September 9, 2011 by Erica Berman
Coffee and focaccia – Breakfast in Genoa
In Italy, coffee is delicious, quick, and to the point.
You arrive, you order, you drink, you go. Now, your day can start or your afternoon can continue.
Your barrista probably knows your name, the name of first born child, where you live and, most importantly, what kind of coffee you want and how you want it.
Small and quick, the morning coffee fix
Your coffee will be served velocemente…. you will stand at the bar, you will chat about the weather, your vacation, your work, your kids, your partner, your pet …. Continue Reading »
Posted in Food, Italy tips & suggestions | 11 Comments »
May 3, 2010 by Tory Hoen
While I can go weeks without encountering a cigarette in the U.S., smoking is still a prevalent part of Parisian life. Though a recent smoking ban has cleared the air in restaurants and cafes, the French still manage to get their daily nicotine fix. How else are they going to stay so thin? Soon after moving to France, I wrote this post about how to be a non-smoker among smokers. Enjoy!
Let’s chat about smoking for a minute. Despite a recently passed no-smoking-in-bars law, tobacco continues to reign supreme in Paris. And while I’ve never really had any interest in being a smoker, it has become exceedingly clear that you won’t get far very in this town unless your lungs are lined with filth.
Listen up, Americans. Despite what your 3rd grade D.A.R.E. counselor may have told you, smoking is cool and, yes, it kind of makes you look like a movie star. I wish I could pull it off, but there’s a problem: smoking literally makes me feel like I’m going to die. Not so much in the moment, but more so the day after when I wake up wondering if I’ve swallowed a cauldron full of battery acid.
And now, while I would like to get really self-righteous about the importance of not smoking, my non-smoker status is less a responsible choice than it is a biological necessity. So my conundrum: what to do during the numerous cigarette breaks that inevitably occur over the course of a bar-hopping evening?
Option 1: I can stay inside the bar and hang out with the loser non-smokers.
Option 2: I can concoct a strategy that will afford me access to international smoking circles without sacrificing the sanctity of my lungs.
Option 2 it is. I’ve come up with a clever little trick: faux smoking… “fauxking” if you will (pronounced foh-king). I know it sounds sexual, but don’t get excited—it’s not. Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living | 6 Comments »
March 24, 2010 by Haven in Paris
Text by Paris By Appointment Only; Photos by Fabrice Fortin.
Even though they live in the capital of couture, most Parisians can’t sew a stitch. Like most countries, France kicked home economics to the curb decades ago. Since hardly any one knows how to shorten a hem, fix a button, or take in a seam, you can find a retoucheur on practically every Parisian corner. But all that is about to change thanks to Sweat Shop, a new creative collective in the residential 10th whose mission is to teach Parisians how to make and customize their own clothes.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Shopping, Tours and Classes | No Comments »
February 14, 2010 by Tory Hoen
Erica Berman
After seven months away, I’m back in Paris for a while and am greedily soaking up every minute of it. After two weeks, I’ve slipped back into many of my happy habits, though I’ve come to realize that settling back into my Parisian life does require a few active adjustments. For instance:
1. Dietary shifts. You’d be surprised how fulfilling a diet composed solely of butter, cheese, Dijon, bread, chocolate and macarons can be. Although I must admit, a steady stream of coffee and wine leave me perpetually dehydrated. Note to self: water is the essence of life, even in Paris.
idata.over-blog.com/wallpaper.com/parisviewfinder.blogspot.com
2. Embracing linguistic limbo. When I get back to France, I regularly find myself in situations where two, three, or four languages are being spoken simultaneously. While the linguistic mélange is always exciting, I find that my English often starts to slip before my French has time to pick up the slack, and I am therefore left in a strange language-less limbo. Continue Reading »
Posted in Parisian Living | 5 Comments »
April 9, 2009 by Tory Hoen
Photograph: Alain Ollier
Considering how much coffee Parisians drink, it’s high time they started drinking it right. And now they can, thanks to La Caféothèque, a cozy coffee sanctuary located in the 4th arrondissement. Owned by Gloria Montenegro Chirouze, the former Guatemalan ambassador to France, La Caféothèque combines a mellow atmosphere with a sophisticated and principled approach to importing, roasting, and consuming coffee.
Continue Reading »
Posted in Food | 7 Comments »
