Carnet - Paris Short Takes

Acrobats, Mr. Goy, Café Orbital

At La Defense, this steel, glass, plastic, concrete jungle with its cement desert in the middle, there is some hidden hand thinking up circuses for the harried people who work in this place of big things and no trees. We are all used to fire-eaters, organ grinders and a sprinkling of carrousels, but high-wire acrobats in a place that has wind currents similar to southern Patagonia, is truely different.

Three metro lines intersect under the Place de Concorde and switching from one line to another can be a long dreary tramp through a newly white-tiled tunnel. So, if you happen to hear a saxophone well-played, faintly, as you slog along, your spirits might pick up a bit. Mine did when I met Mr Mbiro Goy, who was doing a truely good job with his white and brass ax. From Cameroon, he has lived in Paris for six years. He composes his music in a style he described as 'African Salsa'; and he produced a record for his own label entitled 'Peaux de Banane,' which is available on vinyl or cassette. Definitely worth missing a couple of trains to catch his act.

I don't know if you've heard of 'Panini' sandwiches. They are supposed to be Italian and they are like a long 'hero', but they are cooked in a sort of waffle iron, without grid. Fairly new to Paris, they are a nice alternative to other sorts of fast food. I don't know if you've heard of the Internet; it is quite new to Paris as well. I don't know exactly what the two have in common, but you can find both at the Café Orbital, 4, rue du 4 Septembre, just 18 steps from métro Bourse. Online since May 2nd; try their provisional URL: http://cafe.orbital.fr/ Sysop Baptiste Cadiou has six PCs hooked to the Web, which can be browsed for a franc a minute, minimum 30 minutes. You can also put up your own homepage for 200 francs and the Café Orbital will keep it online for a year. Email address service too. Order several Paninis - for 18 to 32 francs - if you feel like you are going to browse for a long time.

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Updated 07/95