As a journalist in Paris, I am lucky enough to
meet a lot of people, both locals and otherwise. I get to become a specialist
for a day in all sorts of topics, like eco-friendly sex toys or frozen yogurt –
far more eclectic than I ever imagined back at NYU as a journalism undergrad.
Sometimes I think to myself, “How am I ever going to find a new topic to
cover?” But Paris is far more dynamic than a lot of people give it credit
for, despite what a lot of people write. Much of the English-speaking press
about the city focuses on food, a decaying quality of life that apparently has
always existed, or how globalization is ruining the city. Thinking with our
stomachs and looking behind us – well, neither has ever been an entirely wise
choice.
Like it or not, Paris is changing, but it’s not
all in in the direction of “doom” or “Americanization.” Three of my favorite
start-ups have been bringing some fresh air to Paris in ways that neither mar
the postcard image that most people hold nor threaten the age-old traditions
that people imagine have always, and will always, be so utterly “French.”