ABSTRACT
Like so many other American college undergraduate students at the turnof the millennium, I first came to Paris carrying an overloaded backpack andclutching a rail pass in my hand after having saved up for a year. I was spend-ing several days in the French capital with family members before hitting the rails and exploring the rest of the country. We felt a sense of cultural obligation, that Paris was a center of civilization and, so, was one of those places one just had to visit. We filled our days there by wandering the streets and visiting such touristy sights as the medieval cathedral of Notre-Dame. We chugged Orangina, rode the Metro, and commented sarcastically on the park trees trimmed into green squares in a display of French domination over nature. In short, we tried to absorb some sense of the city’s fascinations. Of course, we also encountered its frustrations, including a grumpy waiter who chose to tip a bowl of soup over my back. Never question a café’s potatoes.
