Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Paris Tap ๐Ÿ’ง

Watercolor painted with Paris tap
I love Paris tap!

Photo by Jim Wilson for the New York Times of Chez Panisse carafes Photo by Jim Wilson for the New York Times
Last week Marian Burrows wrote in the New York Times  of New York tap water. Restaurants may be forced to switch from bottled water to the local brew to save the environment from excess throw away glass bottles.Chez Panisse in Berkeley has switched.

Carafes at Cafe Cassette
In Paris, tap water is one of the delights of the restaurant tabletop in my opinion.
I love the variety and glitter glass carafes add.

Carafe d'eau at Leon's
Even plain old Belgian chain Leon's has a beautiful luminous carafe...I WILL paint this! soon.

Carafe d'eau at Cafe Mondrian
Paris restaurants have served carafe d'eau of local tap water for eons.
And why is this you ask?
Visit any Parisian's home and you'll see bottled water lined up like soldiers in the kitchen.
And super marches are full of more brands than you can imagine.
The reason is, because when eating out,

The French know that wine costs less than BOTTLED water!
So if you're trying to "pass", order a carafe d'eau or un verre d'eau!

My collection of French waters
I love Paris tap because my watercolor paints love it.
They jump around and flow in a way they don't behave on the home front.Maybe I do too. Some say it's perhaps the excess calcium.
I've tried all kinds of concoctions and gotten lots of chemical advice, even adding Champagne chalk and baking soda to New York tap.

un verre d'eau at Cafe Cassette
The best I've done is sneak home one little bottle of Paris Tap. I emptied my Vitel in the AirFrance lounge and refilled it with the REAL stuff!
But supplies are getting low. Anyway I'm all for New York restaurants adding lovely glass carafes to their tables.
Go for it New York!

20 comments:

  1. Anonymous8:48 AM

    Carol~~

    You truly make Paris tangible.
    Thank you for your wonderful paintings and your eye for finding pictures.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love the rich brown in your painting of the brush handle. Lovely paintings.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous10:11 AM

    Cute painting. Almost thought you hadn't painted something today when I saw the brush end as the picture opened up. Good job.
    To bad you can't import Paris water.
    Cris in OR

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous10:15 AM

    I just went to your blog to read about Paris Tap.
    I love
    your blog and it's design.I continue to enjoy your lovely paintings arriving on my
    contactstream.
    I lived and worked in New York City for over ten years.
    I go back often, but your blog is a lovely reminder of the fabulous places I am missing.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Wine cheaper than water? How about that. So...have you tried painting with wine?

    ReplyDelete
  6. Merci SHABBY
    I meant to say "bottled" water is more costly than wine in Paris cafes.
    Fixed now thanks to your sharp eyes.
    And NO, I don't paint with coffee, tea, coke or wine.
    I am currently testing out French waters...
    Desperate for a touch of Frenchiness in my brew...

    ReplyDelete
  7. Anonymous10:51 AM

    Carol, I love this blog. For decades, I have secretly loved the look of clear, glass carafes and the look of water and other beverages in them. Only on this blog, do I find someone else who sees the beauty in everyday things like cafe tables, coffee cups and glass carafes.

    I agree with charmingdesigns about the brush handle in your painting. I was particularly struck by the rich brown color and the light reflecting on the handle. I look forward to seeing your painting of the carafe, glass and spoon from photograph no. 4.

    Thank you for daily sharing the world as you see it.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Anonymous12:34 PM

    Dear Carol,
    So interesting how the "tap" in Paris has that je ne se quoi and makes magic in your work. My friend I have a friend who likes how her hair reacts to rainwater. She saves rainwater expressly for this purpose.
    Have you read the new Chez Panisse Book? I'm reading it now, and enjoying it very much.
    I agree with Alice Waters. It's crazy to pollute the earth in order to drink a bottle of water from Italy.
    Thank you for coming to visit my site today. It means a lot.

    P.S. Corey says nice things behind your back about you.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Anonymous12:56 PM

    I agree! I always get a kick out of seeing what kind of carafe is going to be put on my table when I am in Paris! I'll now have to get excited about more NYC dining....

    ReplyDelete
  10. Gosh, how luscious! Water on the tables.

    Here in the desert southwest we have to request water to get just one glass of the stuff. A valuable commodity here.

    Off to the kitchen for some french bubbly water. Which is as close as I'll get to french water today !!!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Anonymous5:24 PM

    Your photos of the glass containers holding water are wonderful. They seem to speak prettier than cystal and champagne.

    I cannot wait to see the painting of that one photo you mentioned! Ah glass Oh water, perfect Carol!

    I wish I could fill your bottles with water. I think of you everyday when I turn on our tap.
    Eau de Carol!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Blessings
    I love everything you post and photograph!
    Be well!

    ReplyDelete
  13. And Ode to Eau!
    How much better can it get?
    (Besides good cheap wine!)
    Truly beautiful painting.
    One of my friends today called your painting style "baroque", unusually rich (she's more knowledgable about art than I am). :-)
    May I mention that Viennese water eliminates the need for shlepping bottles: it comes straight from deep in the mountains. And tastes like it.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Anonymous10:53 PM

    We just bought a new carafe that we love--it has a "hole" in the center of it that creates a handle...it's wonderful. I'm sure water does make a difference--shoot, it does on your hair and skin! Great post.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Anonymous11:37 PM

    Is Paris water as good as NYC which is supposed to have the best in the country?
    Annie

    ReplyDelete
  16. Anonymous11:44 PM

    You know you and I must have been soul mates in another lifetime.
    When I was in Paris I adored those water bottles once I figured out what the deal was.
    last weekend we visited a street fair of old used things and I bought several old water bottles dated 1910-1920s.
    I enjoy seeing them everyday.
    Now I'll have to go on a quest next time to bring back some H20 for my watercolor painting!

    ReplyDelete
  17. Yes, I love carafes! My father-in-law and my uncles all have collections.

    And the fact that wine costs less than water is one of the funny things I love about France. My French family always teases me with how expensive I am when I ask for water rather than wine. (Even though at family dinners, it's just tap water and so not actually more expensive than the wine as it is in restaurants.)

    ReplyDelete
  18. Anonymous2:08 PM

    Fantastic painting -
    I'm amazed at the difference water can make!
    Love the pictures of different carafes!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Anonymous2:14 PM

    Carol--

    This is so funny! Paris tap -- smuggled home!!
    I love to read you
    I thought I was the only one who came up with things like
    this but you do it too!
    I love your photos....wish i could make an
    album of them.

    ReplyDelete
  20. Anonymous2:16 PM

    Well now that is a memory worth capturing.
    Did the painting paint more elegant using Paris tap...
    I bet it did.

    ReplyDelete

Love hearing from you