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| Our local Franprix, Monday night, 5:30pm. |
I wonder if in a year from now, I will still think I can actually go out and buy stuff on Mondays. Did anyone tell you? Mondays are the new Sundays. Alright, alright I know it's always been like this in France and I'm just acclimating to nothing being open on Sunday or Monday but give a girl a break!
Spending the first 26 years of my life in America, I never did "house" stuff on Saturdays and that habit has continued. This leaves Sir L and I from the hours of 8am-1pm on Sunday to accomplish everything.
Are you laughing yet? Those that know us are LOLing big time. We're not big morning people so that leaves us (if we're lucky) with the minutes of 12:15pm - 1pm on Sunday to complete everything. I'm sure you can imagine what happens. We don't get much done but basic food shopping.
And that's why I found myself in a Monday predicament. I had planned for a dinner of fish, celeri root/potato mash and greens when I realized I did not have the main course meal! Off I went to buy fish along with paper towels, toilet paper and a bottle of wine.
I came back with only a bottle of wine.
The fish man here, there and everywhere was not open. This I had known from experience but for some reason thought the shop on rue Poncelet would be. And when I went to our Franprix across the street for the wine and paper products, this is the shelf I found. EMPTY. It just makes me chuckle when things like this happen... because would you ever find a completely empty shelf in the States? Soccer moms would go ballistic!
Luckily I have a reserve supply of pink loo paper in our laundry/coat/kitchen/pantry closet. At least we get to loo in style!
The fact that I was able to laugh about this situation versus grumble to me is a sign of growth.
Is another failed Monday night dinner enough to change our weekend habits? I don't think so but only time will tell.
I don't think I've ever seen a store shelf completely empty! Thank goodness you had toilet paper.
ReplyDeleteSRSLY and it's hard to do costco type stocking up in apartments with no closets!
DeleteSoon you'll be doing the French huff and dramatic eye/ head roll.
ReplyDeleteThat's when you know you're a Parisienne! :)
Trust me, it's coming..you won't even KNOW that you're doing it!!
Oh I think I was born doing that. In fact when I left my job, the one thing everyone said they would miss about me was doing eye-rolls at the phone while on client conference calls. Ooops.
DeleteIf only you knew how easy we had it in Paris! I spent five years in Bretagne where, when the stores *were* open, it was from 10am-7pm Tues-Sat. Forget being able to pop in quick on Sunday at noon to pick-up last minute things for dinner! Those two things have made me forever grateful that 1) there are grocery stores open here until 9/10pm weekdays and on Sundays and 2) that even if they are closed, there's always your local épicerie to pick up the necessities. :)
ReplyDeleteI know! I feel fortunate that anything is open Sunday aside from the corner tabac! It takes a lot of planning to make sure you have everything when Sunday is out of the question!
DeleteOh the joys of shopping in France! I went to an Intermarche Sunday morning (it's the only store open on Sundays around here) and half of the produce section was empty. Apparently it was due to the bad weather but c'mon!!!
ReplyDeleteI would love for a big ass Whole Foods or Trader Joes to open up. That's my dream.
First off: Big ass is one of my favorite terms! Hilarious. Secondly: I would die and go to heaven if Whole Foods came to France. OMG. London has one!! Why can't they bring some Texas charm to Paris too!?!?
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