Paris Journal 2013 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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I told you they were gone,
but in fact, a few of them remain.
Their movements are furtive, and they don’t have the thriving network
they once had. I’m talking about the
illegal vendors on the Champ de Mars, and in other popular spots for tourists
in Paris. Many of the illegal vendors
sold Eiffel Tower trinkets – keychains, etc.
We’ve only seen one of them this summer. He was moving quickly, looking over his
shoulder frequently, as he passed through the Place Vauban, near Les
Invalides, in front of the chic restaurant called Le Vauban. Days before, we saw an
illegal vendor on the wide pedestrian walkway at the Port de la Bourdonnais,
near the Passerelle Debilly, on the left bank of the Seine. This one was selling bottles of water from
a plastic bucket. As we were descending the
ramp to the pedestrianized riverbank, two bicycle-mounted police were
ascending, The illegal vendor could
not see them coming until it was too late.
He tried to run away, even though he was weighed down by the bucket
full of water bottles. The bicycle-riding police
caught up with him almost instantly.
They stopped him, and asked to see his papers. We’d seen one other illegal
vendor of water bottles on the same walkway, but closer to the Eiffel
Tower. We wondered if he’d be caught,
too. But later that day, as we
returned home, we saw that he was still there. The vendors selling water
bottles are providing a needed service, I think, as long as those are new
water bottles, and not old unsterilized ones that have been refilled with tap
water. (Yes, they do that sometimes.) But I can see that it really
is not fair for the legal, licensed and taxpaying businesses to have to
compete with illegal vendors of cheap, illegal Eiffel Tower trinkets. According to Le
Parisien of July 26, the authorities seized 60 tons of illegal
miniature Eiffel Towers from a warehouse in Bourget, on the outskirts of
Paris, recently. They were contained
in over 2,000 boxes. These trinkets
are illegal imports, for which taxes/tariffs have not been paid. They are destined to be sold by the illegal
vendors in places like the Champ de Mars and other touristy spots, especially
near the Eiffel Tower. Le Parisien uses the term “vendre a la
sauvette » to describe this ; basically, it means to be sold on
the street without a license. Unauthorized
street peddling. Some of the trinkets are
keychains. Some are refrigerator
magnets. Some are mirrors, or
pens. Some are just miniature Eiffel
Towers, made of pot metal. According to Le Parisien, the person questioned
about the 60-some tons of illegal trinkets was a Chinese woman (ressortissante chinoise) living in the
third arrondissement with her brother. Perhaps these illegal
imports from China will continue. But
selling these trinkets on the street is becoming increasingly difficult,
because law enforcement and the justice system are successfully cracking
down. This means more than just
stopping the illegal street peddling.
It means that the network is broken down, and the entire system of
crime associated with it, with people looking for easy marks and people
picking pockets, people running scams – it is all becoming more
difficult. This organized crime system
is no longer dominating the Champ de Mars. Of course, one should still
exercise caution when passing through crowded and especially tourist-filled
areas. But the sense of being
surrounded by n’er-do-wells is thankfully gone now. We did not walk on the
Champ de Mars yesterday. Tom did a
little shopping in the nearby Village Suisse (antiques, paintings, oriental
rugs, etc.). He bought a necklace for
me there; it is like something I might find at Chicos, but far nicer, and of
better quality. Chicos jewelry isn’t what
it used to be. But I digress . . . . Because it was hot, and the
air wasn’t so good, I made a reservation in the excellent and air-conditioned
restaurant, Bistro 121, for 8PM. We ambled slowly down the
avenue Félix Faure and arrived just a few minutes early. We were greeted warmly and shown to our
regular table. I wrapped my shawl around
my shoulders and smiled at the refreshing feeling of strong air conditioning,
Florida-style. We were given that flaky,
melt-in-your-mouth, savory pastry as a mis
en bouche. I selected the marinated
mackeral on a green salad for the appetizer for us to share, and the duck
breast brochette as my main course. It
was served with a delicious “canneloni” that was made from eggplant – no
pasta or cheese involved. The taste
reminded me of ratatouille, only better. Tom ordered the veal
knuckle that I when we dined at Bistro 121 last Tuesday. It was larger this time, and just as
good. But no pancetta on Tom’s veal
knuckle. Sorry, Tom. For dessert, we shared a crème brûlée that came with a delicious round
praline. An absolutely correct and
delicious crème brûlée, this one
also had a surprise: a liqueur swirling
in the bottom of the dish. Delightful. After our enthusiastic
thank you’s and farewells, we walked back up the avenue, enjoying a change in
atmosphere that happened while we were dining. The air was cooler, and cleaner. At home, we opened up the
apartment, giving it a good airing.
Earlier in the day, we tried to keep it cooler inside by hanging
freshly laundered sheets again in the living area, with fans focused on them. Today, no more heat
wave. But it is predicted to return
for two days late in this coming week. This afternoon will be
beautiful, however. A long walk
through Paris is on the agenda. More
later! |
Sunday, July 28, 2013
Passion
flower in the Parc Saint-Lambert.
He
tried to run away, but these two bicycle-mounted policemen caught up with
this illegal street peddler.
Savory,
mouth-watering mis en bouche at Bistro 121.
Deliciously
refreshing marinated mackerel green salad with some cool potato slices.
Eggplant
“cannelloni” and duck breast brochette.
Jarret de veau.
Crème brûlée with praline. |
