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The Champs Elysees- National Mixing

We walked the entire Champs Elysees from our hotel. It was quite a walk. The avenue is not what I thought it would be. There is an extended portion that runs through a mini extension of the Tuileries. Only part of it is a procession of high-end stores and beautiful sidewalk cafes. I expected to find, quite naturally, French stores.....

There are many French brands that are heavily marketed in the US. Chanel and Dior come to mind, as do Bordeaux and Burgundy wines, but there are many others. Interestingly, most French cars are not marketed here, but that too is a story of international ownership by US and Italian companies.

What surprised me was the extraordinary presence of US companie along the Champs Elysees. There was a Disney store. That at least made some sense- Disney France is a huge success, and Disney wear is in great demand (there was a line to get in!). Much more surprising to me was a Five Guys burger restaurant. That too had a line out the door. There were two (two!) McDonald's on the Champs Elysees! These are not quite like US McDonald's, having espresso and peculiarly French items. They do have the full line of burgers and frites we know and love, including a Big Mac for 8 Euros (about 10 bucks). They were packed as well. Many cafes were selling pizza, another uniquely American invention that is selling better than crepes, or patisseries, or croissants. You can buy sneakers in an Adidas store, even go to an Abercrombie and Fitch!

The whole avenue felt like a mix of French culture and a US open-air shopping mall. Internationalism in marketing and trade has penetrated everywhere. It is also entirely possible to speak nothing but English in Paris without getting sneered at to your face (although I am capable of doing almost all transactions in French, much to my shock. It has come back to me rapidly and fluidly, and I am enjoying faisant toutes choses completement en Francais, to the frustration of my wife).

None of this seems wrong to me; seeing a line out of Five Guys on the Champs Elysees was a proud moment, albeit one of culture shock. This is the sort of multi-culturalism I admire, where people and nations welcome ideas, foods and products. It does lessen the cultural uniqueness of being in France, however. I suspect if I were in the Midi, or Brittany, that I would not find a Five Guys.

Anyway....come to France and have frites and pizza. You can even walk down the street and get Haagen Daz after your hamburger.....

Ted

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