Went to Paris' Chinatown in the 13th arrondissment for some shopping with the family.. it was really interesting seeing how you seem to enter a whole new place with a different culture. it was all a blabber of chinese, thai and a conglomerate of french and some other asian languages.

A ruffle and a scuffle as shelves are stacked high
With instant noodles and dried pickle sauce
Wonder Tea and Best Quality dumplings
The women scrutinising the nutrition label
As though they were some jeweler looking
At diamonds through horn-rimmed glasses
"Pah-don" as the men push the crates along
Rumbling on the littered floor with boxes
The rows of duck thats hung side by side
A chop "Pah-don" chop chop "Mershi"
It's Chinatown here, Little Saigon there,
Outside its Paris, inside its another world

I was going to get a shopping cart at the Chinese supermarket "Paris Store" because my mum was literally emptying the shelves with all the food she wanted to buy when I realised I didn't have the 1-euro coin to "free" the cart (You know how they're all chained together and you put in a coin, slam a protuding part in and the cart releases the chain). So I asked this guy in a suit with shades and yellow flowers in one hand if he has 2 1-euro coins to trade for my 2-euro coin, and he replies he has only one. So I say well let's see if I have any change and I start counting and he stops me in the middle and says "It's okay no need to worry" and pats my arm and I say well no I can't do that but he continues to say its okay so I hand him what I have and mumble a thank you... When I have the shopping cart free I look around and he's already gone... and it just occurs to me then that he had never looked me in the eye.. and then I just realise he might have been blind and selling the flowers...

Written on Saturday, May 22 at 7:47 PM