Letter From Paris
Paris Kiosque - July 2006 - Volume 12, Number 7
Copyright © 2006 Harriet Welty-Rochefort - Used with permission.
On my way to a fancy annual event at the British Embassy in Paris in the
last week of June, I marveled at the emptiness of the streets. Hardly any
cars ! Hardly any people ! Before I even had time to comment on that
extraordinary and all too rare phenomenon, the taxi driver, who must
have read my mind, turned to me and said :
« They've all gone home early to get ready
for the game ».
The game !! Of course ! France was in the second round for the World
Cup and all the French fans had only one idea : get home from work in
time to get settled in to watch the French team have it out with rival
Spain. Some sat in their own living rooms ; others settled into
comfortable banquettes in cafés that had huge television screens
hooked up. In this day and age when almost everyone owns a television,
it's telling to see that people still like to celebrate
victory - or console each other in defeat - in groups.
Not to mention that the gathering of perfect strangers brought about
funny scenes such as in a café in a Spanish neighborhood in
Bordeaux where one supporter of France, garbed in blue (the French are
« les bleues »), found himself all alone in the midst of a
cohort of fans for Spain.
By the time I got out of my cocktail party, the game had started and I
could hear a hum of noise and excitement from open windows and
cafés. I should note at this point that what I
don't know about « le foot » would fill a
book. Still, enthusiasm is contagious and I found myself getting as
excited as any other supporter when France's
Zinedine Zidane (alias « Zizou ») kicked the ball that made
the difference.
End result : France 3, Spain 1 - and 10,000 Parisians
spilling out onto the Champs Elysées in a scene reminiscent of
1998 when France won the World Cup. In Marseilles, the birthplace of
« Zizou », France's soccer hero, eager
fans flocked to the port, honking horns, waving banners, and chanting
victory. At age 34, Zidane has announced he'll
retire after the World Cup. Andy etÉ.« Everyone in the world of
soccer knows that Zinédine Zidane is near the end. But, Éno
one at the World Cup has been able to drive him into retirement, »
wrote sports reporter Peter Berlin in the International Herald
Tribune.
On Saturday France played in the quarterfinals against Brazil - and
brought home a victory once again ! More celebrating and dancing in the
streets as the French fê ;ted yet another success in what everyone
hopes will lead to a replay of 1998.
That remains to be seen. One thing is sure, though : the French are
delighted to have something to celebrate. This
year's been a downer : A resounding
« non » vote on the European constitution, riots in the
troubled suburbs, thousands of students and parents in the streets
demonstrating against a proposed jobs law created by a Prime Minister
who's clearly out of touch with realityÉA triumph
on the playing fields is just what the doctor ordered, a shot of something
positive at last !
Maybe, in fact, things are finally looking up. Another
« positive » in France is the «female factor ».
France's first female presidential candidate,
Socialist Ségolène Royal, who is feminine, pretty,
intelligent and iron-willed. Is going strong and holding her own, contrary
to predictions that she'd cave in as the battle
warmed up. So far, so good. She's rallied good
support and hasn's said a nasty word (yet) about
the other Socialist candidates who, on the other hand,
haven't cut her any slack. I
wouldn't vote for her because of my political
convictions but I'm relishing the sight of all those
old Socialist Party machos quaking in their shoes at the
« Royal » offensive. To their immense surprise,
she's got them where she wants them - for the moment.
And depending on how you look at it, another « positive » is
the recent opening of the Musée du Quai Branly (this colorless
name will presumably remain until President Jacques Chirac dies, at
which point the edifice will become the Musée Jacques Chirac). I
say « depending on how you look at it » because if you like
the big picture - audacious architecture and primitive art - the museum
opening is very positive indeed.
Some critics are, however, ruffled at architect Jean
Nouvel's daring and totally iconoclastic building
which they find hard to love. It's non-conventional,
with a vertical garden wall (vertical gardens are all the rage in France
these days), a series of cubes jutting out above the body of the main
building, and a huge curved glass wall extending the length of the
museum to keep out the noise of the traffic along the Seine. Inside,
exotic plants and a long spiral ramp lead to the main galleries where the
visitor finally gets the reward : an astonishing collection of precious and
breathtaking pieces of art from the African, American, Oceanic and Asian
artworks formerly in the Musée de
l'Homme and the Musée des Arts Africains
et Océaniens. Were the curators and researchers at those two
institutions happy to see their treasures re-housed ? You bet they
weren't, but then you can't
please all of the people all of the time, as they say.
The museum, which one writer described as « defiant, mysterious,
and wildly eccentric » has definitely planted its roots in the Paris
art scene.
A parallel very non-official and lively art scene holds court far from the
Quai Branly in the heart of the city. To find out
what's being created in Paris today, all you have
to do is take a stroll down the streets of the non-touristy areas of
Belleville and La Goutte d'Or in the east of the city
and Chinatown in the south.
Many of the artists hold Open Door Week-ends in their neighborhoods
and sometimes, if you get lucky, as I did one day, you might even stroll
down the street and notice an « atelier » you
hadn't seen before.
That happened to me on an ordinary day in my ordinary neighborhood
while I was on my way to do an ordinary errand. Spying an
artist's « plaque » on a door, I bravely
rang the doorbell which was answered by a polite young woman in a
smock who ushered me into a large room in which her works,
marvelously creative sculptures in bronze and iron were tastefully
displayed. (You would never know this from the street). She told me
that she lives in the back of the « atelier » and decided to
open the studio in front for one month only to display her work. If what
she's doing is any indication of the talent in Paris
these days, it's very, very impressive indeed.
Hidden talent ! Hidden places !
I dreamed of having enough money, and especially, enough space, to
afford one of her large, powerful, expressive sculptures. Pleasure
doesn't always bear a dollar (or euro) sign,
though, and simply contemplating these works of art, even running my
hands over their forms while we conversed in her studio on a Paris
afternoon with light streaming in the window was perfect.
That kind of experience has a name. It's called
Paris Serendipity and it can't be ordered. It can
only happen when it's going to happen. If
you're lucky, it may happen to you !
Harriet Welty Rochefort is the author of
French Toast: An American in Paris Celebrates the Maddening Mysteries of the French and French Fried: The Culinary Capers of an American in Paris.
French Toast was hailed by the Los Angeles Times as "wise and devastatingly
funny". For world-famous chef Alain Ducasse, her second book French Fried
"in a lively and hilarious style ... gives an inside look at the world of
French cuisine and wine." Both books are published by St. Martin's Press.
Coming to Paris? Harriet gives
tailormade wine and cheese tastings to individuals as well as to university
groups. For more information, visit her webpages:
www.hwelty.com and
www.understandfrance.com .
If you've had some funny, startling, satisfying, or dismaying
food experiences in France you'd like to share,
you may contact Harriet directly at
harriet.welty@hwelty.com.
Editor's Note:
Dear Readers, while our writers are always
delighted to hear and to receive comments, both about their columns in the The Paris Kiosque,
as well as your experiences in Paris,
they are unable to answer requests for travel information.
Thank you for your understanding.
