David Lebovitz > Quotes

“You never feel more American than when you leave America.”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

“Parisians are always in a big hurry, but are especially frantic if they’re behind you. They’re desperate to be where they rightfully feel they belong: in front of you. It’s a whole other story when you’re behind them, especially when it’s their turn: suddenly they seem to have all the time in the world.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City

“Spécial" is one of those elusive French words that means something (or someone) is...peculiar. The use of it is one of the rare times that the French are noncommittal about their opinions.”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

“Except a pot in French is not called a pot, but a casserole. Unless it has two handles, in which case it’s a cocotte.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Don’t you mean the Vierge Noire, the Black Virgin?” “Uh, yes. Isn’t that what I was talking about?” “Daveed, a verge is a penis.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“So where is Pâtisserie Viennoise? To get to it, you’ll need to brave the most hazardous street in Paris: la rue de l’Ecole de Médecine (which, fortunately, means there’s a medical school nearby), in the fifth arrondissement.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“The double-digit arrondissements are more diverse, and each has a distinct feel. Being more working class, there’s a greater sense of community. Some are certainly less polished than the single-digit arrondissements,”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

“Although I considered not replacing the dishwasher and resigning myself to the drudgery of hand washing, my painter-pushing friend Randal slapped some sense into me. One day shortly thereafter, two hunky Frenchmen showed up at my apartment, muscles bulging and a fine mist of sweat glistening on their chiseled features. Which was great, but what was even more appreciated than their presence was the new dishwasher they’d hauled up the six flights of stairs.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City

“like the 20th, perched high above Paris. The Parc de Belleville has an unparalleled view of Paris (second only to the view I had from my rooftop apartment), and I could have easily imagined living there amid its rough brick streets and the human scale of the architecture.”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

“two”
― David Lebovitz, My Paris Kitchen: Recipes and Stories

“marshmallows, or guimauves,”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“rond-point, the traffic circle that wraps around the very busy place de la Bastille.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“It is imperative to know the two most important words in the French language—“Bonjour, monsieur” or “Bonjour, madame”—which you absolutely must say first thing to the first person you make eye contact with. Whether you step into a shop, a restaurant, a café, or even an elevator, you need to say those words to anyone else in there with you.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“The Butte-aux-Cailles in the 13th is charming (and flat), and resembles a mini village far removed from a big city.”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

“eau de Javel, that universally loved liquid developed here in 1789 that’s still dear to the French to this day.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“On the rue Rambuteau, a street that cuts through the Marais, is Pain de Sucre. It’s not a drugstore, but arguably”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“I headed up to the twentieth arrondissement, to the highly regarded Brûlerie Jordain. (I needed little encouragement to go there, since it’s conveniently located just next door to Boulangerie 140, whose brick oven turns out some of the best bread in Paris.)”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Blé Sucré, an excellent little bakery overlooking a gorgeous square in the twelfth arrondissement.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“CAKE AUX LARDONS ET FROMAGE BLEU”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“le parisien publicité.”)”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Boulevard Richard Lenoir is famous for its outdoor market that starts at the Bastille and radiates from there,”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

“In France, being exigeant, or discriminating, is considered a positive quality,”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

“mon slip.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“frozen,”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Only animals have rognons—humans have reins. And”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Anyone in search of chocolate eventually makes the pilgrimage to Ladurée, the world-famous tea salon just off the place de la Madeleine.”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“Pâtisserie Viennoise”
― David Lebovitz, The Sweet Life in Paris

“street is also known for its many hardware, cabinetry, plumbing, and flooring stores;”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

“Telling someone in France that they did something that was not correct is an affront to their honor, almost as severe as being told they’re mal élevé, or “badly raised.”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home

“Fermeture exceptionnelle, letting me know that the store was closed for an “exceptional” reason. Ruptures occur just as frequently, which means an item is out of stock.”
― David Lebovitz, L'Appart: The Delights and Disasters of Making My Paris Home