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For some reason, people keep asking, “Why do you live in Paris?”

Well…

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1. No one freaks when they find little black flecks in their vanilla ice cream.

2. If introduced as a pastry chef and cookbook author, I hear oh-la-la la’s instead of a litany of complaints about everyone’s diet.

3. The chocolate popsicles you buy at the supermarket are studded with real cocoa nibs.

And no one freaks about it.

4. Teenagers have three-course meals with their friends in restaurants. With wine.

5. Coffee, water, and wine are all the same price.

6. I live next door to the best croissants in Paris.

7. I can go to Laduree for a dark chocolate macaron, Berthillon for a superb scoop of their new salted butter-caramel ice cream, Pierre Hermé for an Ispahan fix, Poilâne for just-baked, crusty levain bread, and Jean-Charles Rochoux for chocolate pavéswhenever I want.

Every day if I want.

8. You can talk pharmacists into giving you cool prescription drugs if you have a good story.
(I don’t personally know if this is true, but I’ve, um…heard it is.)

9. I can buy a mind-altering selection of cheeses from my fromagerie for way less than the equivalent of $10.

10. Lucques olives…

…and the open-air markets!

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Coming Soon: Ten Things I Hate About Paris…!

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17 comments

    • Cristina

    If I ever move there, it’s because chickens are often displayed with their heads and feet at butcher shops and no one freaks about it. Also, the fact that there are a lot of butcher shops. That are good.

    • Meg

    People seriously ask you why you live here? They must not be very bright people! Good list, though!

    • Paz

    Great reasons!
    Paz

    • Ben W

    A better question is why don’t the rest of us live there?

    • Melissa

    Loved comment #4!!
    Just made a rez for my son’s upcoming 18th birthday at l’Astrance. Only in Paris!!

    • Melissa (:

    *envious sigh*

    • Kalyn

    I’ve never been to Paris. Note to self: must go there soon.

    • kpgallant

    Okay..just stop it right now!! I don’t know when I’ll get my next Paris fix..maybe late November or [sob..]January, but at least I can check out your blog to make me miss the most beautiful city in the world!! I have to admit, the water, coffee and wine being the same price would definitely be on my list as well..I can’t believe restos in SF charge $8 for a glass of mediocre wine!! But, you forgot one of my favorite reasons for loving Paris…Poujauran..20, rue Jean-Nicot..Hope you agree!!

    • Judith in Umbria

    There are many reasons but you left out the one in which you decide to buy just one beautiful wearable object and then end up buying none because there are too many to choose from. That, sadly, was me last November.
    Another is that if you ever want to houseswap, you will be spoiled for choice.

    • Lil

    you can openly admire people without people freaking out because you’re staring… :p

    • Diva

    I always wanted to live in Paris, my grandfather was born there, but ended up in Florence.. not bad for a runner up!

    But the good thing about living in FLorence is that it is a short flight to Paris.. and I have a new best friend there!

    • Alisa

    You know I love your blog!

    I get often get asked the same question – and mostly by French people. Americans generally want to know what my favorite things are, but completely “get” why I would want to live here.

    Please tell me where you find the chocolate popsicles, studded with real cocoa nibs.

    I have tried and failed to obtain prescription drugs, sans ordinance. But hear that in smaller French towns that it is possible. The good story is always the key!

    Gros bisous!

    • David

    hi Alisa: Yes, most French people are stunned that we Americans have chosen to live here. (There’s lots of French people that don’t like France, just as there are lots of Americans that don’t like America!…c’est la vie).

    The cacoa-nib popsicles are at chez Picard!

    And the best way, from what I hear, to get prescriptions drugs is either to go to a big pharmacy in a major tourist area, or go to one in the outlying ethnic quarters. Of course, I would never recommend that you tell them you’re “just traveling through and forgot your prescriptions” but I’ve heard that works.
    Caveat: Drug prices are subsidized by the government so if you do it you’re taking advantage of a governmental program…something that no one French would ever do.

    Right?

    • Alisa

    thank you for the Picard tip.
    French people existing without government subsidies? Sacre bleu!

    • Paula

    About that salted butter caramel ice cream. Where I live (Seattle) it is hard to get good ice cream so sometimes I make my own. I have a good recipe for caramel ice cream (Faye Levy) but don’t know how to transform it into CBS. Any tips?

    Love the blog. I can’t believe I discovered it a few days AFTER returning to the US from Paris.

    • juan carlos otero

    I have been living the last five years of my life in the UK. It has been an interesting exercise…. However I have decided that enough is enough….I am moving with my partner to Paris next year. I am giving up my job. The financial situation is crazy and the conversion gbp-euro is horrible but I do not care…
    London is so tiring and expensive… the quality of life is horrible…. I can not wait to move back to the continent….. Paris je t’adore et aussi le reste de la France…
    Enjoy the weekend and Paris… it is worthy…
    Cheers
    Carlos

    • abigail fendler

    COFFEE COFFEE COFFEE!!
    there is some big love in my house for java ice cream!

A

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