A Foodie's Foray in France

The PCE (Parisian cliché-effect). Or, Why I love Paris

posted Friday, 4 April 2008
Why does everything that happen here feel so undeniably cliché?


Cliché:

1.a trite, stereotyped expression; a sentence or phrase, usually expressing a popular or common thought or idea, that has lost originality, ingenuity, and impact by long overuse, as sadder but wiser, or strong as an ox.
 

2.(in art, literature, drama, etc.) a trite or hackneyed plot, character development, use of color, musical expression, etc.
 

3.anything that has become trite or commonplace through overuse.
  

Ahh, gay Paris… Potentially lovely moments become so quickly cheapened  by the PCE (Parisian cliché-effect).  


       ·         Romantic first kiss distracted by the Eiffel tower or Notre Dame

   
·         Lining up for bread seems played out (by the way, bread is one of the few things the French will actually line up for)

 

     ·         Wine consumed a dusk on a terrace with girlfriends makes you feel touristy


 

          ·        Drinking Champagne .... need I say more?  



And undoubtedly, at some level (albeit, not a very deep one), experiences seem so much more intense or,  perhaps, just more lovely given the history of the city, the energy, the ambience, the… je ne sais quoi…