Visitors returning from France used to complain that Paris would be perfect, were it not for the Parisians. Fortunately, the stereotyped image of the surly, unhelpful Frenchman has faded along with his beret, dangling Gauloise cigarette and bottle of vin ordinaire. Parisians are far more accommodating these days, but they do have their own unwritten social code.
Where in the world do you think a 1920's dance hall could evolve into a showcase for documentary photography plus a trendy cafe? In Paris, of course! La Bal is in Montmartre, off the beaten track in a non-descript building on a dead-end street near Place de Clichy. A century ago this neighborhood was on the fringes of polite society. Today, "Le Pol Nord" (in the words of Paris Mayor Bernard Delanoe) is making waves in both arts education and contemporary cuisine.
Some of us are always thinking about our next meal. Why else would I take the long way home after my Saturday class at the Alliance Francaise? I was tired but planning ahead to Sunday breakfast. So I braved city traffic and drove north to Chicago’s legendary Old Town.
Parisians take ‘time-outs’ seriously and often. Everyone in France gets the unwritten right to leisure time in a café. They are natural speed-bumps in the city’s daily rhythm. The rest of us join the locals when our feet hurt from walking. It slowly dawns on us that the American coffee break is a hallowed institution here. It’s called a pause-café.
With the arrival of warm weather, outdoor cafes in Paris are blossoming with pauseurs. In addition to refreshments, a café, like an oasis in the desert, is a place to rest. Even when packed at lunchtime, the crowd at Café de la Madeleine, was surprisingly quiet as traffic from rue Tronchet streamed past on a recent sunny day. They were enjoying the equally popular pause-déjeuner. (Look in Petit Robert if you don’t believe me.)
