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Besides fashion and art, there's one other thing the French are crazy about - and that's food of course. So it only seems fair to mention the Parisian favorite: La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché, which will please both foodies and fashionistas alike. As mentioned briefly in a previous post, this gourmet section belongs to Le Bon Marché department store, but is impressive enough to be considered a standalone food emporium (not to mention it has its own webpage).
This gourmet temple is best described as a combination of food hall, supermarket and deli. You'll find everything from artisan pasta to Persil washing liquid - although I would recommend you purchase the latter elsewhere for less money. Shelves are stacked with a good range of French and international delicacies. The 'world food' area might not be interesting if you're a visitor - examples of UK foods include Marmite and shortbread, while marshmallows and cans of Dr. Pepper dominate the US section.
However, taking a closer look at all other shelves will reveal items you'll have a hard time finding anywhere else. La Grande Epicerie prides itself in offering what it calls 'Food Fashion'. This includes everything from Diesel Olive Oil (yes, I'm referring to the Italian fashion brand), edible costume jewelry made of candy and Lolita Lempicka biscuits to special edition Sonia Rykiel chocolates and Jean-Paul Gaultier designed Evian bottles. Other noteworthy collections include an art series called 'Les Arty', featuring a selection of chocolates imprinted with Keith Haring illustrations or boxes of candy based on Andy Warhol's most famous works. If you're brave, you can pick up a pack of vodka flavored lollipops containing a real edible scorpion - thankfully I wasn't that hungry.
(individual images: La Grande Epicerie homepage)Like most gourmet places, you'll find a fair amount of specialized counters selling freshly made bread, pastries and cakes. Further along, there's a large fruit & vegetable section, as well as stalls selling fresh meat, poultry and fish/seafood. If you prefer your food ready-made, the back area has a good selection of cheeses and hams, which can be put in a sandwich if you wish, and a range of ready-made quiches and pastas. Be warned - if you come here with a large appetite you're likely to spend more money than planned!
Address: 38 rue Sèvres, 75007 Paris
Opening Hrs: Mon-Sat: 8:30-21:00
La Grande Epicerie Homepage
my only advice is [and something I didn't follow today] to shoot at night. At night there is a lot less reflection/people/glare. Also there's a special filter you can buy for your lens to lessen it, but I don't know what it's called since I don't use it. I also shoot at certain angles because I know I can avoid reflections that way or sometimes I want a reflection and incorporate it that way.
ReplyDeleteHermes did a jungle theme in San Fran a few weeks ago when I was there, it was awkward with the monkeys. Then they did a weird southwest theme. I wonder if either NY is the first store to get certain displays or if all of the stores have a different theme.
Hope that helps :)
Thanks a lot for your reply :) I'll go back next week and see if I can get better shots at night. Some of the windows right now actually have a western theme as well. Doesn't make sense at all to have different concepts on display, but maybe there's a bigger idea behind it that I just don't get!
ReplyDeleteI love your pics and writing. I recently moved to Paris for work. I've been to La Grande Epicerie du Bon Marché and immediately started snapping pictures in there. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteEdo
http://jaggedlittlethrills.blogspot.com
Be still my heart. I discovered this place on my most recent trip to Paris, and will not visit that city again without walking through this food palace!
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