The New Paris Podcast

One of the incredible aspects of living in Europe is the access to rich bread and baking traditions. They may vary between France, Poland, Germany, and Portugal, let’s say, but what they share is the ongoing movement to protect them. It’s also the theme of the new cookbook by my fellow American friend based in Berlin, Laurel Krotochvila, owner of Fine Bagels. The book, New European Baking, was the subject of our conversation that took place at The Red Wheelbarrow bookstore on October 6th. This episode is therefore the recording of that interview. It also features a discussion with Xavier Netry, the head bread baker at the beloved Parisian bakery Utopie, who is profiled in Laurel’s book. That conversation was in French but I summarize the message at the end of the episode. Enjoy! Thank you to Jay Swanson for facilitating the recording of this episode. Mentioned in this episode: Buy the book  Fine Bagels Shakespeare & Sons (not & Co!) bookstore Le Balto Bar Utopie Paris 

2022 will be forever be etched in my mind as the year travel and tourism rebounded from the pandemic in a massive way. Essentially, since June 1 or whenever the remaining travel restrictions lifted,  visitors haven’t stopped trickling into the city. I also know this from experiencing a major uptick in requests for my own tour. Now that we’re into the fall and peak travel season is behind us, I wanted to sit down with someone who has spent the last decade of his career in tourism and has built something new during the pandemic. A year ago, Simon Burke launched Txango Tours, a business that takes visitors through Paris and beyond on a sidecar. I’m all for seeing the city in unique and unexpected ways so let’s hear from Simon!  Mentioned in this episode:  Txango Tours Fat Tire Bike Tours Video of Txango Tours in action Americans flocking to Europe 

Since the last episode of this show, I can report two positive things: First, I did indeed spend less time doom scrolling and therefore alleviate much of the anxiety and stress I had been feeling for months. And second, I finished a number of excellent books, many of which you can find on my Bookshop.org page which I’ve listed in the show notes, and also returned to review a few other books I’ve enjoyed in the past few years, including the excellent work by today’s guest. Jess McHugh is an American journalist in Paris and the author of Americanon: An Unexpected U.S. History in Thirteen Bestselling Books. With smart storytelling anchored in unbelievably detailed reporting, the book explores the history of thirteen bestselling books and also how these ubiquitous titles have informed, influenced, and updated American ideals at crucial moments in history. I brought her on the show today to talk about the book but also how that history might have been influenced by the French, how American figures left their mark on France, and some of her favourite books on the France-U.S. experience. Mentioned in this episode:  My Bookshop.org selection  Americanon: An Unexpected U.S. History in Thirteen Bestselling Books  Jess McHugh on Twitter Jess’s story on bison Merriam-Webster on Twitter Read an excerpt from Americanon Democracy in America by de Toqueville 

There’s no guest for today’s episode. Instead, I wanted to talk about a topic I was recently asked to write about for Elle magazine in France. And that’s the subject of tipping and tip culture. Given that tourism across France is back in a big way and the French themselves are back to traveling beyond their borders, the question of if and how much to tip has resurfaced. Because my story was in French, I had some requests to discuss the theme in English. So here we go! I hope it helps as you travel.  Mentioned in this episode / Sources: The history of tipping The racist history behind America's tipping culture  Faut-il laisser un pourboire? Combien?  Danny Meyer ends his no-tipping policy  Minimum wage in France The French tip only 5% when they travel

I was reared on stand up comedians. Growing up, I was exposed to the greats: George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Robin Williams, Eddie Murphy and Chris Rock. My near religious weeknight ritual with my father was watching the Daily Show with Jon Stewart and being permitted to watch The Chapelle Show even though the subject matter was Arguably a bit inappropriate for a young teen. But when I first moved to Paris, I all but lost that connection. The bonding power of comedy. The most beloved french comics just didn’t hit the same way. It wasn’t until years later, when an English comic named Paul Taylor came up for his What the Fuck France series, that I started to seek out more of that world. And fortunately, there’s now a robust English language comedy scene in Paris that feels on the cusp of international recognition. One of the leading voices of that movement is todays guest, the very very funny American comic Sarah Donnelly. Mentioned in this episode: Sarah Donnelly  Mike Birbiglia  Paul Taylor  God Save My English series on Audible  Sarah on TikTok  Picard take on TikTok  The Only American in Paris show (tickets) Shirley Souagnon  Drôle on Netflix (Standing Up)  Barbès Comedy Club Gad Elmaleh  Paname Comedy Club 

I’m back after a little break to visit family in the states and return to Paris just in time to get knocked out with covid for a week. I’m sounding more like myself and ready to record new interviews for the remainder of season 5! So thanks for your patience. To kick things back off, I’m joined today by someone with a mission to fill in the gaps where French authorities fall alarmingly short. Kryssandra Heslop is the co-founder of the non-profit called Soul Food, an organization she launched in 2018 to expose migrant youth to cultural events and artistic environments, meals, and language activities, in an effort to provide intellectual and cultural stimulation, facilitate positive integration experiences and encourage novel levels of autonomy in their new home country. On top of that, they also create opportunities for cultural exchange between migrant youth and local French teenagers. Kryssandra joins me today to talk about building this mission, who she and her co-founder are helping, and the challenges specific to carrying out this project in France. Mentioned in this episode:  Soul Food  Support Soul Food Refettorio in Paris au Foyer de la Madeleine Soul Food MERCH Soul Food on Instagram 

This episode was recorded April 25, the day after the conclusion of the 2022 French presidential election. That means, the first day of knowing Macron will continue to govern France after his first term officially ends on May 13. To some, this feels like a bandaid on a gaping wound. To others, a sign that reason has won. Whatever your perspective, there’s a lot to discuss about this experience and what Macron means for us moving forward. I’m joined today by someone I’ve wanted to invite on the show for a long time — Chris O’Brien, an American journalist in the Paris region who has reported about technology, innovation, and entrepreneurship for more than 20 years. He previously covered Silicon Valley for the LA Times and brings a deep understanding of start-up culture and technology to the French landscape. We talk about the way the global media has helped normalise extremists, Macron’s highs and lows, the French tech scene’s evolution, and what to know about Macron’s second chapter. Mentioned in this episode:  Chris on Twitter Chris's viral twitter thread about the NYT’s obsession with Marine Le Pen Sylvain Tesson quote about French unhappiness The Startup President  The French Tech Journal French Crossroads 

Understanding life in France and the foundation on which identity is based, requires an understanding of certain words, themes, and ideas. Words like terroir, laïcité, entrepreneur, and travail, among countless others. Grasping their complexity is not only important to cultural integration but to being able to navigate daily life. It’s also the focus of a podcast called Navigating the French, hosted by fellow journalist Emily Monaco. She joins me, the day after the first round vote for President, to discuss the words and ideas worth knowing in order to make sense of this election, the candidates, and how the population feels about both. Mentioned in this episode:  Navigating the French podcast Emily on Instagram The Guardian story about poor vs rich voting intentions Chirac at the Salon de l’Agriculture (video) Salon de l’Agriculture: politically charged

One of the first English-language journalists in Paris covering women’s issues both in France and abroad that I first connected with online was today’s guest, Megan Clement. Her reporting has appeared in The Guardian, Bloomberg, The Sydney Morning Herald, Al Jazeera, The New Humanitarian and many other publications. She is now editing Impact, a bilingual weekly newsletter dispatch by Les Glorieuses, which may be familiar to you if you’ve read my second book, covering feminist movements and women’s rights worldwide. She also teaches journalism at the Sorbonne Nouvelle. Given our impending Presidential election, the repercussions of the pandemic on women and their advancement, and the ongoing struggle to curb violence against women, it felt like the right time to discuss it all with Megan. Mentioned in this episode: Megan's reporting on the hottest day in Paris Megan on Twitter IMPACT by Les Glorieuses The Wolfpack case Spain Malta’s view on abortion Malta continued Impact interview with Mariana Ardila on Colombia’s historic abortion victory  The situation for women in Poland Les Glorieuses

One of my goals with The New Parisienne was to highlight the richness of talent coming from women in and around the capital. There’s tremendous creativity, knowledge, innovation, and inspiration and it’s these women and so many others who fuel my own work and thinking. Rahaf Harfoush, one of the women in the book and a longtime friend, is one of the women I admire and whose research, writing, and thinking on technology and the culture of work has been endlessly illuminating. She joins me today to talk about the research she’s been doing, her work with a French commission on the digital space, and how we can all exert control over technology’s impact on our daily lives. Mentioned in this episode & additional links: Rahaf Harfoush's work Order Rahaf's book Hustle & Float Rahaf's LinkedIn Course on Humane Productivity How Burnout Makes Us Less Creative (Rahaf's Ted Talk) Conseil National du Numérique (Digital commission) Rahaf on Twitter Rahaf on Instagram