5 things in Paris, France

   Now, before I humbly try and take on the wonderful city of Paris in this blog, I have an important disclaimer; I had only eaten a crepe once before coming to Paris, and frankly, I was rather unimpressed and let down. I concluded that, in reality, a crepe was basically a glorified, poorly-cooked, skinny pancake. Similarly, before Paris, and being the poor college student that I am, I usually avoided food that took over 10 minutes to make and eat,  needed more than one utensil to bridge the gap between plate and mouth, and if I couldn't eat it with my hands or if it wasn't wrapped in a tortilla, well, I would steer clear of that food. Sure, I'd spend a little extra money every once in a while on a sushi buffet, or a good $7 burrito, or go crazy at Trader Joe's and buy some fancy hummus, but my philosophy has pretty much always been, "if the food goes to the same place in the end, why spend the extra time or money?"

   In general, this philosophy kind of applied to my whole life. I've always stressed functionality and practicality over things like style and effort. When it came to quality versus quantity, I usually went for quantity. I wear sweats and flip-flops to class, and I while I know my hair looks great, and is the envy of many, I usually only went to super-cuts to get a hair cut. Now you all know my secret.

   Well, my weekend in Paris slapped my un-refined, simple, California, burrito-boy ways upside the head, and began to replace them with the sophistication, refinement, and appreciation for fine French cuisine and Paris lifestyle that only the Parisian way can teach. So, without further a due, here are my 5 things about Paris, France.

1. French Cuisine

  I love eating wierd food and food in general. In Cádiz I ate a live shrimp. One time on a fishing trip my cousin's grandpa ate a bate fish. Sometimes, my mom even buys 2% milk! Needless to say, I think my love of weird foods and appreciation for gastronomic exploration runs in the family. So, for my trip to Paris, I wanted to dive in head first into legendary French cuisine, and try everything from escargot to beef tar-tar, which I did. French cuisine, in fact, deserves an entry on it's own.

   I'm a big fan of Anthony Bourdain's show, "No Reservations." I've always watched it for the travel aspect of it, and before Paris, I kind of ignored the food side because I figured he went to really expensive restaurants that would cost me a month's rent for an entrée. Well, my friend and guide to Paris, Rob, had me watch the episode about Paris, one of the first episodes of the show. In this episode, Bourdain goes to Paris, and visits a simple, seemingly non-desrcript restaurant called 'Robert et Louise.' To say the least, Bourdain says that this place is incredible, and to my surprise, Rob told me that this restaurant was literally only a few blocks away from his apartment. So we went, and dear god, did I have the meal of a lifetime. 

Sweet, savory, mouth-watering blood-sausage on some bread. I have no words.

Escargot. It was my first time trying it, and it really only tastes like garlic and butter. It's good, and I recommend trying it, but it's not all it's cracked up to be. Just a buttery, garlic, warm slug. Like the one you ate as a toddler in your mom's garden, but warmer, and more refined, and about 8 euros more expensive.

And then they came out with this open-flame-roasted-hunk-of-Anthony-Bourdain recommended meat for my friend and I to split. Over the next 20 minutes, my life would never be the same. It did everything from falling off the bone, melting in my mouth, and changing my life. Again, I have no words. 

This meal, well, it changed my life. 

   From gourmet chocolate to gourmet cheese, from the finest wines to the sweetest cognacs, from escargot to caviar, from filet mignon to beef tar-tar, France literally invented fine dining and modern cuisine as we know it today. Add in a few hundred cigarettes, and you'll quickly realize that France, and French culture shaped the world and what we know today as 'high society.' France invented everything from the appetizer to the croissant, and France's few hundred years at the top of the European cultural ladder helped develop everything from fashion to philosophy. From Voltaire to Louis Vuitton, France set the standard for refinement and sophistication, and Parisians epitomize this. Hot pockets and bagel bites, cereal and potstickers will never satisfy me like they used to. Thanks Paris, you've turned my life in a new direction.

2. Shakespeare and Company

   After World War 1, people were confused. Disillusioned and trying to find a new home, a lot of American ex-pats settled in Europe, because they didn't want to go back to the states. Thus, a lot of people ended up in Paris, with the bohemian Parisian lifestyle being a refreshing change and a point of refuge from the death and destruction of the war. 

   This is the original Shakespeare and Company, a bookstore that offered room and board to aspiring writers who worked there. It is also credited by some to be the birthplace of modern literature, because it was a meeting place for the likes of Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein, and James Joyce to name a few. In fact, the first owner, Sylvia Beach, published Joyce's legendary work, Ulysses. Later on, the store became a meeting place and foundation for the 'beat generation,' with writers like Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs meeting there. So I went in, looked around, wished I was as cool as the hipsters who hung out and worked there, and then I bought Dharma Bums, by Jack Kerouac, which a friend had recommended to me earlier, as my souvenier. 

3. The Catacombs

   Deep underneath Paris, in a former quarry, lie the 'Catacombes de Paris', which house the bones of approximately 6,000,000 people. In the late 18th century, Paris's growing population and outbreaks like the plague caused Parisian cemeteries to fill up and overflow, forcing Parisians to move their dead into the empty quarries in what would have probably caused a lot of upheaval from the Catholic church and religious turmoil. After descending a few hundred stairs into what seem to be the pits of hell, you are greeted by a sign that says, "Arrête, c'est ici l'empire de la Mort," which translates to, "Stop, this is the empire of death." If that wasn't creepy enough, the air transforms into a musty, cold, stench, and the ground becomes moist. Rats scurry past your feet and you begin to realize that you are walking into an ossuary, or a giant vault of death. Sounds like the stuff nightmares are made of.

There were literally just rows and rows of bones and skulls. In some areas they made designs out of the bones.

They were real. Don't touch them.

   In retrospect, walking deep underground into a claustrophobic death chamber, and one of the world's most haunted places might have not been the happiest place to go, but without a doubt, it was definitely one of the coolest things I've seen. If I had gotten trapped in there, well, that just would not have been ok.

4. The Louvre and Orsay museums.

Paris is filled with art. Two of the best art museums are the Orsay and the Louvre. We had to squeeze our visits to both museums in one day, and you can't take cameras into the Orsay. But in the Orsay, I saw the impressionist genius of Monet, some Manet, and "Portrait of an Artist," by the legendary Vincent Van Gogh, to name a few. I pretended to know alot more. The Louvre was huge. It's housed in a palace about half the size of my university campus back home. We got lost in the Egypt exhibit, strolled through Roman and Greek sculptures, and saw the Mona Lisa among others. It's small and guarded by a bunch of glass. There is always a crowd in front of it. Sorry Da Vinci, but I was unimpressed. Luckily your Illuminati code and contributions to humanity were more interesting.

5. Wine & Cheese at the Luxembourg Gardens
    On Saturday, we decided to live like a parisian by drinking wine trying some fancy cheese at the luxembourg palace and gardens. It was absolutely delightful.

   Overall, I learned that Parisians really know how to live and enjoy themselves, and I got to take a huge bite of the Parisian lifestyle. From fashion to food, they pretty much have it covered, or at least a gourmet version of it. I had a delicious time, 10/10, and a food coma but for some reason I feel like I'm forgetting to mention something. Maybe I'll remember it later.

Word of the Day: Comida - food
Cuando estaba en Paris, aprendí a apreciar comida de la primera calidad. When I was in Paris, I learned to appreciate food of the finest quality.