Roasted chestnut can hardly be called the most delicious Parisian delicacy but it is certainly the most legendary. The tradition of roasting chestnuts has been enjoyed for at least a century.

Roasted Chestnuts

When the cold season arrives, Hindus roast the chestnuts on a metal lattice right on the street and serve them in bags made from old newspapers. Rarely will you see the French buying a bag of chestnuts, it is mostly the Russian tourists who recognize the taste of baked potato in them. However any French person will definitely tell you what a good chestnut his/her grandmother can roast!

If you see an unshaved person carrying all his belongings in a supermarket bag you can easily identify them as a beggar. There are a lot of beggars in Paris. They beg for money at metro entrances, in city parks, by the stores and churches, sitting in the sun and drinking cheap wine.

A beggar in Paris with his two dogs

Many SDF (sans domicile fixe) or homeless people live on the metro platforms. When the temperature unexpectedly fell to -10°C several years ago and one beggar died from hypothermia, the Parisian mayor opened the buildings of schools, universities and metro stations for the homeless and all the Parisians donated blankets, old coats and jackets to keep them warm.

For breakfast the French usually have coffee (café), cocoa (chocolat), and more rarely tea (thé) with a fresh croissant (croissant) and/or a slice of bread with butter and jam. It is hard not to feel hungry after such a modest “snack” and the French commonly have their dinner (déjeuner) early at around 11.30 a.m.

Classic Petit déjeuner in France

About 1500 times a year Parisian citizens protest and demand improvements to living and working conditions. Although French demonstrations (manifestation) generally are not aggressive, the official permission of the police prefecture is necessary before they can be held. Generally workers of airports and airlines, transport services and teachers strike the most frequently.

Staff from RFI and the audio-visual trade unions on strike in Paris on 29 January 2009

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French waiters are called “les garçons” but it is not acceptable to wave and shout “Garçon, garçon!” It is more polite to say: “Monsieur, s’il vous plait” meaning “Please, sir”. The traditional waiter’s outfit is a white shirt and black trousers which are both neat and clean. As a rule you should leave a tip for service if it is not included in the bill and it should be approximately 10% of the total bill. If you were served by the owner, he should not be tipped.

The waiters in Paris are very elegant!

The French gendarmes belong to the Ministry of Defense. To become a gendarme you need to study at least three university courses and receive the diploma (licence). You will hardly ever meet gendarmes in Paris.

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If you are visiting French friends, do not forget the entry code to the door. You will not be able to enter any building in the historic part of Paris without the access code. If you do know it, you can go through the internal courtyard (cour intérieure) first which will lead you directly to the concierge.

Typical House in Paris

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The original secondhand booksellers appeared on Voltaire Quay in Paris (Quai Voltaire) in 1891. Today you can find these green boxes full of books everywhere on the parapets of the Seine from Royal Bridge (Pont Royal) to Sully Bridge (Pont Sully). The size, colour and weight of these boxes meet the statutes of the city government.

Each secondhand bookseller is given not more than 8.2 metres (26.9 ft) to display their books. You can buy old and new books, engravings, posters, dictionaries, encyclopedias, magazines, comics and cards at a discounted price. You are not obliged to buy anything, just enjoy browsing and have a pleasant chat with the secondhand bookseller about Balzac, Flaubert and Stendhal.

Book stalls by the Seine

Those who are politically left-wing traditionally read Libération and Le Monde, and those on the right read Le Figaro. Communists may read L’Humanité. In spite of their varying political views, all the Parisians read the sports newspaper L’Équipe. You can find city news in Le Parisien and in the free newspaper, Métro. The satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné, which means “Duck on a chain”, exposes everyone – Presidents, ministers, right-wing, left-wing, red, green or blue, illustrating the facts with cruel cartoon caricatures.

The red wine made in the province of Beaujolais, to the north of Lyon, is usually drunk young – within just a few weeks of bottling. Officially Beaujolais of the current year goes on sale on the third Thursday in November. On that day all the stores, cafés and bars have signs declaring “New Beaujolais is here” (“Le Beaujolais nouveau est arrivé”). During the following week Frenchmen will quaff it by the gallon at endless parties and will discuss whether Beaujolais really deserves the title “Best wine” or whether it is just a good marketing ploy for selling fermented wine juice before it turns to vinegar.