Dans ma rue, y’avait trois boutiques…by Anthony Palou

 Dans ma rue, y’avait trois boutiques…

by Anthony Palou is a book that you must read! Written with love, tenderness and attention, this french book will involve all your senses: smells and tastes, flavours and perfumes of old and recent food; it's a multiform and colored universe in an original trip at the discovery of our past and our present; it's a work of memories rediscovering the past that has been with melancholic touch: it's the story of french people, their unicity and strong connection with food, smells, flavours, and.... old customs and old little shops, dead because of the advent of new ways of selling products: supermarkets have killed many singulars, delicate and strong realities, characteristics of little towns and big cities.

There is Moroccon's blood in the veins of Anthony, and his grand-parents and parents have been merchants of fruits and veggies. Born delicate, without a strong body, little Anthony helps his parents and relatives starting to read avidly every sorta of book and later, becoming an important signature and editor of Le Figaro one of the oldest French newspapers.

Written during the lockdown, in 2020, this book wants to be the most important witness of the state of things regarding little commerce also thanks to interviews with merchants. 

Born in Quimper, Paolou at the age of 6-7 years with her sister loved to spend some time in a little store where there was a little guy: Ce Petit Vélo was the name of the local. This man, called Poulidor smelled of rubber, writes Anthony. 

As editor and journalist of Le Figaro, Anthony travelled all along France, but also in Switzerland and Italia, falling sick in Ireland. 

Interviewing the old artisans appear clear something: newest generations are less interested in that kind of jobs. 

Pharmacists  are the most original ones in terms of anecdots: it's a weird world the one of this category during their nights populated by toxics, and prostitues: there are exilarent episodes involving their days with patients!

Quimper in the past had a little boutique, pretty claustrophobic where it was possible to  buy everything. These emporiums are disappearing. 

Cafés in little towns are centrals: you can eat a soup, buying cigarettes, chocolate. 

An important question asked to himself and the readers: "… et nous, que sommes- nous devenus ? Des pousseurs de caddies, des arpenteurs de rayons Leclerc, Intermarché, Auchan, Carrefour, Lidl, Leader Price, Netto…" 

Anthony doesn't forget bookstores. The President of France considered books at a certain point of the lockdown as an essential item.

Angélique, Léa and Erwan are owners of a french bookstore: Angélique spent time in Italy, Bologna. They agree: being owners of a bookstore is a passion: "Being a bookseller is a dream." The smell of paper is their tobacco, writes.

But...Which are the little merchants and artisans disappeared or not in great state? "Marchandes de soupes qui réchauffaient les passants, chapeliers, couteliers, horlogers, marchands d’instruments de musique, apothicaires, herboristes, barbiers,rempailleurs, rémouleurs, ramasseurs de crottes, marchandes

des quatre saisons, matelassières."

Historical theathers, papeteries, kiosks are in peril or they have closed as well.

During the lockdown Palou has thought that life was becoming something else.

He writes: "Notre vie n’a plus grand sens, il paraît qu’un virus nous a réduit à l’état de rats, nous a enfermés dans les égouts, nous qui aimions tant la lumière." Our life doesn't have anymore great sense. It seems that this virus is reducing us like rats: we, so in love for light!"

Saint- Germain- des-Prés  doesn't have anything anymore of intellectual: forget it. Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir became with the time Emporio Armani and Louis Vuitton. Considered by Palou a thermic choc.

Bernard Frank once said that Restaurants and cafés remain centrals and crucials in a city and in a town: why? Because there, people are more relaxed, tensions are over:  at the same time people meet  friends, colleagues. It's a way for socializing.

Bernard Frank is also sure that : "Une ville sans bistrots, c’est une ville sans rencontres". A city without bistrots is a city without encounters. 

Then moving in Bretagne, Palou introduces us the land of feasts, elves, cider and beautiful women. 

There are towns in France celebrating with big feasts peaches, and in the entire territory of France people are in love for the sardine with olive oil. 

Great sense of humor, Anthony reports the situation of the first lockdown when supermarkets were assaulted by people. That's why most of them ate lentils, potatoes, topinambours, cereals with immense flatulations, lol, added. 

He doesn't forget books, Anthony returning to the topic for seeing the differences between France and USA. While the USA have largely adopted the use of ebooks, french people remains affectionated to the physical books. Anyway, no one should panic because nothing will replace reading. In a traditional or more modern way. 

Highly recommended.

I thank Emmanuelle de Boysson for the copy of the book.

Anna Maria Polidori