Today, we the students along with Professor Pericles of the TAIWSP set out to partake on a restaurant site visit to Mamie Burger.  Departing from our hotel at 9:40 am sharp we took the 13-line to Invalides to the 8-line to Bonne Nouvelle: where we met Professor Zinder.  Approaching the restaurant, we took in all furnishings and characteristics of Mamie Burger.  Heading to the second floor (better known as the 1st floor for Paris), we were seated and introduced to Estelle.  Estelle, our host alongside the owner, met with us to introduce their concept, approach, and success of 5 Mamie Burger’s- a grandma burger Bistro.  Indicating the new brand of Yaai Thai of Thai street food was a surprise to us as well because of 2 Yaai Thai’s opening in August of 2018.  We learned a lot of specifics to a good restaurant concept that is growing while reinvesting the profits/revenue into more restaurant start-ups.  Thank you Mamie Burger and Yaai Thai for having us!

After our restaurant site visit, we headed to Sacre Coeur in the 18th Arrondissements.  Natalie, Mei, and Marcio introduced us to this lovely Cathedral of Sacre Coeur.  Parched on the second highest hilltop in Paris, Sacre Coeur is known to be called the Sacred Heart.  Built in the 1800s, Sacre Coeur was constructed to honor those who sacrificed their lives in the Franco-Prussian War.  It is also known as one of the location housing thousands of locks on the gates surrounding the cathedral.  Professor Zinder calls it vandalism.  There were men selling the locks and we all refused to buy any.

After the tour, we head on down the stairs away from Sacre Coeur to the souvenir shops to find some very reasonably priced gifts for our loved ones back home.  Popping in and out of shops, we wandered down to see the store Tati that Professor Pericles told us about before jumping back on the train to find something to eat.  During one of the talks, Professor Zinder points out Bouillon Chartier is one of the oldest restaurants in Paris and that we should visit it during our stay here.  Thirteen of us ended up eating there today.

Back to the train again, Aquille and I split from the group and headed to Chateau Rogue.  By the looks of the people getting off the train there, we were a little suspicious of the looks and stares we were given.  Dressed in our professional attire we were out of place.  Upon exiting the train station on the escalator, I had a flashback of being home on 125th Street in Harlem NY.  Ladies talking in French and all I could think they were saying/asking if you wanted your hair braided.  When we got to the top of the escalator and looked around I said: “Oh shucks Aquille, we are in Harlem and Church Avenue of Brooklyn.”  We stayed close together as we maneuvered through the street to find our first vegetable stand, looking to see what the seller had, we hit jackpot.  We found okra, sweet potatoes, and such.  Purchasing what we needed, we continued to walk down further finding pigtails (the ladies ordering their supply of pork seemed as if they were buying the whole case, I wanted pigtail.  Looking over my shoulder annoyed, across the street I saw another meat market.  I scurried over to it and found oxtail, Jackpot again!  I asked for 4 small pieces, my soup for dinner was coming together.  With Aquille on my heels, we ventured into the beauty supply store where all of the courser hair folks shop.  I bought a ponytail piece for my hair.  Aquille and I were laughing at this point because here I was buying hair in a beauty supply store as if I were at home.  I bought it just to say I bought it.  We decided it was time to head home with our goodies in bags and again we scanned the area for people watching us and moved accordingly amongst them.  A lady ran up behind me to go through the turnstile with me and I was shaking my head in disgust, eyeing them both as they carried there heavy bags of goods to get on the train.  Getting on the train to head back to home base we were happy with our experience and chit chatted all the way back.

Upon getting back to our base, the pots came out and the soup making began.  I made an oxtail vegetable soup that fed 7 people and a few second portions.  Belly full, mouths chit-chatting, writing postcards and listening to music is how we spent the rest of the evening.

Paris was an adventure today.