Paris Journal 2015 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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There’s a haberdasher’s shop down at the end of the rue du Commerce, not far from the old village church of St. John the Baptist of Grenelle. The shop is named Harding. Its windows have been featuring some sale items that caught our eyes over the weekend. On Tuesday, when the shop re-opened, we decided to check out a couple jackets for Tom. The shop had no other customers, and two men who worked there were not busy. The older one never even looked up the entire time we were in the shop. The inventory was very limited, so we’d seen almost everything by the time the salesman acknowledged our presence. We exchanged pleasantries, but the salesman never smiled. The expression on his face was one of scorn, almost. Haughty, to say the least. Tom tried on several jackets after the salesman helped him figure out the size. The sport coats in summer hues were not available in Tom’s size. But one of the casual, zippered jackets was just right, and the price was good. So we made that purchase. Tom needs it for rainy weather. We thanked the salesman and bid him a good day, and I swear it pained him to say “au revoir.” He did not say “merci,” and he was still scowling when we left. As soon as we were out the door, we burst out laughing. We couldn’t help it. Not only was the salesman at Harding the exception to the rule (Parisians are generally very courteous, and salespersons know how to smile and say thank you), but he was a caricature of a snooty Parisian stereotype which we normally find to be baseless.
My impression of the salesman at Harding. Yesterday, we limited our daytime shopping to a small trip to Dia, the discount grocery down the street. We arrived back at the apartment just in time to avoid a light rain. By the time for our walk to dinner, rain was more eminent, so we took two umbrellas. One was old and somewhat broken down, but we managed to get to the restaurant without being soaked. We dined at a place that was new for us, Bistrot Park, a tiny restaurant on the boulevard de Grenelle near the Bir Hakeim metro station. The cuisine was French, with a hint of Korean. Several of the diners there were of east Asian origin (maybe Korean). The chef and the server (who could have been the chef’s wife) were Korean-French. The chef seemed to think it was imperative to have three courses each, so we did. Our dinner started with a mis en bouche of chilled melon soup with a few bacon bits, served with a wasabi crisp, which was an excellent touch. We shared two starter course: fritto de gambas aux kadaif et choux marinés et parfumés – two shrimp fritters wrapped in crispy, ultra-fine noodles – and foie gras served with a bit of marmalade. Delicious! We each had a slice of gigot d’agneau (leg of lamb) with chop suey veggies and a few shreds of potatoes. The lamb was perfect, and the Asian veggies were a nice change from the usual carrots or green beans. I had a chocolate pudding/ice cream concoction for dessert, and Tom had a disk of green tea ice cream topped with whipped cream and a raspberry, with a swirl of raspberry sauce. Very interesting, and good. The servings were not large, so in spite of having three courses each, we were comfortable and very ready to walk after dinner. The rain was gone when we started to stroll home. Streets were wet and shiny. The air was fresh. We strolled down the boulevard de Grenelle, stopping in an inexpensive accessories and housewares shop where we bought a beautiful, dark aubergine, full-size umbrella with a wood handle and brass trim for 9 euros. I can use my little, flowery, feminine fold-up umbrella, but Tom needed this manly, full-size umbrella. It suits him. At home, we listened to one of the jazz piano CDs from the collection recently purchased at the Branly museum. I started reading a book called Baudelaire’s Revenge. Tom played around with plans for our Sanibel house. Outside, Paris chilled to a pleasant ambiance. |
Friday, August 14, 2015
Asian-French shrimp fritters.
Foie gras with a bit of marmalade.
Mont thé vert glacé et coulis de fruits rouges -- green tea ice cream topped with
whipped cream and a raspberry, with a swirl of raspberry sauce.
Henri IV,
near the Pont Neuf.
The Pont Neuf. |
