“…it is perfectly possible to be enamoured of Paris while remaining totally indifferent, or even hostile to the French. And this is made possible by the one person in Paris whom the legend seems least not to affect, who is not living it all, that is, the Parisian himself. Him with his impenetrable politesse, and with techniques unspeakably more direct keeps the traveller at unmistakeable arm’s length. Unlucky indeed, as well as rare, the traveller who thirsts to know the lives of the people-the people don’t want him in their lives. Neither does the Parisian exhibit the faintest personal interest, or curiosity, concerning the life or habits, of any stranger. So long as he keeps within the law, which, after all, most people have sufficient ingenuity to do, he may stand on his head, for all the Parisian cares. It is this arrogant indifference on the part of the Parisian, with its unpredictable effects on the traveller, which makes so splendid the Paris air, to say nothing whatever of the exhilarating effect it has on the Paris scene”.
James Baldwin, “Notes from a Native Son”, 1955
A Bird's Eye View of Fashion, Food, Travel, Culture, Beverage and Curiosity 