In 1560, a certain Jean Nicot introduced tobacco to Catherine de Medici, raving about its various healing powers. The queen and her court were soon hooked — and the ambassador would go on to be immortalised in the word nicotine. The backstory of tobacco in France has long infused smoking with an air of nobility; […]
Katrina Lawrence
The Bouillon: Fast Food à la Parisienne
With every action there’s a reaction. And so, on a Parisian gastronomic landscape that has undergone rapid transformation of late, with cool new cafés and bars ever popping up, there’s now somewhat of a swing back to the old, the traditional, the authentic. A trend back to serving up nostalgic Gallic comfort food (snails, egg […]
Paris in a Perfume: Five Perfect Fragrances
Paris is the capital of the perfume industry, so it’s not surprising that so many classic fragrances have a French accent to them. Paris has also played muse to many fragrance creators who live in and love this city, and who have often attempted to capture some facet of this beguiling place within their formulations. […]
Paris in the Summer: Le Good (& Le Not So Good)
Paris in summer gets a bad rap, because it can be one of the busiest, most stifling times to be there. But a hot Paris is better than no Paris, right? That’s not to say there’s no magic to it — there absolument is! You just have to know how to work around the crowds […]