Polidor à Paris - and extremely fast, slow food

Or maybe that's 'en' Paris'?
 
Anyway, I visited many nice places during my recent, brief trip to Paris. And this one was a recommendation from a cultured friend. Polidor is a proper, old-style, hearty-fare type French restaurant. It's the kind of place you go to spend a relaxed evening talking, enjoying the food, wine and ambience in true Parisien fashion.
 
Unfortunately our experience was one of 'extreme fast food'. (Not Polidor's fault!) Though I commend the staff (a not overly polite, but nevertheless efficient older lady) for whipping through our order so fast. I had planned an hour-and-a-half supper here, prior to catching my Eurostar home to London. My friend then got caught in traffic on her way from a meeting; EYE then got stuck in a broken Metro on my way from the hotel. In the end - 30 mins at Polidor! In fact the restaurant doesn't open until 7pm, so don't think you can squeeze in a very early one.



The clock was not showing the correct time - perhaps a good thing?

At superspeed I had the Saucisson Lyonnais: boiled potatoes, onion, and large slices of boiled sausage. It came with fresh bread and iced water. I didn't have time for wine!
 
To be honest the first 15 minutes were ruined by a pair of badly-behaved children - and thankfully I am not sure this is a particularly family oreinted eaterie - but after they left, I can see that Polidor would be a very nice place to spend an evening; even a romantic one. Just make sure you allow time.


Polidor, 41 Rue Monsieur le Prince, Paris 75006

Royce's potatochip chocolate

I got given some of these famous chocolate crinkle crisps* for Christmas. I'd heard good things about them - so was quite excited to try. Royce is a Japanese confectioner which does very expensive, very good chocolate. We have branches in Singapore.

I guess one issue with this trial is that everything melts in the tropics. Especially if it is a thin layer of chocolate. And you don't get the full experience from refrigerated chocolate - but it had to be! (This also tragically led to me having to wolf down a large quantity of these snacks in a short timespan. ^^) 

Once you unpack them, the choc chips are in a bag, like a bag of potato chips. Not as glam as some of Royce's other packaging. But I guess it's got character.

The personal verdict: Basically these are McCoys crinkle crisps covered in chocolate. There is nothing very artful about it! OK the crisps are not BBQ or Salt'n'Vinegar flavour, thank goodness, but they are not sweet. All in all I didn't find them so yucky I couldn't finish eating them (haha). But I was not bowled over, and a little bit glad I hadn't paid $$ for them. Good to try such a curious invention, though!

Royce's Nama chocolate on the other hand... (A friend and I have been working our way through the flavours - I feel I might have to purchase some for another review..!)

 

 





* In the UK we call them 'crisps', in the US they're known as 'potato chips'.

Le Metro

I quite liked the Paris underground (known as Le Metro). It seems older (or less modernised) than London's*. And I got the distinct impression that security might be better in London too (though we still have tons of pickpockets and other crime there). But the Paris one had lots of character, and different stations had their own, definite personalities, reflected in their own typefaces and nameplates, as well as other deco.

Also, I noticed that very narrow escalators were all the rage. (ie single-file escalators). Maybe no space to add the dual-kind in old architecture??

*In fact London' is older, it opened in 1863, whereas the Paris Metro opened in 1900.

 

 

 

 

Nameplate pix courtesy of somewhereelse.com, Gordonstuff.com, balladine.net, theotherparis.com 

 

Yep, pic uploader still won't work. Sorry about the delay!

Oooer missus! Smut and innuendo in SE Asia

Well, in short, there isn't really any - in the way British people view it. I am talking innuendo as humour here.

This week, some good friends came to stay in Singapore, and the British husband and I had a ridiculously funny (for us) time playing with schoolboy innuendo.

Conversations went something like this:
(Pondering the menu in a burger joint)
Me: "Do you want a big one?"
Him: "Fnarrr..said the Bishop to the Actress!" *

Etc etc. Hours of fun-filled entertainment! (Huge apologies to his extremely patient Malaysian wife, btw, who must have thought we were totally bonkers.)

You see, we were brought up in the UK, on a comedy diet of Carry-On films, 'Allo 'Allo, Vic Reeves and their counterparts. Which functioned almost entirely on deliberate jokes 'which might allude to something smutty'. I don't know why UK comedy went this way, but dragging behind it came generations of (sometimes) perfectly intelligent adults who find innuendo hilarious.

But it seems we might be alone! In Singapore, I have noticed bosses innocently saying things which would leave an entire British office tearfully tittering. But here: serious looks. Being the outsider, I have gritted my teeth and said nothing. At a sports club I think I did once have a giggle and make a comment, and my Singaporean (and French) team-mates looked completely baffled.

In the UK, finding innuendo (usually sexual innuendo) amusing is quite common. The original humour partly stems from the contrast between what was very 'respectable and polite' British society (especially in the earlier 20th century) and mistakes that could be made or misread in speech. It is probably an odd thing to grasp (fnarr!) for non-Brits.

But there is also a fine line between what is harmless 'retro' humour and what is downright offensive - and of course the setting, and changing times, also play a part! So if you are visiting the UK, it might be generally wiser to feign innocence. 

I'm not saying that there isn't naughty humour here in SE Asia (famous leaf scene in Singapore's popular Ah Boys To Men, anyone?) And there's some smart, edgy stand-up here, too. But I think that particular, slightly childish, play on sexual double-meaning might be very British.

What baffles me, however, is that Benny Hill (offensive) and 'Allo 'Allo (worth a watch!) have apparently been some of UK television's most successful global exports. And what is there to these series if not innuendo?? What do, for example, Singaporeans of a certain age find so hilarious there, if ludicrous smut and double-meaning is not their thing? I will ask around!

Anyway, if you have a few moments and fancy a giggle (or to be baffled), watch this - a classic UK episode of 'Allo 'Allo: 'The Gateau from the Chateau'!

*'Said the Actress to the Bishop' is a very famous generic catchphrase used to point out sexual innuendo, as is 'Oooer missus'. 'Fnarrr' also indicates innuendo, and the stupid laughter one might make at it.

Happy 2013!

Ah yes. Blogger's picture uploader won't work again. Will be back with you soon, I hope!