One job I've never done and I'm quite sure that I wouldn't be very good at, is that of a waiter. I took this shot at the Häagen-Dazs off the Champs-Elysées (see it in video here then click on Champs-Elysées) where this hard working garçon was doing a great job. Perhaps he is in training for the annual Course des garçons de café (et des serveuses) which is held in Paris and in many other cities around the world.
Real "ambiance" of a parisian brasserie !
ReplyDeleteThis picture reminds me a nice movie with Yves Montant
I like the colors in this pictures, the bright white and warm red...
ReplyDeleteI would like to be waiter (instead of cashier!). I looking for this kind of job for the coming year.
Bravo Thib!! La couronne t'iras à merveille!
okay, tooooo much mistakes, even in French! It's late, I was going to bed...that's why...
ReplyDeletepicture* I'm looking for* t'ira*
Heuuu 'to many' mistakes, right? LOOL.
ReplyDeleteA nice one!!
ReplyDeleteGarçon! A diet coke please!! :)
The crown looks great on you Thib. I have never heard anyone in Paris call a waiter Garçon -- only in films.
ReplyDeleteWow, I can't'believe I'm'GF ;-)
ReplyDeleteBut you're right, Guille, time to go to bed...and to think about what I can add to the crown!
"Good night, my friends, well, it's'time to go..."
Lois, I swear it happens here all the time to call a waiter 'garçon'. Encore une histoire de cédille ce soir! ( a second story of cedilla?).
ReplyDeleteJeff, about yesterday's comment: 'To paraphrase a popular celebrity from independent cinema: I spend too much time commenting on PDP...in bad French.' hahaha. ;)
Thib, just add your kindness and modesty to the crown! :)
Eric, I'm glad you're able to pin the "tail" on the 'c' in "garcon" even if some of us are tail-less "cons." ;-) What a tough job...being a waiter that is! I know because I've been there as they say and "done that" in my college days. Whew! Because of that experience, I always feel somewhat compelled to leave a decent tip whether the service is good or not. I know, call me a sucker! (on second thought, please don't)
ReplyDeleteThib...you da man! You brought the GF crown back to France! (even if the men's French Olympic swim team...okay I better stop before someone puts an arrow through my head).
Guille...regardless of the mistakes, you're still too cute! Am I right folks?
Typical Paris. La course des garçons de café?!! That sounds like fun to watch!
ReplyDeleteI know that garçon! Not!
ReplyDeleteAh, chocolate chocolate chip my fave HD ice cream. And did you get one "scoop" or two while you were there, Eric?
Congrats, Thib. I think you should add .fr to the crown.
Nino, I think you would have to ask for a Coca-Lite. Be a dear and grab one for me, too.
ReplyDeleteAhhh, Häaaaaagen-Daaaaazs. Yum!
Who knew you could get waited on at Haagen-Dazs?! I think only in Paris...
ReplyDeleteI almost forgot to say - that's one heck of a Häagen-Dazs on the Champs-Elysées! Eric, is that your favorite Ice Bäar?
ReplyDeleteYeah, I could never do that either. Too many ear infections when I was a kid destroyed my sense of balance. I'm lucky I can walk upright (as opposed to leaning to either side and constantly falling over) most days!!!
ReplyDeleteEric you must have a really good "action" setting on your camera, because I know this guy was moving fast! Coltrane the photo gave me flashbacks to waiting tables too! I worked at a lobster restaurant in Maine when I was 20. I carried a tray like this but heavy with lobsters, clams, french fries, etc. It sure would have been more fun to work at an ice cream shop!
ReplyDeleteBravo on the GF Thib!
Here in Rio there´s the course des garçons aussi! Many of them from my work place will participate.
ReplyDeleteI like this shot very much, great angle!
Eric, this photo hits the spot! We walked by this Häagen-Dazs on the Champs-Elysées, but didn't go in. Hey, we can get Häagen-Dazs in the U.S., right?
ReplyDeleteOh no. Not like this. The French give everything a special flair, don't they?
The videos you linked to today are fun, Eric. Being a waiter in Paris is different than being a waiter/server in the states, I think. Maybe it depends on the restaurant. I tried, but didn't do well. I understand it's a more respected profession in France and if you're good (which counts me out), you can make a career out of it.
I can attest to the hard work waiters and waitresses do, as I did that for nearly seven years. I'm glad to be done with it, and I think everyone should do it for at least a month. I'd love to speak with a waiter from France to see if the interactions with the customers are any different than ours in America, where the rule is, "If the customer complains, give him free stuff until he stops complaining."
ReplyDeleteOkay, my favorite ice cream is a Haagen Daaz flavor--French even! It is Fleur de Sal, a caramel ice cream with French sea salt. Lovely!! It is just wonderful, if you have a chance, try it! (if you like caramel, that is)
ReplyDeleteAnyway, nice shot, Eric. A fingertip waiter, even. That is definitely a talented guy.
Oh dear, if I'm not mistaken, it's not polite to address a waiter by the term 'Garcon'.
ReplyDeleteShould we be using 'Monsieur' instead? I called all waiters 'monsieurs' when I was in Paris and they felt dignified!
And oh, on the topic of French female fashion designers 2 days ago....don't forgot Agnes b.! She's one of my favourite!
ReplyDeleteAlways thought that 'Garcon' was a very pejorative term.... though the first sentence in my college French text was 'Garçon, une bière s'il vous plaît!'.... aaah, those days!
ReplyDeleteI clicked on the wrong icon and found out they need an assistant manager. I couldn't work at a place like that , as I would be testing all the flavors all the time. Bad enough I eat my way from coach to first class.
ReplyDeleteHooray for Thib.gf.fr! Perfect form and execution--I give it a 10-- oh DEAR,I think I have been watching too much Olympics.
P.S. Brandon: I can't compare different kinds of interactons as a server,because I am a flight attendant, but I can say that the French want more bread at their meal than the average American, and that they only want a small cup of coffee at the end of their meal , not a full cup, like the Americans prefer.
ReplyDeleteGuille, "kindness & modesty" : YOU are toooo kind!
ReplyDeleteColtrane, you're right, Guille's too cute ;-)
From Cali, "GFcrown.fr" LOL! But Can't find this site on the web... (not yet!)
Katie, Thanks
PHX, you know, as for the Olympics, this is a lot a training ;-) Reading and reading again the rules to make sure they're understood, trying to stay awake after midnight, etc... Thanks for your 10, I'm very proud of it ;-))
BTW, if you type "gf crown" in Google, PDP is nr5, with: "Congrats to GF Coltrane. Will you add drumsticks to the crown? Uselaine: LOL. ... How can I take the GF crown away from that cute face? ..."
ReplyDelete(it's google.fr, .com might be different)
I just have to comment on this amazing action shot. I LOVE this photo!
ReplyDeleteWhen I saw this photo I couldn't believe that it was at a Häagen-Dazs. Then I saw the link. That's quite an ice cream shop I'd say! So Eric, did you order something while you were there?
ReplyDeleteDear judge PHX-CDG,
ReplyDeleteYou know that there have been a lot of scandals around "dopage" during the Tour de France etc. Somebody better do a test on Thib just to be sure. He is French you know! Maybe Guille should conduct the analysis. Although, I did notice that Guille has been slurring her words recently ;-)
Bonjour Michael!
ReplyDeleteYou know, most "doped" cyclists in the TdF are not French... Maybe that's why French don't win a lot of stages...
Anymay, thanks for your confidence ;-)
I know I'm clean, but I have no problem being "analysed" by Guille! LOL.
Guille, c'est quand tu veux ;-)
MDR Thib!
ReplyDeleteLol, Suzy E.T.
ReplyDeleteI'll be a dear for you, ok...
With or without ice? ;)
Gee, thanks Eric....show me Haagen-Dazs, now I want some. Where I am located the only way I'll get it is from the freezer case of my local grocery store. It won't be as tasty as the photo! Please tell me you ate something yummy after you snapped the photo?
ReplyDeleteWow. I can't believe how nice the inside looks. Hasn't it been a quite a while since they started to get that ready to be open?
ReplyDeleteI'm coming to Paris for the first time in October. I'm so excited!!! I've been teaching myself a bit of French, and one thing I was told was never to call a waiter "garcon." Is that true? Since you're referring to this man as "garcon" it has me wondering about what is correct and proper.
ReplyDeleteDee from Illinois
I'm not French, but I've lived here for 10 years. The only people I've ever heard call for the waiter as "garçon" have been older people. That doesn't mean I know what I'm talking about, but after all this time, I doubt I'd ever refer to them as anything other than "Monsieur" or "Madame". Even "Mademoiselle" is a tricky one if you're not sure if the woman is married or not.
ReplyDeleteI'll let the French explain...that's just my experience.
The today's GF non-doped French guy agrees with Michael :-))
ReplyDelete"garçon" is pretty old-fashioned, and not really used anymore. It's better to use "Monsieur", "Madame", or "Mademoiselle", ... though the latter can be tricky!
Nice flowing shot, Eric, What is he carrying? Some incredible dessert?
ReplyDelete"Even "Mademoiselle" is a tricky one if you're not sure if the woman is married or not."
ReplyDeleteAnd they become less tricky once married? Beudeu geu deu. Pff.
Oh, wait, ice cream, that's right...where was I?
Jeff. LOOOOL !
ReplyDeleteWe have lots of Haagen-Dazs establishments here in NY, but none like this one, complete with waiters!
ReplyDeleteFancy! I like his crisp white shirt, so formal looking.
Jeff, merci that was cute "And they become less tricky once married? Beudeu geu deu. Pff." LOL
ReplyDeleteI know Garçon is OLD fashioned -- that's why I only hear it in old films I guess. And the cafes and restaurants I go to aren't really popular with the older generation. Every one knows every one by their names. For instance, Peggy and Jean-Micheal own a cafe close to Rue Cler. I would never dream of calling them by anything other than their names. When I have been at a restaurant where I didn't know the waiter's name, I called him "Monsieur".
keep those laughs coming, Thib and Michael!
ReplyDeleteice cream ... hum .. restaurants and delicious meals [we have the pics] ... mon garsson you have to show us a picture of you in the swimming pool soon because we will start to worry about your cholesterol .. have a nice long week end
ReplyDeleteI scream for ice cream!
ReplyDeleteNo less a call for cholesterol!
With ice, please, dear nino. And throw in scoop of vanilla while you are at it. ;^)
ReplyDeleteWait a minute...You aren't Amelie's Nino, are you?
First, je persiste et signe, I OFTEN hear 'garçon', said that's right by elders, but said anyway! lol.
ReplyDeleteSecondly, Michael, I'm slurring? I am not! I made some spelling mistakes, okay, but that's all. Sneaky Michael. Prowling and waiting for my errors. Tsss.
And thanks for your analysis proposal toward Thib but I think I have a word to say about it. I feel uncomfortable now! LOOOL
Jeff, LOL I love this one! I think a woman is worse once married, because of her husband, of course (don't throw me stones girls, I'm kidding).
Don't feel uncomfortable, Guille ;-)
ReplyDeleteI don't need to be analysed if you don't want to ... I'm clean anyway. No doping for me ;-)
I agree with Pont gurl and the others...only in Paris would you find a server..[garcon]at a Haagen-Dazs!! LOL!!!
ReplyDeleteI worked as a Waiter/Captain/Maitre d'Hotel for many years and I don't miss it! I am amazed at how many older waiters there are in Paris and even though people say they are rude I think they are usually quite aimable and extremely efficient as compared to SF where most servers seem distracted and "scripted"...way too corporate.
I love the photo and I know that carrying glassware and china on a tray over head is not as easy as it looks!! ;-)
Looool, dear Suzy!! You are funny, I knew that!
ReplyDeleteNo, I am not ;) You don't need to worry about that!
Ice & vanilla. Is that all?
He he... the English often make jokes at their own expense in speaking French badly by saying Garcon with a hard c. Well i don't have a cedilla on this keyboard anyway so you get my drift.
ReplyDeleteGreat shot Eric, i reckon they could use this as an advert. It looks such fun to be there.
I help out occasionally at my friends' hotel, with waitressing if they're really busy. Yep they have to be desperate to ask me to help, I'm telling you, i'm not that good. I'm very willing but i am too nervous to carry plates along the arm as they do. Eek, i am sure to drop them, so i am really careful. Careful but slow. lol. It's quite a fun job actually, reeeeeallly tiring but a real giggle in the kitchen.
In France (Italy too), one is often a waiter by profession (and, consequently, VERY good at it). In NYC, a lot of the waiters and waitresses are only doing that job until they get their big break on Broadway, God bless 'em! Some are great, some are laughable.
ReplyDeleteThis shot has great atmosphere. In the 1980s I lived for two years with a law student who worked as a waiter in a fine-dining establishment. His younger brother visited us for a few days, so the bro and I made resos for a Sat. night and were of course seated where my lover would be our waiter. After some wine I was all aglow and when my boyfriend came to our table to take our orders, I reached out and patted him on his rear. I heard a loud gasp! and saw a woman at a table near us close to a faint...
ReplyDeleteThat's my favorite waiter story :)
Lydia, that is too funny!
ReplyDeleteTo Dee from Illinois:
ReplyDeleteNo, don't say garçon. And when refusing second helpings, don't say "Je suis pleine" either.
To Lynne in Chelters: Hold down the ALT key and hit 135 on the number keypad.
ç
I wish I could do that too, I'd probably accidently drop the food on the customers!
ReplyDelete