Paris Journal 2015 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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A friend just wrote to me about having been hit by a bicycle recently in Paris. The cyclist was running the red light at an intersection of rue Saint Placide and rue de Rennes in the 6th arrondissement. Our friend is okay now, but it took him a while to recover. This incident just reinforces my opinion that the introduction of the Idaho Stop in Paris was a bad idea (see my entry for August 18). The authorities cite the lower number of collisions between cars and bicyclists as reason to continue the Idaho Stop; I don’t think they are looking at the number of collisions between bicyclists and pedestrians. Our walk yesterday took us to the Champ de Mars, where I was determined to figure out what big event had occurred there on the 19th. We’d been seeing a number of barricades being set up throughout the Champ, and on the 19th we were amazed by the volume of the obnoxiously loud music coming from huge speakers that had been installed for the event. Earlier, I thought it would be a sporting event, like the volleyball tournaments that frequently come to the Champ. But the music was too loud and continuous for that. We didn’t want to wander into the fray on the 19th, so yesterday, on the day after the event, we went to explore. All the barriers, tents, bleachers, etc., were in the process of being dismantled, and so all but the two pathways on the outer edges of the Champ were inaccessible. Still, we pedestrians were getting along just fine with these two pathways, until a group of bicycles decided they could squeeze in there and push the pedestrians off to the side, into the shrubbery. There’s no reason they cyclists could not have used the side streets, which are quite calm, instead of forcing themselves onto the dirt pathway with the pedestrians. I’m telling you, the bicyclists in this city seem to think they rule everything and that everyone should get out of their way, no matter what! Bicyclists are normally not allowed on the Champ de Mars at all, for good reason. There are too many people there, trying to relax and enjoy the park. From a couple pieces of litter on the ground, we determined that the special event on the 19th was sponsored by Secours Populaire Francais (SPF), and that it was a Paris Solidarity day. It was a fun day for families with kids – families that cannot afford to leave Paris for an August vacation in the countryside. There were lots of games for kids, and various social services had information booths and displays set up in tents, big and small. According to its web site, “Born in 1945, Secours Populaire is a non-profit making association declared to be a great National cause. It is authorised to receive gifts, legacies and donations. The aim of the association is to fight against poverty and exclusion in France and throughout the World. It brings together people of all views, circumstances and origins who wish to live in solidarity.” “In France, the SPF is particularly attentive to the problems of exclusion: in the short-term through emergency support based on food and clothing. Emergency accommodation or referral to a support centre also remains at the heart of the concerns of Secours Populaire.” “The SPF also supports individuals and families over the long term in their rights and lives: access to housing, health, holidays, culture and leisure, sport and professional integration. Whether an emergency or not, the respect and dignity of persons assisted is vital for the association.” The history of this organization dates back to 1926, but it acquired its current name in 1936. Half of its leaders were killed during the deportations of World War II, and the association ceased to exist for a while. But it was restarted after the liberation in 1944, mainly to help children and those who’d been prisoners of war. Today, Secours Populaire Francais continues to help disadvantaged people in France. The reason that we’d not known about the event is that it was promoted among those whom the Secours Populaire serves. From what we could see, the event was well-attended. I hope the kids all had a great time. After our afternoon walk, we didn’t have far to go for dinner. For the second time this summer, we dined at the restaurant right around the corner from the apartment: Le Café du Commerce. This place started out as a “bouillon,” a restaurant intended to serve the factory workers and others in the working class neighborhood that the 15th arrondissement used to be, once upon a time in the early 20th century. It is a beautiful Art Nouveau place, with an atrium and tables on three levels. Every year, some improvement is made in the restaurant. This year, it has been the addition of large glass cases for the charcuterie and some of the dessert items, atop the marble-and-mahogany bar. We had a good view over that spot from our table on the middle level. The servers are all dressed in a semi-formal fashion, and the service is ultra-professional. We skipped the starter courses, and went straight to the main dishes: tender, roasted veal and homemade pasta with pesto for Tom, and Aile de raie (ray) with capers and steamed potatoes for me. I love ray and don’t understand why it isn’t served everywhere in Florida restaurants. There certainly are plenty of rays swimming out there in the Gulf of Mexico! We shared a dessert of profiteroles. We think Le Café du Commerce has the best profiteroles, with the richest dark chocolate sauce of all.
The portion sizes for Tom’s main dish were huge. Fortunately, he had TWO ZipLoc bags in his pocket, so he took home some veal with mushrooms and some pasta. Our total tab for dinner was just 59.20. When we left, several servers and the maître d’hotel thanked us and said farewell. We felt we’d had a wonderful evening. |
Friday, August 21, 2015
Fuschia in Le Village Suisse.
Le Café du Commerce, above and below.
Our server
whisks our profiteroles from the dessert counter. The red machine is new; it is for slicing
the charcuterie.
Tom is
ready for dinner, ZipLoc bags stashed in his
pockets. |
