David Jaggard
Weird English Shop Signs Part 22 – Beyond the Périphérique and the Pyrenees
Special Guest City: Seville
After three days in Seville, I was starting to feel disappointed. Not because of the city itself, which is wonderful, or the weather, which was perfect, or the place where I was staying, which was ideal, or the food, which … Read More
Weird English Shop Signs Part 21 – Oh, and the French Election
Is There a Transatlantic Connection?
Before I go on, I should mention that France just had a presidential election. So I did. Now then, about those shop signs… Oh wait – before I go on again, I’d like to thank the French voters (or … Read More
Checking Out the Action at the Auction House
It’s Amazing the Crap People Will Buy – Twice
Note from David Jaggard: Due to by-now-way-too-familiar pandemic restrictions, about the only place in Paris where art lovers can still go to see a little taut canvas or chunks of stone with the ugly parts chipped away is the Drouot … Read More
Formality in France: Standing Really Hard on a Whole Lot of Ceremony
Ah, the Trappings of Power!
Among people of other nationalities, the French are often perceived as being overly formal, the kind of stuffy prigs who speak in florid prose and keep their pinkies up even under anesthesia. Today I would like to set the record … Read More
French-Bashing and Data-Mashing: Battle of the Weather Bureaus
Is This the New Cold War?
The first thing I do when I get up in the morning, after converting to a new religion so I can pray to a different god not to let France follow the United States and Britain down a political rabbit … Read More
The French Mindset: Out of Sight, Out of Existence
Nothing to See Here, Folks
The first time I heard about the now-commonplace airport restrictions for carry-on liquids, I was already standing, beltless and shoeless, in front of a security agent at Orly. Nancy and I were flying to Spain for a short trip with … Read More
Weird English Shop Signs Part 20: Another Paris Cringe Binge
All Under One Roof!
It was Samuel Johnson who said, in an essay on future U.S. presidents: “Patriotism is the last refuge of a scoundrel.” If he were alive today, he would probably say, “Uhdv fnn glsh szzz frrs fffffj oooh mrrst.” Because, hey, … Read More
Politics in France and the U.S. – Is Not (Entirely) What This Article’s About
What Do They Have in Common?
With the arrival of a new administration in the United States and a presidential election looming here in France, it’s difficult not to be thinking about politics. But somehow I manage. Lately I’ve been thinking instead about planned, or just … Read More
The Salon de l’Agriculture
C'est Delicieux! & Ironique!
A note from David Jaggard: On the ever-lengthening list of events being canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic, one of the most lamented is the Salon de l’Agriculture, France’s annual (and possibly the world’s largest) farm fair. So we can’t … Read More
The Story Behind the Strangeness: Explaining the Inexplicable in France (and Wherever), Part Six
A Real-Life Cinderella Story!
In the past few days, readers from all over the world, or my frontal lobe, have been writing in to ask, “David, have you seen anything strange in Paris recently?” To which I can only answer, “Should Adair buzz in … Read More