Miguel ("Nono") is really one of my favorite guys here, and has been for 8 years. He is always happy to see me, helps me with stuff (like the second time I left my cell phone in a taxi cab) and always makes me feel welcome. In fact everyone at the Relais Magenta always makes me feel like I'm a celebrity or something. No wonder I'd rather drink there than any other swanky Parisian club (that and the 2$ beers!) I do business cards for him and print photos of him and the patrons of the bar and they think that's pretty cool. One time I took a picture of him and Photoshop-ed a famous soccer player into the picture with him. He thinks I'm some sort of god or something. Here is Miguel pouring a beer for a pretty young lady, and saying that it's on him.
Good ol' Relais
Magenta! I guess I've got a bit of my Dad's blood
in me when I realize that at times I'd rather just
hang out here at the bar, nursing a cold beer or a
glass of red wine, talking to the locals and
solving all the world's problems. You can see Hotel
Little down the rue Pierre-Chausson on the
right
"Just watch" he
sais, and commences to show us... Miguel and the
crazy dancing guy. Another night I
ran into these cool American music students from
the East coast. They're all in school and they had
been traveling and performing music in Europe. Some
were singers, and some were instrumentalists. They
had come upon the Relais Magenta and found it as
hospitable as I had, and spent a few nights
there. |
The Couscous
place: Ma Bicoch near
the Relais Magenta in the 10th serves the most
awesome real-live Algerian food, more
specifically, Kabyle. Kabyle is a region of Algeria
in Northern Africa which Miguel, Rabah, and lots of
other people who frequent the bar are from. The
food here is incredible! This is Camelia
and her mom. The family runs the restaurant. Mom
and dad cook, dad also waits on tables and hosts,
and Camelia and her brother wait and
cook. My first time
here, I just had to take a shot of the grub. I get
hungry just looking at it. They've got good
couscous places in San Francisco too, but they just
won't be the same afterwards. This is Kri-kri,
Jean-Luc's girlfriend after a long night of
consummation. The meals often
last three hours as we all talk, drink and enjoy!
This is a map of the Kabyle region that Miguel
cranked out with pen and ink. The guy on the
left works there as well, alongside Camelia's
brother. Funny how I remember her name and not
his! |
Images |