charm we love? It’s an open question.

    The dispersion of the corredores in Coyoacán and the Centro Histerico feels great and I really enjoy spending more and more time in the clearer spaces. I’m starting to miss the street performers, though. Several properties damaged in the big one in ’85 have been rehabilitated in the past few years and the parks are cleaner.

    I was in the Roma Norte recently with a pretty girl at the plaza on Orizaba with the fountains (but not David) when a crew showed up with a gas scooter. They proceeded to alternately send small children and groups of three or four people on a tiny scooter for one noisily and unsafely around the fountain in the center of the park on the pedestrian space. It was stinky, very noisy, and unpleasant. I found myself wishing for a genderme to set them straight. But I also feared the restrictions I would face in the city if the cops were serious enough to put a stop to that kind of abuse.

    The bike sharing program seems to be running well. To legalize it, the city had to repeal the helmet law that I’ve been cheerfully ignoring for years. I don’t know how often local government can recognize the balance that allows a place to clean up and keep its character like that.

    I do hope for a great future that does justice to the city we have.

    • Thanks for your thoughtful comment, Brian. The scooter thing makes me think of a conversation I had with a DF native awhile back. I was complaining about what I didn’t like about the city (similar things to the scooter incident), and she said, “Es que no hay civísmo.” This isn’t really a civic-minded culture. People are super friendly, but they don’t necessarily think twice about leaning on their horns in a residential neighborhood at 6 a.m. I think if Mexico City residents could somehow be more civic-minded, we’d have a much better city.

  5. Fantastic photos, fantastic food, fantastic trip! Thanks for sharing. On your next trip, I highly recommend visiting the south of France…Aix-en-Provence is one of my favorite places 🙂 I think I could never get tired of eating baguette and pate for lunch everyday…

  7. Re your comments that Paris is so clean and the buildings look so attractive: perhaps it is because Mexico is at the other end of the spectrum and you experienced the contrast. I LOVE Mexico but the litter and filth are horrifying to me, as well as the lack of care and maintenance of the old buildings. I find it heartbreaking. If I had to list the things I learned about Mexico, that there is grime, litter and grit everywhere would be on the list.

    Joan

    • Joan: Yeah. Mexico is still considered a developing country — I forget that lot of times, actually. (I hope that doesn’t sound crass or insensitive, but as an American in DF, I know I live in a sort of bubble.) There isn’t enough money to maintain the buildings and take care of the sidewalks, and add more trashcans on the streets. I wish there was.

  10. It’s always exciting when stereotypes are true, the good ones that is. Also, when they aren’t true and prove our critical judgment totally wrong. Sounds like an amazing experience all around. Wish I could go!!! Thanks for writing the way you. It’s like i’m there with you!

  11. Glad to see you had a wonderful time in Paris! I do love it there myself.

    But one thing I wanted to note is that we shouldn’t forget when trying to compare DF to Paris is that places like the 7th, Marais, Champs Elsyees, Louvre and Opera are very nice areas of Paris that are quite different than the outer arrondissements or the banlieus.

    I think it would be like if someone spent their time only on Masaryk or the centers of Santa Fe and Interlomas. The perception of DF would be quite different.

    • Good point Jay. I’d tell anyone who visits Mexico City to move beyond Masaryk! (And to not even visit Santa Fe or Interlomas, to be honest, unless they have to.) Next time I’m in Paris, I’ll hopefully move beyond the inner arrondissements.

  13. Sounds like you had a great trip to Paris (and how could it not have been!). I’ve been hoping to go to Paris for a while now, so hopefully my husband and I will make it there in the next couple years. This post is quite inspiring for making that trip happen.

    I discovered your blog today as I was searching for blogs about Mexico City. I’m headed there next week to do some art history research. This will be a great resource for some delicious food!

    • Hi Stephanie: I’m crossing my fingers that you’ll make it to Paris someday. 🙂 Also, have a great time in DF! If you need any restaurant recommendations, just let me know.

    • Thanks Tita! I’m still futzing around with it, but I thought it was time for a change. Glad you like it.

  15. I love to see Paris through the eyes of an American living in Mexico (because, yes, I think that has affected the way you perceived Paris).

    I have to agree with you in all points and also as I was reading you I was remembering how it was my own experience when I first visited Paris. I was also surprised on how the city is so proper, clean and well kept.

    Oh and the women, I never feel so underdress and common then when in Paris..

    ps. gracias x la inclusion en More Inspiration 🙂