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Cross-CulturalConfusion

-The concept of dating, the term “dating” do not exist in the French culture. “It’s a lifestyle,” according to several locals. “Why put labels. I don’t understand the American way of always wanting to categorize and define.”

-Private vs public 

-Eating in public spaces, especially on the Metro. You do not want to.

-Expressing emotions and concerns

-Service is concise

-As a woman, don’t always smile at everyone. I do instinctually smile during awkward situations in hopes of pacifying, but smiling is considered a move...99% of the time.

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‘Quick

Stop by the following bars:

-Le Syndicat (le marais)

-Mezcaleria Speak Easy in Blue Hotel (pass through kitchen)

-Bisou (energetic) FAVORITE tell them folks that Barbara sent you; outstanding hospitality. 

-Le Mary Celeste (le marais)

-Nelson’s: try the outdoor terrace upstairs (nice place to kick it for hours after work. grab a glass of le titi côte du bordeaux and smoke your stress away, food is pricy but service is perfecto)

-Moonshiner (highly recommend to stop by during warmer weather months, strong, well-balanced old-fashions)

-La Bonne Décision

-GATSBY bar near École Militaire

-Candelaria 

Avoid tourists at: Lavomatic, Little Red Door

Cafes:

-NEIGHBOURS in Le Marais (Favorite; Great Banana Bread & Espresso Butter + Sourdough Crumpets avec smash avocados on top)

-Coutume

-IBRIK

-Café Mericourt

-Holybelly 5 (before taking Eurostar, near Gare Du Nord)

-Blackburn (cheap brunch for the amount and quality of food!)

-Ob-La-Di sources their coffee from LOMI (therefore, great coffee)

-standing Espresso fixes at Tabac Stores

Skip tourist traps: Café de Flore, Fragments, Kozy Bosquet 

Have not tried and want to try: Café Oberkampf

Manger <to eat>:

-POKAWA in Oberkampf best poké I’ve had. There’s a lot of mediocre poké in Paris

-Chambelland (gluten-free bakery) great spot to peer into the street in silence whilst sitting in their terrace.

-Culinary Experiences: Pierre Sang In Oberkampf, Septime

-Check out restaurants in Galerie Panoramas (Lombem BEST STEAK et Gratin and amazing service, Kapunka Panoramas, and so many more restaurants)

-L’as du Fallafel! If the line is too long head next door to Miznon and you’ll encounter another long line :)

-New French/French: Le Bon Georges, Ellsworth, Quinsou, Les Pantins, Le 975, MOKONUTS

-Ober Mamma, Pink Mamma, East Mamma (under same establishment, but meh)

-Daroco (beautiful infrastructure)

-Asian: BAMBOU, James Bun, Kapunka Panoramas, Bien Bien, Little Hanoï, Kodawari Ramen, MY NOODLES (noodles made on the spot), Mussubï’s bento box special, pour authentic Izakaya—Toritcho, Guo Xian (house made dumplings but hands down the worst and most unusual service I have ever received each time but I will always go back since it’s €5 for 15 portions!!!

-Mexican: tried Bocamexa and it’s meh. I hail from California so Mexican food elsewhere is undeniably bad.

-Patisseries: Sadaharu Aoki, Pierre Hermé

Skip: Breizh crepe bullshit and restaurants that have pictures of food on their menus, Poké bowls are horrifying in Paris 

To play: 

-Concrete and few others, but my clubbing days are over, BRIDGE, Andy Wahloo (some clubs do have cover), Cafe Oz, Le Comptoir General (good music)

Visit and flash student IDs at:

-Fondation Louis Vuitton

-Musee d’Orsay

-Louvre 

-Centre du Pompidou

To do:

Go to your local boulangerie, fromagerie (my favorites are Comté, Camembert) to establish a cordial relationship with the owner, seller, worker.

Wine tasting!!! Préfére Bordeaux, Beaujolais

PICNIC BY THE SEINE

Shop:

The Kooples, A.P.C, Acne Studios, IRO, Maje, Sandro, Diptyque, & Other Stories, Le Labo, ba&sh, Zadig & Voltaire, Kilo shop, Carhartt

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PeixariadaEsquina

Portugal celebrity chef Vitor Sobral opened this gem on a quiet corner of Campo de Ourique to serve up fresh-caught seafood marinated, cured, grilled, raw, you name it! An enjoyable feast of pesticos...atum laced with basil oil followed by cockles enveloped by a zingy, buttery juice. My mouth still waters from recalling the fresh flavors that epitomized the quality of the fish. 

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Lisboa:Obrigato

I had no inkling that I would struggle so much to restrain myself from speaking French to Portuguese folks I came across in Lisboa. Words cannot truly encapsulate how I feel about this city that offered rich, eclectic color. Warm weather welcomed us as soon as we stepped out of the plane. En route to the castle, we stopped by to sip on aged porto. At one point, I was disoriented by the sun beating down on me. One woman quietly painted her surroundings on the cobblestone, and one local slept sprawled on the public chair as a middle-aged man crooned to his slow strumming of chords on his guitar. My life’s future unbeknownst. The future becoming the past. The passage of time never ceasing to flow. But in that moment, I was in a standstill dream. Thousands of miles away from responsibilities. 

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Lavomatic

Non merci.

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Bambou:TropicalTransport

Bambou is a colossal Thai restaurant located in the heart of 2nd arrondissement. Food exceeded beyond expectation. My companion and I were directed to wait in the smoking lounge offering bar service downstairs. Conceiving it as a space of its own right, I was entranced by the dimly lit space that exuded exoticism. Couples rested on leather long sofas whilst whispering secrets and exchanging intoxicated glances, servers clothed in oriental robes hovered around guests, and shadows of palm fronds adorned the room. “Ensuite, les persiennes qui rappellent un territoire tout en ombres portées, avec une nouvelle fenêtre sur le continent, plus confidentielle, titillant l’imaginaire des fumoirs à opium dans l’Asie du 19e siècle.” The room aptly placed next door was occupied by a billiard table for folks to play a game or two. After exploring the scenes, dinner started with “tartare de daurade, citronnelle & lait de coco” featuring a deliciously balanced sea bream tartar. Twas a gastronomic rendezvous. 

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LeBardesPrés:ASushiHunt

Chef Cyril Lignac’s brainchild and located in Saint Germain, Le Bar des Prés features a classy atmosphere (Aesop soap in bathroom) and sushi fused with the French Chef’s roots. It was a spontaneous choice and not a regrettable one. I was intrigued by their cocktail, Pisco Bello, featuring Aphrodite Bitter and elderberry. After ordering one from a rather stoic ginger bartender, I observed the passionless bartender sluggishly shake and strain as I sipped on the sugary juice. 

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Mammas

Ober Mamma; Pink Mamma: Part of the Big Mamma Group, the collective trattorias serve up classics such as mafaldine laced with truffles and rich, cracked pepper. Noted, the lines for the damn Mammas consist of too many tourists. 

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LeBisou

Under same management as Bespoke (now closed) Right outside of stop, Oberkampf, “Kiss” is decorated by rosy façade, neon pink lights, and adept bartenders (who one had the pleasure of inviting me to shake a cocktail alongside him). Bisou offers crafted cocktails drafted with seasonal ingredients. It’s only a few blocks West from Little Red Door. Many tourists visit the Little Red Door establishment managed by bartenders from around the world (Belfast, London, Dublin, you name it) to try their picture book-like menu offering drinks dubbed hedonism and universalism. At Little Red Door, 90% of the guests speak English. Bisou offers a great bar program and a variety of visitors.

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Moonshiner

Why the fuck is this bar always so damn busy. I shall revisit it during the Summer to sit in the patio. Be warned, come early as attempting to find seats for two is difficult. The speakeasy is located promptly behind the walk-in door through the pizza joint, Davito’s. Drinks are well-balanced, and the crowd ranges from young locals to a sufficient amount of passionate couples.

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LunchatMaisonPlisson

Conveniently open at two locations, Maison Plisson features a giant space collaborating a restaurant, a delicatessen, and a cellar. Entirely devoted to seasonal ingredients and hearty homemade French dishes, Maison Plisson’s January 19 Menu featured a Chicken Suprême and ever-changing Soup of the Day. Chicken Supreme showcased juicy white meat paired with a delectable morel sauce (not to heavy on the cream) topped with micro greens and morel mushrooms. The dish is served in a piping hot plate. For hors d'oeuvre, the soup of the day was a tangy butternut squash that isn’t dominated by the squash’s natural sweetness. Dip into the fluffy, creamy soup with a piece of torn baguette—orgasmic.

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SelfDoubts:AnIntroduction

Paris: I had a skeptical mindset regarding my commit to a short-term move to this notorious tourist destination. With two hastily packed bags comprised of a few outfits, a converter, a passport with pages itching to be stamped, and an abundant supply of edibles, I drove myself to LAX. Knowing absolutely no one promoted a restless mind. But, shipping myself off to this unknown gave me comfort in solitude mixed with guilt and nervous excitement. Ashley, who is pursuing an MDP at Trinity Dublin (we sparked a friendship at Backbar speakeasy in Boston), reminded me, “Aiming to both excel in the language, and integrate myself in the culture, it was the most I have ever grown independently.” Paris is a city of breakups for some individuals, but also a city for individuals to romanticize and even begin romance. I have always been one to imagine and be infatuated. I whole-heartedly accepted: I receive what I give back. In other words, the amount of open-mindedness I allowed myself to act on whim and to recognize opportunities will permit new relationships and experiences. Immediately, the first week I was overwhelmed by the Parisians’ obsession with symmetry evident in architecture to the charismatic, rushed French language spoken by Parisienne folks. Even “fuck you” in French, which is “va te faire foutre,” sounds forbearing. I am left relishing in comfortable silence–of being a foreigner and a baby to the language. There is comfort present with privacy, aside from the occasional peering curious or offensive eyes on the Metro.  At the present moment, I am sitting in Fragments, located in the 4th arrondissement, surrounded by murmuring garçons, the aroma of marseille, alongside Cigarettes After Sex drumming in my ears. Yesterday, Paris was visited by first snow, I truly wish “Nothing’s Gonna Hurt….” for the future. But, as a wise man has always said--one cannot grow without toil! I am not Hemingway or Oliver Wilde, but I have proposed to myself to record my collective thoughts and reviews in order to revisit.