http://www.davidlebovitz.com/
when I found the hilarious paragraph talking about the way you're supposed to get dressed to go to the bakery (recollection of Mike and Sima going to Starbucks on Saturday morning in their PJs or of Malo not wanting to get dressed in his PJ for PJ day at school - lasted just for the first year and never occured to Toinou). The paragraph on the ice is almost as good as us getting upset because of the frozen water we were served when the AC was already freezing us to the bones.
Visiting and dining in Paris all boils down to one rule: How You Get Treated is Directly Proportional to the Way that you Behave and Present Yourself.
It’s taken me a few years to get used to the fact that I can’t run to the corner bakery for bread wearing sweatpants and flipflops, nor can I wolf down pastries on the métro without getting disapproving stares. So don’t be afraid to dress a bit better than you would at home and to practice a few words of your high-school French. Believe me, even the feeblest attempt at a little French will take you much further than you can imagine in Paris.
Here are some tips and answers to many commonly asked questions:
Water and Wine
It’s never required that you order a pricey bottle of water. Be like the French and ask for a carafe d’eau. If you want to order a bottle of water, ask for gazeuse (with gas) or plat (flat, without gas). Be sure to specify when you order. Would you go into a restaurant in the United States and tell a waiter “I’ll have a soda”?Ice is rarely given, although if you’re lucky, you may get a cube. Asking for a lot of ice will generally means an extra cube.
