Late night crepes

by Courtney Hopper

From the very beginning of my Parisian excursion I always told myself that my feature story would fall into to my lap. With out a doubt that is exactly what happened. Who would have thought that the inspiration for my feature would be just around the corner, literally?

Just 20 steps from the Hotel Brebant was a street stand that sold a French cuisine classic, crepes. At least once a day I would stop by and pick up one of these thin delicate pancakes. The best part about them was the fact that you could fill them with virtually anything: chocolate, orange, carmel and strawberry are among the few. With only three to five euros they are one of the best values in France.

No matter what time it was, the stand would almost always have people waiting in line, especially late at night when all the bars were closing. I thought to myself that crepes were the drunken food of Paris—like Taco Bell or McDonalds would be for us. Open late, really cheap and very filling: a perfect late night treat.

On the day I shot my standup, I was frantically getting ready memorizing my bridged stand-up. I was nervous because I didn't know what some of the people would say. Here in Chicago sometimes you are told to leave, or that you need permission to shoot in the area but that is far from what happened. In fact Gino Ameretto, the street stand owner and his wife were far from cruel. They were delighted and even let us get right behind the glass to shoot them making their crepes. Gino was dancing around showing us how happy he was—they even gave me a discounted crepe price.

This experience also correlates with my theory that the Parisians are more than willing to become your friend despite the rumors that are spread throughout America. With only the Atlantic Ocean spread between us, I advise everyone to take a trip to the historical city of Paris!