Sitting in a cafe watching the Parisians early Monday morning, or a Sunday afternoon, epitomises the back to basics culture of Parisian life.
Bringing my daughter to Paris has turned into a wonderful living example of a city embracing what matters; people enjoying each other’s company. Food is not fuel here, it is the reason you get up in the morning. The freshness of ingredients and reliance on natural flavours, combined with refined cooking methods, bring the back to basic flavours of olive oil, garlic and tomatoes; or in the cooler regions, butter and cream, together.
The French law requires only three simple ingredients in every classic baguette ordinaire: flour, yeast, salt (weighing 250g). 80% of Parisians eat bread with every meal and there is a constant aroma of freshly baking baguettes wafting from Paris bakeries.
Not only do the French embrace back to basics within their paradise of food, they embrace personal style above all else. For the women, it’s simple hair, minimal make-up and red lipstick; fashion becomes the confidence in each individual style.
The frequency of such a culture radiates throughout the city, on Sunday the freshness of excited conversations in crowded cafes, spills onto the streets. Lunch time Monday, there is a similar excited conversation, as workers gather in favourite cafes and engage in emotional bouts of laughter, amid deep discussions. The thread tying every day together, appears to be: connection, the frequency of back to basics, vibrant conversation over real food, all with individual style.
Paris is beautiful in every season, yet winter’s melancholic, poetic and elegant atmosphere is inspiring. It’s not quite spring here and not the cold abrasiveness of winter and we feel the frequency of inspiring simplicity that runs through the workers of the city.
This brings home a strong message for myself and my daughter; that as we fly back home, a reminder to enjoy our conversations with everyone. So much focus has become on what we should not have. We will bring home a little bit of Paris and perhaps bake fresh baguettes with love. We can’t wait to collect our fresh ingredients from our garden and invite friends over.
Back to basics for us is about the frequency of simplicity. What can we all be reminded of from this topic and our recent travel?
Embrace our own individuality without judgment.
Celebrate a life of joy, filled with simple pleasures of conversation, over food, that is alive with taste.
Whether we judge ourselves for what we have, or judge ourselves for all the wrongness of being what we think we are, judgment will always take us away from the simplicity of back to basics. Let’s embrace the French way of life: no judgment in eating, no judgment of personal style, and above all else, let’s celebrate!