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Posts from the ‘Shopping’ Category

Dec 19

No. 84: Christmas Lights

Thomas Edison not only invented the light bulb, but we also have him to thank for the lovely (or tacky) strings of Christmas lights we take for granted these days. Always ahead of the curve, in 1880, he strung up the first string of incandescent bulbs around his Menlo Park laboratory compound to attract the attention of commuters on the nearby railway, and ever since then, fairy lights (as the Brits call them), have been an intricate part of the December holidays.

Maybe you are a fan of them, maybe you’re not, but regardless of how they look to you, they are an infinitely better option than sticking candles in a tree or tucking them into your garland.

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Back in the 1700s when Europeans first began lighting Christmas trees, the experience was a lot less relaxing then it is today and required some serious vigilance. The candles were only lit for a few minutes per night, while the families sitting on edge around the tree, readied themselves with buckets of sand and water.

Understandably by the early 1900s insurance companies refused to pay for the damage caused by flaming Christmas trees. So people (exceptionally rich people, that is) began to string lights on their trees. Eventually, when the lights became much, much cheaper, the masses began to light up their trees, homes and village streets.

Which brings me to twenty-first century France where lighted streets and villages are not only the norm but as much a part of the French holiday season as the Bûche de Noël.

Paris is always lovely by night, but at Christmastime it is exceptional. Take a look.

 

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Dec 16

2 Comments

No. 82: More Christmas Window Licking

I licked a few more windows this week, but this time exclusively at Printemps. Their windows are sponsored by Prada, oh la la!

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They tell less of at story than the windows at Galeries Layafette, instead they combine adorably Prada-dressed or adventure-bound Teddy Bears with luxury products.

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More fun than looking at the windows was watching the little children react and see the wonder and excitement in their faces.

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Vocabulaire

lèche-vitrine: window shopping (literally, licking the windows)

Printemps: one of the largest department stores in Paris (literally, spring)

Dec 16

No. 81: THE Sapin de Noël

In America we have our National Christmas Tree in Washington D.C., on the Ellipse near the White House.

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

Photo by Alex Wong/Getty Images

I am wondering if the sapin de Noël at the Galeries Lafayette is the French equivalent of our nation’s tree?

It certainly is enormous (20 meters high), stunning, stylish, and as Paolo de Cesare, Printemps CEO said, “makes a statement for Paris, for France and for the world.”

Perched under the famous cupola in the center of Galeries Lafayette, the tree features a toy village at the base that springs to life on the hour, every hour, and compliments the Christmas window theme: Il était une fois Noël …avant les douze coups de minuit.

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The cheerful tree continues the adventures of Lily the doll and Martin the Teddy Bear. As she wakes up their sleepy Christmas village, Monsieur and Madame Wolf, a gang of mischievous mice, a clowder of cats, and a family of snow white owls spring into action to beat the clock and get ready for Noël.

If you can brave the tourists and Christmas shoppers, it’s definitely magical and worth seeing…go early, and get out quickly.

Vocabulaire

Il était une fois Noël …avant les douze coups de minuit: Once upon a time at Christmas…before the clock strikes twelve.

Printemps: one of the largest and fanciest department stores in Paris (literally, spring)

Sapin de Noël: Christmas tree

 

 

 

Dec 10

No. 73: Fun Christmas Words

It’s been awhile since I’ve done a language post, but I’ve come across several holiday words and phrases in the last few days that have made me grin. Here is a petite sample:

le bonhomme de neige, a good old chap made of snow (or in this case lights)

le bonhomme de neige, a good old chap made of snow (or in this case lights)

  • Un bonhomme de neige: a snowman, but literally a snow “chap”, “fellow”, or “old sport”.  I love the jovial image that one conjures up, and it makes me wonder if a gingerbread man is called “un bonhomme pain d’épice”, because, after all, they are quite jolly fellows too. (Please do let me know.)IMG_2201
  • Noël sous le neige: white Christmas, but literally “Christmas under the snow.” How I love Christmas when it is under the snow!
  • canne à sucre: a candy cane, but literally a sugar stick, nothing like calling a spade a spade.IMG_2218
  • Père Fouettard: the boogeyman (who tags along with Saint Nicolas, and depending on the family, hands out coal to the naughty children, or in the worse case scenario, flogs the child); literally “father spanker” or “father whipper”.Hans_Trapp
  • Noël malin: Christmas sales, but literally “shrewd Christmas”; obviously only for those clever enough to shop the sales.

Nov 19

9 Comments

No. 52: Les Macarons

IMG_8650I love the French macaron. And to think, 4 years ago, I had never even heard of this whimsical creation. If you’ve never seen one, these charming double-deckered dots, look impossibly similar to multi-colored miniature hamburgers buns that you might find in your daughter’s dollhouse. They are gorgeous from top to bottom.

While I like the unusual and trendy flavors (this season Ladurée is featuring les baies roses—pink peppercorns) and the fanciful colors, when it comes to macarons, it turns out I’m a plain-Jane-vanilla kind of girl.  J’adore le parfum vanille—that, and the pistache.

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During my time in France, I have probably eaten at least one hundred of these colorful, cream-filled confections. Don’t tell Superman, but at €2.25 a pop, that’s roughly $300 worth of cookies. It’s my guilty pleasure, so sue me.

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There are several ways I like to eat them. I savor them in a cozy salon de thé with un café noisette, or depending on the flavors I order, a cup of chocolat chaud. I also love eating them on a park bench at lunchtime watching the world go by. Often I bring them home to the family as a special after dinner treat. This is my preferred method for enjoying les macarons. We usually share a box of 6-8, cutting them in quarters or halves, so we can all taste a bit of each. Sometimes I make the family close their eyes to try to figure out the flavor, other times I make them wait while I meticulously set them up for a photo shoot. I always suggest a sip of water to clear the palate between tastings. But the most important thing I have found to enjoy this indulgence is to make the time to relish every tiny bite…the taste, the smell, the texture and the view. Les macarons are scrumptiously edible art, exquisite and very, very French.

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Vocabulaire

chocolat chaud: hot chocolate

J’adore le parfum vanille: I love vanilla flavored

pistache: pistachio

salon de thé: tearoom

un café noisette: an espresso with a small bit of steamed milk

Nov 13

3 Comments

No. 48: Licking the Windows

An ideal way to spend these mild but crisp fall days is to lick the windows around town. Yep. That’s what the French call window-shopping: licking the windows (en français: faire du lèche vitrine). It’s absolutely the perfect phrase as the shop windows in France are so beautifully delicious, you almost want to eat them up, or at least take home a little taste.

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Nov 10

2 Comments

No. 44-45: Fermé le dimanche & dimanche midi

I love the fact that most shops and many restaurants are closed on Sundays in France. Having lived in the land of 24/7 most of my life, I really appreciate being forced to take a break from consumerism one day a week. However, as a temporary Parisienne, I apparently am out of sync with my fellow citizens.

Sunday has been a day of rest in France since the early 1900s, but according to a recent poll, two-thirds of the population is in favor of stores opening on Sundays (providing it is voluntary for employees to work). Still some see this open-Sundays-movement, like the proposed changes to French vacation and working hours, as an attack on the heart and soul of France, and the essence of what makes France, France.

While the government and the legal system have made it clear that they are not ready to budge or cave into the demands of an always-open world, several French businesses are openly bucking the system, most notable the home improvement chain, Bricorama. They are currently appealing the €100,000 per day fine that has been imposed, and many French families have become vocal advocates of this proposed change which they insist helps working parents, giving them more time to run errands on the weekends.

I am entirely in the other camp. As I’ve said, I’ve been there and I’ve done that. I love that our Sundays in Paris are not just a day of rest, but they are also a day to explore the city or to do something with friends…

…which leads me to another thing I love about France: dimanche midi, or Sunday lunch en famille.

Many French families still gather at their mother’s or grandmother’s house on Sunday afternoons for an old-style, four or five-course meal together. In the past, la maman ou la mamie might have done all the cooking, but these days the guests contribute their own culinary specialties. Which is not to say that they are all homemade, au contraire. Take a ride on the metro late Sunday morning, and you’ll be surprised by the number of travelers carting swanky to-go boxes filled with delicate desserts tied up with silky ribbons. Bottles of wine and bags swollen with cheese, charcuterie, pickled garlic and olives, warm, delicious smelling tartes, roasted chicken, and or course, fresh crusty baguettes, accompany the “déjeuner-ers”.

Our family has quite happily and easily adopted this French tradition, in great part because so much is closed on Sundays in France, and we aren’t distracted by commercial demands or tempted to go out and buy things. Instead, we actually have the time to sit down for a meal together and find out what is happening in each other’s lives.

Sunday lunch is a highlight of my week. My fingers are crossed that the French will choose déjeuner over faire du shopping, and realize the value of fermé le dimanche.

Vocabulaire

déjeuner-ers: déjeuner – to (eat) lunch;  déjeuner-ers—franglish for people who lunch

dimanche midi: Sunday lunch

en famille: with family

faire du shopping: to go shopping

fermé le dimanche: closed on Sunday

la maman: mom

la mamie: granny

 

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