Five Words I Learned in Paris
(And they’re not all French ones)
The name of my favorite restaurant in Paris, Nanashi, is a type of “Parisian Bento cuisine.” I must admit, Nanashi was not my own find, but a discovery by one of my fellow foodie friends, Sam. After weeks of asserting my independence by cooking for myself in my apartment, I went out to Nanashi with Sam for dinner. The Languedoc red wine, duck breast with soba noodles, and chocolate fondant that I had that night, ultimately, became one of my weekly meals with friends. The first dinner at Nanashi inspired all my subsequent restaurant adventures in Paris. Along with my favorite restaurant guide companion, Le Fooding, I was able to explore restaurants in all the different arrondissements, or neighborhoods, of Paris. The restaurant sits on the corner of Rue Charlot and Rue du Forez. Rue Charlot is in the heart of the “Marais” area of Paris, which historically, was the Jewish quarter of the city. Now it retains its heritage (through several stores and restaurants that serve kosher food and with many monuments dedicated to families and individuals from the area who disappeared during the Vichy regime) and is one of the trendiest areas in Paris. Rue Charlot is home to up-andcoming Parisian clothing, accessory, and jewelry designers. The streets are filled with concept stores that have some of the most beautiful artisan, hand-made wares in Paris.
As a student, you become very familiar with this word in Paris. “Gratuit,” or “free,” was one of my favorite words here. Most often, I encountered this word on the signs for museum admission. At most museums in France, admission is free for those under 26 years of age who present identification verifying their age. At many museums, I was given free admission after I presented my identification for La Sorbonne (because some museums are picky about only allowing free entry to citizens of the European Union… Even though I, clearly, am not, my Sorbonne identification made me seem European!). Thanks to free admission and the abundant options of museums, visiting museums was my favorite activities in Paris. I went to over 25 of them—not including my frequent revisits to the Louvre, Pompidou, and Rodin—while I was there. On Mondays and Wednesdays, my one French class didn’t start until 2:00, so I usually was able to fit in a museum visit before the class. I definitely became a huge art nerd this past semester, but when will I ever have the chance again to walk to the Louvre?!
This is the name of the University with which NYU runs an exchange program. If I had been so inclined (and now I wish I had done so!), I could have taken all of my classes at La Sorbonne in French. Even though I didn’t take all of my classes here, though, I was still fortunate enough to meet many students from the university. Some of my best friends from the university, Margaux, Antoine, Emilie, and Isabelle, did their best to help me feel like a Parisian student, inviting me to their after-school hangout, a pub called “Galway,” inviting me to their apartments for meals, and taking me to see Christmas decorations around the city. My friend Antoine, who was a born and raised Parisian, showed me an amazing street, Rue Saint Anne, which nearly exclusively has delicious hole-in-the-wall Japanese, Chinese, and Vietnamese restaurants. I feel so fortunate to have met all my friends at La Sorbonne—we made some great memories and, without them, my French speaking might have been fairly limited!
“It’s Wednesday. Let’s go to Matignon.” One of the weekly refrains of NYU Paris students was this. Matignon is a restaurant near the Champs Elysees in Paris, underneath which is a club. Most nights, Matignon is an average, small club in Paris, but on Wednesdays, it is filled with bright streamers, seventies dance tunes, and people wearing John Lennon-esque round sunglasses, dancing. Although the Parisian club scene got pretty old after visiting several of the well-known ones like 79 (Soixante-Dix-Neuf), Kong, Papillon, and Social Club, Wednesdays at Matignon never ceased to be fun. The most fun, though, was exploring smaller venues, or even just parties at apartments, where there were opportunities to converse in French.
More.. http://jestersabroad.wordpress.com/2014/12/28/grace-hauser-in-paris-france/
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