Tag Paris

When Paris Burned

By Brian Filed in Links, News Tagged with 1968, France, Occupy Wall Street, Paris, Paris 1968 uprising, The Paris Review October 7th, 2011 @ 11:32 am

The Occupy Wall Street demonstration has now inspired sympathetic demonstrations in dozens of American cities. While the number of people in New York has grown, most of the other demonstrations remain small, but the spread in and of itself speaks to the resonance of the message.

In the spring of 1968, the attention of the world turned to the city of Paris, as student demonstrators were joined by workers and other protestors to form a mob of 800,000 demanding reforms from the government of Charles DeGaulle. For a brief moment, it seemed like revolution might actually be at hand. The Paris Review shares some posters of the period from a new book about the art of the uprising.

The revolution in the streets of Paris did not ignite, though the country was paralyzed by strikes. DeGaulle gave into demands to reform the universities and even won re-election. Only time will tell what, if anything, the Occupy Wall Street protestors might achieve.

The Occasional Food Post – July 22, 2011

By Brian Filed in Food, Links Tagged with bear-paw meat shredders, dumplings, Food, gin rickey, National Archives, New York City, Paris, patisseries, Smithsonian Magazine, Washington D.C. July 22nd, 2011 @ 11:34 am

A little too en pointe for me: bear-paw meat shredders What’s next, narwhal kebab skewers?

Just in case our fortunes ever look up again, I’m noting this link for that day when I get to go back to Paris: The Best Patisseries in Paris (be patient if you click, it’s rather slow to load)

Paris may be far, far off for me, but the next time I’m in New York, I seriously want to check out some of these dumpling shops in Chinatown.

The National Archives recently opened this exhibit about the government’s effect on the diet of Americans throughout our history. I’ve only ever been to Washington once, but maybe our friend Tony can check it out the next time he’s there and report back.

Speaking of Washington, Jesse Rhodes, one of the food bloggers for Smithsonian Magazine, reports that the Rickey, a summery cocktail originally made with bourbon but now more commonly made with gin, was recently declared the “Official Drink” of Washington D.C.. Here in the Boston area, we are big fans of the non-alcoholic raspberry lime rickey, as perfected by the late, lamented Brigham’s Ice Cream, but I’m envisioning sipping one of these this evening.

Speaking Of Assholes…

By Brian Filed in Links Tagged with Boston, Massholes, Paris February 18th, 2010 @ 10:50 am

This BBC story rehashed the ancient trope that Frenchmen, and Parisians in particular, are rude, standoffish, and generally unpleasant to deal with. All I have to say is that this reporter obviously hasn’t spent any time in Boston, where we put a whole new gloss on the experience.

When The Swallows Salmon Come Back To Capistrano Paris

By Brian Filed in Links, Science Tagged with environment, France, Paris, salmon, Seine River, sustainability September 2nd, 2009 @ 3:09 pm

Fishermen on the Seine at Poissy, by Claude Monet

The Seine River, which runs through the middle of Paris, was once home to dozens of species of fish, but, like many other urban rivers, eventually became too polluted to sustain them. Atlantic salmon were present in the river well into the mid-20th century but had not been seen since then.

So scientists and fishermen alike were thrilled to learn that this year as many as 1000 salmon had made the upstream swim from the ocean all the way to the City Of Lights . The return of the salmon is considered to be a significant milestone in France’s efforts to restore the Seine ecosystem, since they are one of the largest species of fish to live in that environment and require the presence of smaller food organisms, adequate oxygen levels, and other indicators of a healthy river.

Roamin’ Paris

By Brian Filed in Links Tagged with France, Gaul, history of Paris, interactive map, Paris, Roman France January 21st, 2009 @ 3:11 pm

The city of Paris is named after the Gallic tribe that originally built the first village on what is now known as Île de la Cité in the middle of the River Seine. The Romans called them the Parisii, and though they called their city Lutetia, the Romans simply called their city Paris. As Rome conquered the Gauls and spread throughout France, Paris was transformed into a typical Roman colonial capital of its time.

The City of Paris has a very interesting website about the history and modern archeological investigations into Roman Paris. Much of the Roman city was built in what is now the Left Bank half of Paris, and the major buildings and roadways became primary parts of the city even into modern times. Though the “center” of Paris would shift during the medieval period, Roman Paris became the “Latin Quarter” and survived the massive rebuilding of the city by Napoleon’s urban planner, Baron Hauptmann. You can see from the recreated maps on the website, that the Romans built Paris using a street grid plan that we tend to think of as being a 19th century innovation, and quite different from the rambling, twisty, haphazard streets that were typical of the medieval era and are still part of many arrondissements in the city today.

Creme De La Creme

By Brian Filed in Food Tagged with "Top 50 Restaurants 2007", Daniel, El Bulli, Le Bernadin, New York City, Paris, Restaurant Magazine, Taillevent April 25th, 2007 @ 3:02 pm

Restaurant Magazine has issued its annual Top 50 Restaurants list for 2007, and it should come as little surprise to anyone who follows the food world that El Bulli is once again Number One.

Of the seven American restaurants on the list, four of them are in New York City, so they’re eminently “doable” for us. We tried to go to Le Bernardin the last time we went to New York, but they screwed up the reservation. I would really like to go to Daniel sometime, too.

We have been to one of the restaurants on this list: Taillevent, in Paris. I notice this is their first inclusion on the list. Our evening there will always be one of the most memorable occasions of my entire life. If that’s what #48 out of 50 is like, then I’d say there’s quite a bit to look forward to with the four New York winners.

Tag Paris

When Paris Burned

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