Monday, October 17, 2011

The provinces in Paris


There are about 30 000 "new Parisians" every year in Paris. I'm not talking about newborns, but French people from the provinces who come to Paris to study or find a (better) job. Some stay, some don't, but globally studies show that one in three Parisians was born outside Paris. Yesterday (Sunday) I went at Place Stalingrad (where I took this photo) to one of the events that are regularly organized in Paris and where regional producers can sell their products (Crèpes from Brittany, cheeses from everywhere, beer from Corsica, etc.). Huge success (I personally stuffed myself with a slice of Far Breton!)

18 comments:

  1. I won, I won. Gold finger! Did I win?

    It really looks like a village scene. Those non-Parisian country-bumpkin hayseeds must feel right at home. But, at least, unlike some of us Parisian outsiders, they speak the language fluently.

    Far Breton—soaked in alcohol: Like me! Like Me! Pruney—like my skin! Like my skin! Maybe for me it is closer to Near than Far Breton..

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  2. Ha, tall Gary, I like you! Eric, he's right, at least they speak the language fluently. One of my goals...

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  3. Tall Gary, you're back!

    Where have you been?

    In the provinces?

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  4. Ha ha, Petrea. Perfectly apt: "...the provinces.” Actually, I’ve been hanging out much closer to the Iron(ic) Lady herself. You know the one. ...dans le metro... indeed.

    Or so I wish.

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  5. Or so I wish as well. What a fanciful video.

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  6. Read a lot of interesting history about Paris but never had a chance to visit in person. Your photography is worth knowing more about Paris.

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  7. Can't explain, but I hope to be one of those 30,000 in the near future....for a year or for a lifetime.

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  9. @Martin: Let’s hope that year is much less than what remains of a lifetime, and not that the two are synchronous.

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  11. @Petrea: It is from Louis Malle's first movie (available at Dreck Flix, I mean Netflix) titled "Zazzie dans le metro." Some really clever camera/film play. In a pinch you could watch it in installments at YouTube, I suppose.

    I just realized that in the background is one of the few structures of Claude-Nicolas Ledoux’s still remaining in Paris.

    Perhaps Eric will be the Christophe Civeton of 2193, as the latter is to us from 1829, 182 years ago.

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  12. How fun! Is that so these newcomers can get a taste of home where they now reside? Either way, it sounds like a great idea.

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  13. If you haven't checked out Tall Gary's 1829 link, do. It's an eye-opener! Thank you, TG.

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  14. Hi TG!! Howya been? Great to see you and click on all your great links.

    What is this thing we're looking at that looks like a giant spinning wheel on wheels?

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  15. "Far Breton!!"....Parfait!! My grandmother was from Quimper en Bretagne and I make many of her old dessert specialties(butter, sugar and more butter!)....I usually make this with "Prune Plums" or Apples...and Gary, you don't have to use "liquer!!"....LOL!! My grandparents moved to the US during prohibition so they had to "improvise"...but that is another story...hint: It had something to do with "apples!" ;)

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  16. I have been wondering what that wooden implement is and hoped to answer Carrie’s question but failed. It looks like a cross between this (a steam thresher—battage a la vapeur— from 1859) and this (a spinning mule from around 1780).

    Or maybe it is the family sedan version of this.

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  17. les photos du far breton (avec l'ortographe en plus) .. c'est le genre de truc qui me fait rever, et regretter d'etre sur mon continent loin de tout. Y' a pas a dire, personne n'arrive a la cheville de la bouffe Francaise, quoi qu'ils en pensent ou disent.. rien que la variete de region a region, c'est dingue! *soupir*

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