The City of Light has long been associated with a light-handed attitude toward morality. By some accounts, Parisians are a bunch of hormone-addled sex maniacs who see something suggestive everywhere they turn. And, judging from the material I collected for this fifth installment of a regular feature (see parts one, two, three and four), that’s quite an accurate assessment.
Consider this soft drink ad, which was spotted by gracious reader P.K. Munroe:
Conclusion: this is a culture in which they can’t sell a bottle of orange soda without sexing it up. And, in some neighborhoods, it seems like the entire city is sexed up with sex shops, like this one on Rue La Fayette near the Gare de l’Est:
And what exactly are they selling at that sandwich stand on the right?
I guess it’s a symbiotic arrangement: a confused customer could walk into either place, ask for a “hummeur” or “buns” and get some kind of satisfaction. And if he’s still not sufficiently sated afterwards, right around the corner is this perhaps aptly named hotel:
Speaking of confused customers, I bet they get quite a few Anglophone guests who are sorely disappointed with the room service. They might find what they’re looking for at this place on Rue du Temple:
Then again, they might not. It’s probably just an unfortunate choice of trade name. Speaking of which, there is a Vietnamese restaurant on Rue Descartes that used to be called…
…but they apparently grew tired of the constant snickering of passing tourists, because the place was renovated last year and reopened with a new name:
Ah, yes. Muuuuuuch better.
Maybe they’ll open a massage parlor next door called “Hong Phood.” And maybe they also own this establishment near Pigalle:
And maybe the plumber who Hong out this sign on Rue Maubeuge is a regular customer:
My advice: if you hire this guy, don’t leave him alone in the bathroom. And you better hope that he — or any of the employees of Layher, Hotel Hor or any of the businesses shown here — doesn’t ride one of these scooters:
It doesn’t stop for red lights. Or restraining orders.
Seen a ridiculous (or ridiculously sexy) sign in Paris? Send a photo to contact@paris-update.com.
© 2012 Paris Update
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