The Paris sun so bright
The sky perfect azure
The sidewalk cafe
Magnifique!
Croissants had
Just been served
Then wafting through
The air
Came something
Not so sweet
Parisian patrons
Puffing smoke
While we tried
To eat
Just one of those things the brochures and romantic movies don't show you---the romantic sidewalk cafes are also where everyone smokes...
From the prompt at Dverse poets--celebrate Bastille day and write about something French
dversepoets.com
The sky perfect azure
The sidewalk cafe
Magnifique!
Croissants had
Just been served
Then wafting through
The air
Came something
Not so sweet
Parisian patrons
Puffing smoke
While we tried
To eat
Just one of those things the brochures and romantic movies don't show you---the romantic sidewalk cafes are also where everyone smokes...
From the prompt at Dverse poets--celebrate Bastille day and write about something French
dversepoets.com
ugh...yeah, trying to eat while someone is blowing smoke is not so appetizing at all....glad they have cut that out around here...
ReplyDeleteYes, that was a huge culture shock for us. Though the wine was wonderful! :-)
Deletesmiles...yes..the french have different ideas when it comes to smoking (and dogs..) haha...for me it's a bit a part of their charme as well and things are also changing a bit
ReplyDeleteYes, they do. I loved the dogs! They have the best behaved dogs I've ever seen. And the thinnest women, and most beautiful children--it was a real experience
DeleteYes - that always feels so crazy to me too. All captured here with wit and fun. k.
ReplyDeleteIt's funny in hindsight--all those movies showing the romantic sidewalk cafe--they never show people hacking or watering eyes because of the smoke...Everything else was wonderful :-)
DeleteThank you so much for your kind words and for visiting!
Good one, Sara.
ReplyDeleteIt has always amazed me that a country that prides itself of being healthy and cultured has so many smokers.
Thank you Linda! It was a bit of a shock to us too--so much for that romantic notion of the sidewalk cafe--we ate inside after a couple of (hack hack) tries :-)
DeleteI hate inhaling cigar smokes especially when I'm eating. It makes me lose my appetite. Can't they smoke in a designated smoking area? GRrr.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely! We lost our appetites too. in Paris the outside cafe is the smoking area...so we ate inside;-)
DeleteOh, yes, I fought for clean indoor air and outdoor cafes in NYState and we won! Sorry, I do feel bad for smokers, because it's a nasty addiction, but there are so many smoking cessation programs out there. NY actually had fewer smokers once the rules went into effect. (Awww, poor Philip Morris, guess they'll have to switch to growing hemp once pot is legalized).
ReplyDeletePerfect picture of a Paris cafe, and the punch line is so, so apt. Thanks, Amy
Yay Amy!!! My hero. You save peoples lives. Thank you for the lovely compliment too:-)
Delete