A Guide To Holding A Baguette While You Walk Around Paris
The subtle art of choosing, ordering, and transporting French baked goods without looking foolish.
(Originally published when I moved to Paris back in 2019.)
I'm just going to deal in absolutes here: if you live in Paris, you're going to walk down the street with a baguette tucked under your arm or into your bag. You are. It sounds idyllic or like a French stereotype, but it's just a fact of nature. The earth is round, gravity is a thing, and in Paris everyone is constantly eating, on their way to eat, carrying, or buying bread.
There are boulangeries or boulangerie/patisserie combo packs on every corner, every block of Paris, rarely more than 20 yards apart. They all look very much the same: they rarely have unique names, and their signs always simply say "boulangerie." They boast a glass case with some sweets and croissants, a back wall with assorted tasty breads, and a cash register. Some spots are also cafes and there will be an old local having an espresso in the corner.
