We leave Paris in 2 days after being here for a month. Regrettably, we were sick most of the time and were not able to get out and about as much as we wanted but still, we lived in a nice neighborhood, lived the slower pace of life around here, and I hope came away with better insight on the French people and Nation. We did have a great time at dinner three nights with our Amelia friends who have a permanent apartment here in Paris and come as much as they can. The husband has family ties to France and was raised here for many years. He and his wife both speak fluent French and have as good a handle on local culture and customs as anyone we have previously known. I thank them for the deep and meaningful discussions we had over a week that has realigned my thoughts here.
The world is changing and it is much younger. It was the same when we visited NYC, we saw mostly young people and few people our age. It is a normal progression of Nature. But like us old folks, the values and desires of young people today are different. We, not them, are going to have to adjust. COVID if anything accelerated this change. For one thing, a majority of the people who died were us old sick ones definitely changing the old/young ratios. For most of us, COVID changed our outlook on life and sort of forced us to rethink what was important and this was a major event for the young. So how has this played out, especially in Paris? For one thing, Bistot's are going away. We asked our friends what was the difference in all the eating establishment names like cafe, bistro, brasserie, etc. Their answer was Bistrots served "pheasant" food which for the most part is what all think is classic French cuisine. Think snails, beef Bourgogne, Coq au Vin, etc. The young folks don't want this anymore. They want quick and hip, innovative, less expensive, etc. We took a cab across the entirety of Paris after dinner last night and the entire way the streets were packed with young folks drinking, talking, and dancing at small establishments with small bites, think tapas. In fact, we saw many new tapa places here. Also, Paris more than any city is an international city. Almost every country in the world is represented here and on every block is a multitude of cheap ethnic food. Think kababs from Turkey, Chinese, Korean, Japanese, Lebanese, and Russian tea houses, African. Remember I had Madagascar Shrimp. This is what the young folks buy so the market is trying to meet those demands meaning fewer Bistrots and much less emphasis on Michelin Stars not that to me was important to begin with. A brief aside here I have mentioned when you come here you are a guest and you should make an honest effort to fit into the culture and language as best you can to show respect. But while you are trying to fit in with your new French friend, you end up going next door to have dinner with someone from Dubai and you now have to be sensitive to Dubai culture. I witnessed an American insult an Asian person, actually no different than the USA.
The young are dead serious regarding Climate Change and the Mayor of Paris has instituted a lot of changes to force the issue, primarily by increasing restrictions on automobile access to the inner city. One thing that COVID did to accelerate this is the city allowed Cafes, Bistrots, etc. to expand table service to the sidewalks outside and overflow into the streets. If you have been here the streets have always been narrow. So now what used to be two lanes streets are now one-lane streets further causing traffic to slow to a crawl and encouraging the Mayor to institute more automobile-free zones. I fully understand the allure of getting into your fancy luxury car or SUV and driving to your heart's content, but in Paris that attitude gets you sitting in traffic for hours going nowhere. I've already mentioned we had to abandon plans to use Uber, and now G7 Taxis due to the horrific traffic. The Metro is efficient easy to navigate once you learn it, and cheap. Yes sometimes at rush hour you are shoulder-to-shoulder packed into a train car, and you have to be able to navigate stairs carrying bags, but most of the time you are not and you can get across Paris in less than 30 minutes. The young folks take the Metro as well as bikes, scooters, motorcycles, etc. In fact, something new again those 2 lane streets the Mayor shrunk by adding bicycle lanes everywhere so now when crossing the street you have to first watch for bikes, scooters, and the like and then worry about the cars.
No one likes paying taxes, even the French. But the older ones who have benefited from programs paid by taxes, like paid parental leave for 6 months for both husband and wife, at least have some feeling of justification for paying the tax. But young folks in their early 20s and 30s who have not benefited, like Americans, cannot see the future past their next Friday paycheck. Now the government has told them instead of waiting 42 years to benefit from their taxes it is now you have to wait 44 years so they protest. It is human nature to react when you hear that for as far as you are concerned there is no hope to ever receiving benefits and now it is even longer. They assume the government will again raise the time next year and they can never win. All humans are social animals but from what I have seen the young French are even more so. Last night I saw hundreds of thousands out at the cafes and bars enjoying the social life. They are not going to give that up.
Of course old or young at some point everyone needs to deal with these changes. But it is obvious at least over here that a new revolution is happening in France and Paris with the young people taking over. I am certain there are business gurus and marketers figuring all of this out to make the biggest buck. But time will tell how it all will end. In a gross over simplification expect more fast food and less French food. Heck one of my best burgers and lunches was at 5 Guys Burgers. Go figure.
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