As I write this, France’s future hangs in the balance. With election day approaching, the two presidential candidates are locked in a close battle whose outcome will determine the course of crucial political, social and economic developments in the country, … Read More
Unlike most European countries, France has a popularly elected president — “popularly” in the sense of “directly by the people,” not in the sense of being ensured any shred of actual popularity. As the current president, Nicolas Sarkozy, would be … Read More
On a recent trip south, I had the pleasure of taking one of the new models of high-speed TGV train. SNCF, the French rail company, updates the design of the passenger cars every few years, and this one featured a … Read More
Back in the 1980s, when I had just moved to Paris, I occasionally had occasion to go to the Forum des Halles, the huge shopping-cultural-leisure center that had just been built on the site of the old central food market. … Read More
After scoring in the top 35 percentile on Le Figaro’s index of “100 Things That All Parisians Should Do” two weeks ago, I felt, despite being non-French, very Parisian. This started me thinking about the definition of the term: what … Read More
Anyone who has spent any amount of time walking and breathing in Paris may find this hard to believe, but it has been illegal here to urinate in the street since the 17th century. This has to be one of … Read More
Here at C’est Ironique, we (the researcher, the photographer, the proofreader… me, in other words) take pride in being right on top of things, always at the leading, envelope-pushing edge of all the latest developments, hottest trends and up-to-date news … Read More
When I was in undergraduate school in Texas, I used to frequent a wine bar called “Le Carafé.” Apparently they were looking for a French name and thought this sounded cool. Apparently what they weren’t looking for was a French … Read More
Now that I have lived in Paris long enough to age a really good bottle of Cognac, visitors from the United States often say to me, “Gee, you must be fluent in French!” To this I invariably reply, “My French … Read More
I went over the checklist one more time: Sturdy shoes? Check. Stain- and rip-resistant clothes? Check. High-capacity carryall? Check. Large amount of cash in small bills? Check. Empty stomach? Check. Empty bladder? Check. A frisson of anticipation washed over me … Read More
