The Inno supermarket chain is in the festive spirit for the Year of the Golden Pig, an event that comes along once every 60 years. Flying dragons, lanterns, fans and other colourful decorations hovered over stacks of ingredients for Chinese food. The store also featured a display of Chinese herbs and spices and another of Japanese bonsai trees, which were labeled "Chinois et Japon."
Paris post offices are still in the mood for love, with red Valentine's votives placed everywhere, along with huge red posters urging people to write letters to their "amour." The post office seemed very crowded today, as several life-size cardboard "paper doll" cutouts representing La Poste's new "genius" customer service were placed throughout the room - including one cutout standing in line with the customers.
According to La Poste's advertising campaign, postal clerks can answer all sorts of questions unrelated to mail service, including where to find a babysitter!
Now the next time I go to Paris, I shall push the first post office door I can spot and ask them where "on earth" (to keep polite) is my parcel from the US. French customs have stopped it and "said" they have sent it along... Have been waiting since November !!! (A claim is in process!!)
Thank you for the tip!
Posted by: Marie-Noëlle | 24 February 2007 at 10:06
I'm a day late on this (actually two days with the time difference) but Happy Chinese New Year!!
I love the new additions to your sidebar.
Posted by: bella | 21 February 2007 at 05:24
The next time we're in Paris, I'll now know where to go to find a sitter! Happy Chinese New Year!
Posted by: kristen | 20 February 2007 at 19:46
The next time we're in Paris, I'll now know where to go to find a sitter! Happy Chinese New Year!
Posted by: kristen | 20 February 2007 at 19:44
I love the colors. It makes me want to go Tucson's 17th street market and pick up some of these things for myslelf....Then I'll need a huge ladder!!
Posted by: Vanessa | 20 February 2007 at 18:00
I love the colors. It makes me want to go Tucson's 17th street market and pick up some of these things for myslelf....Then I'll need a huge ladder!!
Posted by: Vanessa | 20 February 2007 at 17:59
Happy Chinese New Year my lovely friend.
Blessings!
Posted by: Jeanne | 20 February 2007 at 13:21
Tara,
Oh girl, I do love Bright colors! Thanks.
rel
Posted by: rel | 20 February 2007 at 10:52
Brilliant lively photos! Happy Chinese New Year :) JP
Posted by: JanePoe (aka Deborah) | 20 February 2007 at 07:44
Those photographs are so joyful! They really capture the spirit of what a new year should be all about.
Posted by: patry | 20 February 2007 at 06:22
Happy Chinese New Year, Tara! Hope it's a good one for us all.
My, that's a pretty ambitious campaign the postal service has over there - I'm just happy my mail gets delivered.
xo
Posted by: tinker | 20 February 2007 at 02:22
Chinese colors are so bright and beautiful and flashy. It always amazes me that such a simple living people would burst with such brilliant colors in their festivities.
Posted by: artzyjudie | 20 February 2007 at 01:05
Now that's service! So colorful ;)
Posted by: Tammy | 20 February 2007 at 00:17
very interesting. wondering if they are federally funded?
Posted by: AscenderRisesAbove | 20 February 2007 at 00:00
It is getting impossible to comment on your blog with Faith in my lap, as she wants to click on your pics and stay there. However, we really enjoy reading your blog together!!
The Golden Pig - ooooooooh!!!!
Okay, Faith stormed off because we're on text now and no "the pwetty blog" pics. Gotta go retrieve. sigh.
Posted by: holli | 19 February 2007 at 22:05
Which question did you ask?
(Yippi, seems like typepad fianlly let me post!)
Posted by: Britt-Arnhild | 19 February 2007 at 21:45
Happy (Chinese) New Year! (Feel like I should know how to say that in Chinese.)
Posted by: Kamsin | 19 February 2007 at 21:04
I wonder what makes it year of the GOLDEN pig. I know year of the pig comes every twelve years.
Posted by: my backyard | 19 February 2007 at 20:38
That's amusing that La Poste can help their patrons find a baby-sitter. In America people would probably be afraid to take a baby-sitting referral from a postal employee... you know, that "going postal" rep they've got? I did know that La Poste not only operates as a bank but also does currency exchanges. And when shipping gifts home last week the guy was very patient with my lack of French postal lingo and the fact that I had to repack my gift items from my plain brown cardboard box into the approved (and much more attractive and sturdy) postal service box he provided. I've been a bit intimidated by using the post office but really, it's not been bad so far, other than the long lines. And I don't even need a babysitter.
Posted by: The Bold Soul | 19 February 2007 at 20:22
Your photos are wonderful as always.
I wouldn't go to a postal clerk to find a babysitter in any country.
Posted by: sarala | 19 February 2007 at 20:08
Posted this over at Ulla's at her Chinese lanterns-but I'll share it here also. Saturday we went out for dim sum and found ourselves in the midst of the Chinese New Year's celebration-lots of families out together-a joyful time of eating and laughing. The trolleys were stacked unusually high with a huge variey of steamed dumplings-my favorite is siu mai - a minced pork dumpling, and, of couse, the steamed pork buns.
Posted by: Flights of Fab Fashion Fancy | 19 February 2007 at 19:24
I have missed you blog incredibly -
it is so luminous and smart -
thankyou from the bottom of my heart for
suggesting I bring Noah to India -
it changed my experience as you said -
and it joined our souls with an incredible
life experience:)
Posted by: sophie | 19 February 2007 at 19:20
What wonderful supermarkets, the decorations are wonderful. Happy Chinese New Year Tara; the year of the Boar/Pig and it's my year. Only now discovered that I am a Golden Pig and considered lucky. Wish I'd know a long time ago. I have been reciting that to my husband as often as possible over the week-end.
Posted by: aineliva | 19 February 2007 at 18:58