The New Paris Podcast

Six years ago, I entered a new café that was aiming to do something that, at the time, was unique: to bring together good food AND excellent coffee. I had eagerly anticipated it’s opening and was sure it would become my regular hangout. But very quickly, word got out that this place called Hollybelly was doing more than delivering a new-to-Paris experience. It was combining Anglo-Saxon style service, an atmosphere that was dynamic and welcoming, and transparency around every decision, from the contractor who worked on the interior to the sourcing of ingredients. Lines snaked around the block and soon, this 10th arrondissement café was the place to eat and drink -- and I could only go infrequently. Six years and a second location and several renovations later, Holybelly still draws crowds. To talk about their singular success, approach to business, and communication style are the owners Nicolas Alary and Sarah Mouchot, featured in my book "The New Paris". Mentioned in this episode: Holybelly: https://holybellycafe.com/ Holybelly on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/holybellycafe/

It’s been nearly a year since the start of the gilets jaunes or yellow vest movement and when I think back on the moments that will forever remain ingrained in my mind, it’s those of intense violence. Violence not only at the hands of the anarchists who latched on to the social demonstrations but violence against protestors at the hands of the police. Police brutality and excessive use of force isn’t only a topic of great controversy and discussion in the United States, it’s also an issue of great concern in France. But suspicion among citizens with regard to the police (and the state at large) didn’t begin with the yellow vest movement. Joining me to talk about this issue is Aida Alami, a journalist based between Morocco and France who covers social justice, immigration, religion and politics for the New York Times, and is at work on a documentary on anti racist activists and state violence. Mentioned in this episode: Aida Alami: https://twitter.com/aidaalami Amal Bentounsi: https://www.clique.tv/clique-talk-amal-bentounsi/ Rokhaya Diallo (antiracist activist): https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/the-french-authors-puncturing-the-myth-of-french-women-dont-get-fat Aida's reporting on the headscarf: https://www.nytimes.com/2018/06/01/world/europe/maryam-pougetoux-islam-france.html Police brutality in France: https://www.newstatesman.com/world/europe/2019/09/how-french-police-brutality-harming-country-s-international-image French riots after death of 2 teens: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/oct/22/nothings-changed-10-years-after-french-riots-banlieues-remain-in-crisis Paris Massacre 1961: What happened on October 17: https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/how-to-forget-a-massacre-what-happened-in-paris-on-october-17-1961/ Le Code Noir (black code): https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Code_Noir Macron admits torture during Algerian War: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/sep/13/france-state-responsible-for-1957-death-of-dissident-maurice-audin-in-algeria-says-macron "Ici on noie les Algériens" documentary: https://www.ina.fr/video/CPD13001554

If anything earns near religious devotion in France it’s bread. And in Paris, the marquee name in artisanal bread making has been Poilâne since 1932. Apollonia Poilâne, my guest today, represents the third generation of her family‘s business, one that revolutionized the role of bread in its beginnings and continues to innovate, remaining a beloved staple of both the French table and those in 40 countries around the world. Her first book in English has just hit bookshelves worldwide. Poilâne: The Secrets of the World Famous Bread Bakery offers recipes for morning, noon, and night, tips for bread making at home, and poignant commentary about growing up in a bakery and preserving her family’s legacy. Mentioned in this episode: Poilâne Bakery: https://www.poilane.com/en/ @painpoilane: https://www.instagram.com/painpoilane/?hl=fr Poilâne book: https://amzn.to/2oIrnFm

What defines the Parisian landscape? The mind instantly goes to a city with its tower, with its Haussmannian uniformity and its wide boulevards. But what really makes Paris, it's true lifeblood, is the Seine river, as much a protagonist in the city's story as its streets or landmarks. That's the conceit of a new book by bestselling author and former New York Times Paris bureau chief, Elaine Sciolino. "The Seine: the river that made Paris", her new book, is at once a chronicle of the Seine's role through history in everyday life and a personal account of one woman and her undying fascination with the world's most romantic waterway. Mentioned in this episode: Elaine Sciolino: https://elainesciolino.com/ Elaine on Instagram: http://instagram.com/elainesciolino "The Seine" book: https://amzn.to/31NLJdN Elaine's work in the NYT: https://www.nytimes.com/by/elaine-sciolino

There's the New Paris and ten there's Another Paris, a book that could and perhaps should be paired automatically with mine when it comes to looking at the transforming landscape of Paris and Greater Paris. I met the author Nicolas le Goff several years ago when his incredibly clever and timely book was first released in French. Now, it's been updated and translated into English. Nicolas includes ten walks to discovering Eastern Paris and just beyond, with starting points at familiar destinations and itineraries that lead beyond the periphery. There's contemporary architecture, community gardens, street art, coffee shops, rehabilitated spaces and galleries. Nicolas joins me to talk about the book and this other side of Paris he hopes visitors and locals will take the time to explore. Mentioned in this episode: Nicolas on Twitter: https://twitter.com/l_autre_paris "Another Paris": http://www.parigramme.com/livre-another-paris-523.htm Franchir le Périph: http://www.leparisien.fr/hauts-de-seine-92/plan-plan-la-banlieue-ouest-de-paris-il-va-vous-prouver-le-contraire-14-08-2019-8133366.php#xtor=AD-1481423553 The "Grand Paris" project: https://www.citylab.com/solutions/2016/01/grand-paris-governing-body-fragmentation/422547/ Bikes first: https://www.citylab.com/transportation/2019/08/paris-bike-lanes-rer-v-cycle-track-petite-couronne/596089/ Le Centquatre (104) cultural center: http://www.104.fr/

Is France progressive? What are some of the hot-button issues in France in recent months? Will we ever stop talking about the headscarf? I'm joined by journalist and research fellow Karina Piser of the Institute for Current World Affairs to talk about these and other topics along with her important reporting from her time in Paris. Mentioned in this episode: Karina Piser (Twitter): https://twitter.com/karinadanielle6 The Institute of Current World Affairs: https://www.icwa.org/current-fellows/karina-piser/ Asylum seekers in limbo: https://www.icwa.org/they-made-it-to-france-now-these-african-teens-are-stuck-in-limbo/ France's #MeToo movement: https://www.thenation.com/article/france-metoo-balancetonporc/ Femicide in France: https://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/articles/28195/a-wave-of-femicides-forces-france-to-confront-a-domestic-violence-crisis On forced secularism in schools: https://www.theatlantic.com/education/archive/2017/02/why-forced-neutrality-leads-to-polarization/516222/ Headscarves and school field trips: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/25/french-education-minister-reignites-row-over-muslim-headscarf

Among the most pervasive stereotypes about Paris is that it is the capital of love. Watch a few movies and you'd assume that romance and passion abound. I never believed those tropes but I was genuinely surprised to have met the man who became my husband only three days after I arrived in the city. That was thirteen years ago, before dating apps. From my single friends, I know that the dating scene has become significantly more challenging. Today's guests are here to discuss what it's really like to find love in Paris today -- Sutanya Dacres, host of the podcast Dinner for One, and Hugo Katsumi, a talented photographer. Mentioned in this episode: Dinner for One podcast: https://www.dinnerforonepodcast.com/ Dinner for one on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dinnerfor.one/ Hugo Katsumi: https://www.instagram.com/hugokatsumi/?hl=en Happn dating app: https://www.happn.com/fr/

When you think about camping out on a café terrace with a drink, chances are you don't think of craft beer. This is a wine country after all, right? The history is a bit more complicated than that. According to the Brewers Association of France, beer consumption has grown about 3% annually each of the last four years after declining for 36 consecutive years. In my book, I looked into the craft beer rebirth in Paris and wrote about individuals deeply invested in driving the community, including today's guest. Thomas Deck is one half of Deck & Donohue, one of the city's leading brewers and undeniable success stories. Mentioned in this episode: The New Paris book: https://amzn.to/2XKVegI Deck & Donohue: http://deck-donohue.com/ Where to find the beer: http://deck-donohue.com/les-trouver/

This episode is a recording from the June 12th panel discussion at The American Library in Paris about French feminism -- what defines it, what are its challenges, how does it differ from the American movement, and where it's heading. I was joined by journalists Rokhaya Diallo, Alice Pfeiffer, and Lauren Collins, who moderated the talk. Enjoy! Panelists: Lauren Collins, The New Yorker: https://www.newyorker.com/contributors/lauren-collins Rokhaya Diallo, journalist, activist, author: https://twitter.com/rokhayadiallo?lang=en Alice Pfeiffer, fashion journalist Les Inrocks, author: https://www.lesinrocks.com/auteur/alicepfeiffer/ The American Library in Paris: https://americanlibraryinparis.org/

If you’ve been reading the news or simply living as a human on earth, you’re aware of our world’s greatest crisis: the climate. The evidence is undeniable, we’re destroying our planet and not acting fast enough, if In the right ways at all, to slow its demise. Joining me to dig into the climate calamity and talk about how France measures up is Patrick Galey, the Global Science and Environment correspondant for the AFP news agency. Mentioned in this episode + Additional reading Patrick on Twitter: https://twitter.com/patrickgaley What can we do to save nature? https://twitter.com/patrickgaley/status/1125376094473998336 UN Report Shows Nature at Death's Door https://news.yahoo.com/lost-world-un-report-shows-nature-deaths-door-151119912.html Scientists Warn of climate 'time bomb' for world's groundwater https://phys.org/news/2019-01-scientists-climate-world-groundwater.html Fuel subsidies defy green trend amid rising climate alarm https://news.yahoo.com/fuel-subsidies-defy-green-trend-amid-rising-climate-160743139.html;_ylt=AwrC1jEM3t5cDGkA_hHQtDMD;_ylu=X3oDMTEyY2tpNnJrBGNvbG8DYmYxBHBvcwMxBHZ0aWQDQjc3MTFfMQRzZWMDc3I- Save Nature to Save Ourselves https://news.yahoo.com/million-species-risk-extinction-one-them-085309131.html Remote island beach plastics point to greater waste problem https://news.yahoo.com/remote-island-beach-plastics-point-greater-waste-problem-131013676.html An explainer on fossil fuels https://www.theatlantic.com/science/archive/2019/05/how-much-does-world-subsidize-oil-coal-and-gas/589000/