Paris Journal 2010 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com

Photos and thoughts about Paris

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Several days ago, we decided to go to the Monop urban grocery on the rue des Entrepreneurs to buy a few items that we needed. Owned and operated by the Monoprix retailing giant, these Monop stores are on a much more human scale than the bigger Monoprix’s. We decided that they are also better. We found a very nice selection of things – with much more variety than is found in the very small urban groceries that are scattered all over Paris. And of course the prices are much better. We were surprised to see that the prices even seemed to be lower on a few items than they are in the big Monoprix’s. The Monop is clean, modern, uncrowded, air conditioned, and well-lit. It has a better selection of fruit juices (and probably some other things) than the Monoprix has. And the only employee whom we saw working there, the cashier, was smiling and friendly. Monop carries some of the better brands that Ed does not have, such as Lavazza and Le Chat. The Monop, combined with the produce shop at the corner of rue des Entrepreneurs and rue du Commerce, and the two fromageries on the rue du Commerce, can meet all of our daily needs. There is a Monop not far from the other apartment in the 6^th, so we will have to check that one out in September when we’re over there. We’ll still go to Ed, because of the very low prices there, but Monop seems to fill a gap for us, allowing us the avoid the torture of going to our local, hostile Monoprix. Last night, I made a reservation for Jim, Maddy, Tom and me at Le Basilic, because we were all in the mood for this resto’s specialty: leg of lamb served with old-fashioned white beans in red sauce. We were given a nice table – a booth, really, that was set off almost as if it were its own little room. Tom and I shared an appetizer and dessert, and Jim and Maddy did the same. The restaurant had no problem at all with our sharing dishes. Le Basilic is operated entirely or almost entirely by men, and the portions served are man-sized. For example, the appetizer I ordered was an avocado-shrimp cocktail. I expected a few or several shrimp, depending on the size of the critters, some slices or chunks of avocado, and some of that nice, light dressing that Parisians put on this kind of shrimp cocktail (different from the harsh cocktail sauce that we tend to use in the U.S.). Instead, what arrived at the table was an entire, full-size avocado, cut in half. Each half had a few nice-sized shrimp and the anticipated delicate French dressing. So it was easy to slide one of the halves over onto the extra plate that the server happily provided for Tom. Then Tom and I each had a properly sized appetizer. Having an entire avocado to oneself would have made it difficult to eat a main course. The lamb was very good, and was cooked just the way Tom and I like it. I hope it was done well enough for our friends. The crème brulée that Tom and I shared for dessert was light and delightful. Jim and Maddy shared three little French-sized scoops of ice cream that looked good. Note that this restaurant is not to be confused with a restaurant that has the same name on Montmartre. Le Basilic that I’m describing is in the middle of the 7^th arrondissement, behind the Sainte Clotilde basilica. Our walk over there was very pleasant. The weather is cool enough now that in the evening, we each wear not only long sleeves but also a lightweight jacket. Very nice indeed. Another thing that pleased me yesterday was Le Parisien’s exclusive interview with Ingrid Betancourt, someone whom I’ve been reading about for years. Many of you will remember that she was a politician in Colombia until she was taken hostage by one of the rebel groups there. She was in captivity in the jungle for something like six years, until the French put so much pressure on that she was finally freed in a military operation in 2008. I first became aware of her in about 2000 or 2001, when her book, La Rage au Coeur, was published in French. The book has a completely different title in its English version. She wrote it in French, and I read it in French. I found it to be fascinating. (Curiously, the book is now out of print in French, but still available in English.) So of course I followed the news about her all through the years of her captivity and since she was liberated. She has come under criticism for pressing a claim against the Colombian government for compensation for the years of captivity. In the interview in yesterday’s paper, she does an excellent job of explaining why she is pressing this claim against Colombia, and why she turned down money offered by France. She no longer lives in Colombia. Always a dual citizen of France and Colombia, she now divides her time between France and the U.S., where her two children live. Now that the exclusive interview has been published in France, I’m hoping that the New York Times will carry some coverage of it. On va voir. Sign my guestbook. View my guestbook.

Friday, July 30, 2010 We passed this charming horse-drawn carriage on our way up the avenue de la Motte-Picquet, in front of the École Militaire, near one end of the Champ de Mars. Old fountain at the end of the rue Constant Coquelin. ← Previous Next → Note: For addresses & phone numbers of restaurants in this journal, click here.