Solidarity, served cold

Remember how you felt when you got your first library card of your very own?  You felt like the world was now accessible to you, right?

We were almost that excited to get our library cards at the American Library of Paris yesterday.  Because this is a private library, these cards cost us about a hundred euros for a four-month family membership.

La Terrasse brasserie, where we had a simple dinner on Monday.

Two of the books we needed for work were there, on the shelves in the open stacks.  We checked them out for a few weeks. 

We noted that the library, which is open Tuesday through Saturday from 1pm to 7pm, is air conditioned.  This may come in handy next week when we are supposed to have another three-day heat wave.  Brains work better when heads are cool.

The second edition of Norton's Huck Finn was edited just by
Tom, even though first edition editors' names are still on the book.
The other book is Tom's Ivory Leg in the Ebony Cabinet:  Madness,
Race and Gender in Victorian America.  Ever wonder where our
nation's current racism comes from?  This book will tell you.

The library is a 30-minute, gentle walk from our apartment, on the other side of the Eiffel Tower and Champ de Mars -- in the 7th arrondissement, which is home to so many important institutions.  The address is on the little Rue du Général Camou, which has a great view of the Eiffel Tower at one end, and a lovely view of the ultra-Art Nouveau building designed by Lavirotte at the other end.

When we arrived home, books in hand and library cards in pocket, we had just enough time to rest and clean up for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants, L'Ardoise du Quinzieme -- another 30-minute walk away.  The name of the place means Blackboard of the 15th -- the blackboard referring to the slate where the daily specials are listed.

We both selected the Pluma d'Ibérique --- a Spanish or Basque cut of tender pork -- for the main course.  It was sautéed and served with a sauce made from its juice, accompanied by a delicious pile of gently cooked peas, lima beans, tomatoes and carrot slices.  The dish was colorful and tasty.  Because there was more meat than we eat in a meal, we slipped a couple plumas in a plastic bag to take home.  We fight against gaspillage, or the wasting of food.

Pluma d'Iberique at L'Ardoise du Quinzieme.

Dessert was a brioche perdu (like French toast with caramel sauce) for Tom, and a peach melba for me.  These were both absolutely delightful.  The peach was covered in a raspberry sauce that could not have been better.

Over dinner, I told Tom about an article I saw on a City of Paris web site about "frigos solidaires" (unity fridges).  These are glass-doored refrigerators placed out in front of a restaurant or other business during the day to provide refrigerated food to those in need.  The food is donated by businesses or residents in the neighborhood.

Peach Melba at L'Ardoise du Quinzieme.

Here in Paris, this aspect of the anti-gaspillage movement was started by a young restaurateur, Dounia Mebtoul, who had seen them in use in London, where she had worked for a while.

Food in the unity fridges can be fruits, vegetables, biscuits, groceries, and products with an expiration date that has not passed and that are still in their packages.

The first of these unity fridges was placed in front of La Cantine du 18e -- the restaurant run by Dounia and her mother, Malika -- in June 2017.   Every day, about 40 donors put food in this fridge.  About 50-some people take food out of it, including students, retirees, people with large families, single-parent households, and homeless folks.

Brioche perdu at L'Ardoise du Quinzieme.

Dounia says the fridge creates ties between the recipients and the donors -- and even the customers at the restaurant.  They have discussions and undertake projects together.  This puts a new spin on the expression "waste not, want not."

Several months after the appearance of this first unity fridge, an organization called Identités Mutuelle became interested in the undertaking.  They formed an association, Les Frigos Solidaires.  As a result, these unity fridges are popping up all over France.  The Paris city council has also committed to financing 15 of these fridges as a part of the city's Tous Récup project.

If even half of these fridges create the kind of good will and synergy that Dounia's first fridge has, the city -- even the world -- will be a better place for all.