Emily in France 🇫🇷 Paris Is Cautiously Reopening...

Paris is opening back up... carefully.

One of the positive side effects of lockdown, at least in my life, has been increased contact with the people I love. I've started having regular calls with my writing workshop (spread across three countries and four time zones); with one of my best friends in London; with my family. And in continuing these calls as lockdown is carefully lifted in Paris, I'm struck by how different the landscape looks here.



There is a cautious return to normalcy, here. I've been on (masked) guided tours through the city. I've dined on restaurant terraces, where hand gel has joined the salt and pepper shakers as an on-table staple. I've even left the city to report a story about Champagne.



The pandemic has changed the way I move around, possibly irreversibly. I'm never without a mask (or several) and a little bottle of hand sanitizer. I've taken the bus twice and have yet to brave the métro (and may not for some time). The bise has suffered a quick demise, replaced by elbow bumps of greeting. Whenever I can eat outside (mostly picnicking), I do.

As I speak to friends and family around the world, I recognize that not everyone is as lucky as we are here in France, to see active case numbers fall so swiftly. I'm endlessly aware of what a privilege this is – and how careful I must continue to be – as the world cautiously begins to reopen once more.

What I'm Eating

1. My new favorite fried chicken from Pompette.

2. 4th of July crayfish from Red House.

3. Mediterranean small plates on the (aptly named) hidden terrace of Caché.


 

What I'm Writing

1. Paris is far from the most veggie-friendly city, but it's not nearly as bad as it once was. I explored some of the best in plant-based menus for the Culture Trip.

2. I ranked which summer grilling options are the healthiest and most sustainable for Organic Authority.

3. The Girl Who Drank the Moon is a fairy tale for a new generation. I delved into it on the blog.

What I'm Reading

1. This deep dive into the case for reparations in The Atlantic.

2. This essay about one of the toughest lines in French literature to translate into English in Slate.

3. This exploration of the future of digital advocacy, penned (...keyboarded?) by my very talented little sister on LinkedIn.

Bonus: My other Very Talented Little Sister appeared in her Very Talented Friend's webseries, the Los Feliz Coven. (The cackle runs in the family...)

Stay safe, stay INSIDE, and à bientôt !

Emily in France