April 19, 2012 by Victoria Wall
35 hour work week – time for gazing at the Seine - Christophe Hue
Many associate French working life with 35-hour weeks, strikes, long long lunch breaks and even longer holidays. This is certainly the image that I’d carefully conjured in my idealistic head before setting foot in France.
The big question: does reality live up to this delightful worker-friendly dream?
Well, I can confirm that the 35-hour week does exist (at least for a privileged minority), strikes do take place on a not-infrequent basis, lunch breaks remain sacred, and holidays are considered to be an untouchable national right (right up there alongside liberté, egalité, fraternité).
However, beneath the shiny and appealing veneer, day-to-day work has its fair share of up and downs.
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Posted in Parisian Living | 4 Comments »
March 9, 2012 by Lindsey Tramuta
To celebrate Valentine’s Day four years ago, I dined at Le Grand Colbert, the restaurant made famous by Diane Keaton and her roast chicken in the film Something’s Gotta Give. For me, it will forever be famous for far different reasons. Over clangorous dining room voices and crumb-laden plates, my husband proposed to me.
The American couple seated next to us gushed as I beamed with joy and threw my arms around my new fiancé. The fullness of the moment was heightened by the Belle Epoque backdrop and the tuxedoed waiters who dashed back and forth with alacrity between the kitchen and the dining room, forging the surreal sensation of being the stars on a Hollywood film set. Unbearably prosaic but perfectly appropriate for the moment.
Since then, we’ve maintained the tradition of dining out on Valentine’s Day. Some of our choices have been memorable, some not even worth mentioning. We flirted with the idea of returning to Le Grand Colbert last month to relive our engagement but given the caliber of restaurants that have opened over the last four years, we couldn’t be bothered with average food and contrived theatrics, no matter how emotionally significant.
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Posted in Food, Restaurant Reviews | 7 Comments »
March 12, 2010 by Tory Hoen
For Parisians, lunch is where it’s at. Breakfast usually consists of coffee and cigarettes (and maybe a tartine), and weekday dinners are often simple affairs as well. But lunch is the moment when many kick back and enjoy every last second before returning to the office. Weekday lunches can extend to 1.5 hours and weekend lunches are nearly interminable. Both often involve wine, philosophizing, and simultaneously savoring / complaining about life (a finely tuned Parisian art). But unlike dinner, you then have all afternoon to walk, nap, or work it off. In case you couldn’t tell: I am a fan of lunch.
Le Miroir – Maggie Battista
More importantly, lunch is also the best time to sample some of Paris’ best cuisine at reasonable prices, as many restaurants offer a prix-fixe lunch menu that highlights the day’s specials. While your options are limited, they will likely feature the freshest, most seasonal ingredients. So kick back and relax, knowing that you are in gastronomically capable hands. My top 5 picks are as follows. Continue Reading »
Posted in Food, Restaurant Reviews | 11 Comments »
Carin Olsson
