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.

This particular baguette had some seeds and such on it. I'm not sure how I happened to order this one since my…