Snow that sticks in Paris is not very common. It is so uncommon that folks, including the French government, do not have the proper equipment to deal with the wintry mix. They don't have snow shovels let alone a fleet of snow plows or even a snow emergency plan.
Tuesday evening was particular bad. I saw the snow falling at a rapid rate, but it was not any more than what I've seen in Pittsburgh or DC. Little did I know what havoc four inches of snow would cause to the French transportation system. Colleagues were warning me to leave early, but I did not heed those warning. In hind site, I should have. By the time I left at six o'clock. All the buses and trains had stopped running. I managed to make it to the metro stop at the edge of the Bolougne Billancourt. I was two neighborhoods and one steep and icy hill from home. Since buses had stopped running, my only choice was to walk the mile and a half to Garches. The distance wasn't so bad, but no one salts or shovels the sidewalks. Since we had freezing rain the day before, there was a thick sheet of ice underneath the snow. Ironically enough, the snow helped add a bit of traction. It was slow going and a bit precarious. And I'm just talking about the sidewalks. The state of the roads were not much better. I know because at times it was preferable to walk on the road rather than the sidewalk. It was a long walk home that night.
I praised the French the last time it snowed. They don't descend on grocery stores like the world is ending. This time around the French get a B- for not shoveling sidewalks and the government gets C- for not having a snow emergency plan. There is no excuse for not asking people to stay home or informing people when train and bus lines would stop running. I read a story that some people in the north of France had to spend a night in their cars because of the snow because no one cleared the roads. It is reasonable for the French government not to have a fleet of snow plows because it does not snow enough to have them, but that does not mean that the government just throws their hands up and tell everyone to fend for themselves. The least they could do is ask citizens to shovel their part of the sidewalks and the government would take care of the main roads. But that would be too logical.
On a different note, this weekend's field trip was to Chinatown in the 13th arrondissement. Paris' Chinatown is authentic. Much more than DC's version where they take American stores and put Chinese lettering under the store names. Paris' Chinatown is organic. It's where the Chinese-French live. It's where they shop. It's where they dine.
Our neighbors took us there Sunday morning. It was a nice treat. Paris, as international as this city is, ingredients not a part of the French mainstream cuisine are rarely found in the super markets. Items that are found are expensive. This shopping trip to Chinatown was a welcomed treat. In Chinatown, we visited stores with familiar foreign ingredients- ramen noodles, egg roll wrappers, purple yam, bok choy, and bitter melons. We can now expand our culinary repertoire. As soon as we came home, I made a batch of egg rolls. Now I just need to email mom for her won ton soup and mung bean with bitter melon recipes. Thomas is in for a treat (welcomed or not).
