Contemplating a French Navel

Your taste of life in Paris and France
ParlerParis.com
Wednesday, August 24, 2011 • Paris, France

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Parler Paris "Paroles"

From The Re-Entry to a Pristine Paris * Monday August 22, 2011

I've enjoyed reading about your recent trip, and have forwarded your articles to my "Team Israel," whom I traveled there with last year.
One of our best experiences was Shabbat dinner with my daughter-in-law's French grandparents, who now live in Netanya. Some of us speak only English, some speak some French, some speak French and English, some also speak Hebrew, and my daughter-in-law's cousin speaks English and Hebrew. Imagine our tri-lingual conversations! My daughter-in-law's grandparents are originally from Morocco, so the meal was French-Moroccan-Israeli, incredibly delicious and plentiful.

V.W.

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Dear Parler Paris Reader,

Just in time for La Rentrée, "DSK" (Dominique Strauss-Kahn), the former IMF Chief, got off the hook for raping a hotel maid! It's big news, since of course, even though the accuser's credibility has been shaky all along, DSK's reputation as a 'ladykiller' is world renown. In fact, the new slang around town is to "DSK" someone is to "screw" them.

Reports have it DSK and his family celebrated last night at a West Village restaurant (L'Artusi) a few blocks from my daughter's apartment in the West Village...but no doubt this has changed the course of his life forever. Do you suppose this will teach him a thing or two? Or other men who let their power and wealth get the best of them? I just wonder how many female journalists he's going to hit on now? Not many...I hope, but the truth is, this is an age-old story that will likely go on for many moons to come and in many parts of the world.

Meanwhile, he will return to France soon (or so he says) and while he's returning to normal life, so are we as in the next few days the vacationing French will begin to return to their posts and the children will return to school. La Rentrée is the strangest phenomena from the point of view of an American who knows only two weeks vacation a year (if we're lucky). The average French person thinks nothing of shutting down his business or leaving his job for a full four weeks to spend time with his family and friends and rejuvenate his work ethic and overall spirit.

Not a bad idea, when you think about it, but it generates so many questions for us who can't imagine giving up potential income in lieu of contemplating one's navel. Even after all these years of surviving Paris in August while most independent businesses are shut tight (the bakeries, the pharmacies, restaurants, etc.), and service industries turn off their phones leaving you in the lurch no matter how important your dilemma (like busted water pipes, for example, and the plumber is on the beach while your apartment is flooded), I still don't get it. How can they afford, with the high cost of living in France, to just say NO to earning money?

It's not a secret that Paris is one of the world's most expensive cities -- according to the Economist Intelligence Unit, Tokyo holds the 'dubious' honor of topping them all, but Paris is fourth -- the survey based on U.S. dollars. (To download the full June 2011 report, visit http://www.eiu.com) But even that doesn't seem to deter them from shutting down and taking a holiday.

When I asked the French why they don't consider allowing those who WANT to work, stay in town and earn some extra cash, by keeping things running all summer long, they looked at me like I was nuts to consider such an "exploitation of labor!" Funny how our point of view is so different, when my idea of that is "opportunity," not "exploitation!"

To top it all off, the moment they return, all hell breaks loose trying to catch up and do a month's worth of work in the first two days. Imagine the long list of unanswered emails! Children start back at school and the first day their parents run to the nearest "papeterie" (stationery shop) to buy their school supplies. (I warn you not to enter a Monoprix the day school starts in France for fear of your life!)

Let's face it, it's one of the things we love about France -- that they actually do take the time to contemplate their navels and give up revenue in exchange for quality time with their families and friends. But then, when September rolls around, it's "Katy bar the door" for all the things to do in record time.

Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris

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P.S. Don't miss out on all the events "A La Rentrée!:

Celebrate "La Rentrée" September 3rd with a pizza lunch at the
Parler Parlor French-English Conversation Group September 3rd at 11 a.m. For further details, scroll down or visit Parler Parlor/

 

 

 

 

 

"Does Paris Give You Permission to Have Pleasure?" Join Victoria, The Pleasure Coach, on September 13th at Parler Paris Après Midi for a liberating view on how you can most benefit from that sly and encouraging nod the city of Paris offers you -- the nod that says: go ahead, live your life with sexual pleasure. For more information, visit Après Midi

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