Paris Journal 2014 – Barbara Joy Cooley Home: barbarajoycooley.com
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Tom finished working in the late afternoon, and decided it was high time for a haircut. Off he went, down the rue du Theatre to the rue de la Croix Nivert. For many years now, he’s had his summertime haircuts done at Look Coiffure, a barber shop on this street with the mysterious name. Once upon a time, there was a cross at what is now the intersection of the rue de la Croix Nivert and the rue Lecourbe. But what does “nivert” mean? That’s not a French word, as far as I can tell. And there is no indication that it was a family name in that locale. If we break it into two pieces, ni vert, it would mean “neither green,” but “ni,” like ”neither,” is a conjunction that does not work alone. Neither green, nor what? What??? I should not let these things bother me. The rue de la Croix Nivert, unlike the rue du Commerce, has not gentrified. It is still unpretty, and its sidewalks are too narrow in relation to the traffic lanes on the street. So, it is somewhat pedestrian-unfriendly. To change this street, to really improve it, would mean some substantial infrastructure re-design and re-building. But, interestingly, this street is not a bad neighborhood. Unpretty, but okay, that’s the rue de la Croix Nivert. And that keeps the rent down for commercial spaces on that street. I’m convinced that one of the major factors in the price of a haircut is the amount of rent the barber shop must pay. At Look Coiffure, a man’s haircut is only 13 euros. The haircuts are good there. (They only cut hair for men and children. I think it is true that a male barber of Muslim faith will not touch a woman who is not a member of his family.) One doesn’t need an appointment at Look. Tom just walked in, and he had to wait for a little while because there were several customers ahead of him. The barbers there are mostly young, and all are of North African ethnicity, Tom thinks. It is a friendly, efficient place. The customers include a wide range of types, from working class to upper class, but Tom is probably one of only a very few Americans who go there. The rue de la Croix Nivert is probably an old street. In the days when the village of Grenelle area was becoming the industrial zone outside of Paris, this street led down to the bowels of the mining and gas works area. There was also a bleach factory, whose brand took its name from the street: Javel Lacroix. This brand name is now owned by Colgate-Palmolive France. Bleach was invented in nearby Javel, and so the French word for liquid bleach (sodium hypochlorite) is javel. Claude Louis Berthollet, a chemist, is credited with inventing liquid bleach in 1789. He also was the first to produce the powdered chlorine bleach and oxidant called potassium chlorate (Berthollet’s salt). Perhaps his most important accomplishment, however, was his work along with Antoine Lavoisier to come up with a system of chemical nomenclature – the basis for the system we use today. Berthollet, who was from Savoy, was educated as a medical doctor, and he became a politician; he was vice president of the French senate in 1804. Heavens, how did I get from a haircut to the senate? So after Tom returned from the rue de la Croix Nivert, we had a delightful little shopping excursion at Dia, the discount grocery. Not long after that, it was time for our stroll down leafy avenue Felix Faure to dinner at Axuria. We’d been looking forward to this. We decided to have the côte de veau for two. While “côte de veau” literally translates to “veal chop,” the reality of this particular dish for two is that the veal is sliced from a small roast, not cooked as individual chops. The result was tender, delicious, and flavorful. The vegetables at Axuria are always fresh and interesting, and alongside them were a few nicely roasted pieces of potatoes and mushrooms. Chef Olivier Amestoy made a great sauce for this dish. We then each consumed a soufflé au grand marnier – utterly heavenly. How does he do it? His soufflés are perfect every time. We discovered Axuria when it was new, a few years ago. We were very appreciated, regular customers then. Now, the chef does not seem to remember us. His restaurant has been discovered. It has been reviewed in too many publications to count. He deserves the success. The restaurant is beautiful, and the food is delicious. Axuria is not in Lafourchette.com. I made a reservation via the restaurant’s web site, and they lost it. It didn’t matter; we were seated at the rear of the restaurant. Initially, the room was hot and stuffy, but that changed after several minutes; some ventilation or slight air-conditioning was turned on. Better late than never. Here’s what I wrote about Axuria in the summer of 2011, when the resto was new: Saturday, August 6, 2011, in my Paris Journal. It is still a fine place for dinner, although it was the most expensive dinner we’ve had so far this summer. Still, it is impossible to regret that soufflé!
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Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Statue
of bears playing (by the sculptor Victor Peter, 1840-1918) outside the Square
Saint-Lambert.
Old,
village-y houses that remain on the rue Petel.
The
Mendjisky Museum of the Schools of Paris, on the
Square de Vergennes.
One
of two almost identical plates (veal for two), and the soufflé au grand marnier (below).
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