Paris Taught Me a Coffee Lesson the Hard Way

When I moved to Paris, I took my Atlanta pace with me, along with my “everything happens right now” attitude. Coffee was fuel, and I was always in motion.

My first real landlord in Paris… her name was Danielle…  schooled me on Parisian mornings.  A true Parisian, she told me, drinks their café au lait in a coffee bowl, that has the perfect opening to dunk a croissant or tartine before leaving home. The point is to savor and enjoy before dealing with the outside world. I kept with the morning ceremony while I settled into my new Paris life, but one day… it all came crashing down. I was taking French classes at a school about 25 minutes from my apartment and one day, your girl was running late! I didn’t have time to make coffee at home and thought I would grab one to go on my walk from the Metro to school. Hey Toto… we aren’t in Kansas anymore! I stopped inside the first spot I saw and ask the guy behind the bar for a café to go.  He told me he couldn’t give me the mug. I looked just as confused by his comment as he did by my request. Finally, he pulled out one of those flimsy plastic cups that you get at a water cooler, and he poured a hot espresso into it. Welllllll, I barely made it a block away when the cup melted in my hand!! Message received. You do not rush coffee in France.

That moment stuck. Now I treat coffee like a pause, not a pit stop. At least when I can! If you want to bring a little of that energy home, start with our Passport Pack and join my email list for recipes that make slowing down feel worth it.