Yup, that's us, the coolest city in the world! At least, according to this month's issue of French Glamour. Check out the nine page spread on Portland--clearly, the French have excellent taste.
Even if you can't read French, do scan the text--it contains some real gems. For instance, how easy it might be to mistake Cannon Beach for Rio de Janiero. That we are, in fact, La Mecque du vert (I think I may make that for dinner tonight). Next time you need pizza, be sure to call l'institution hot lips. And did you know that pole dancing was invented in Portland in 1968? -- so proud, brings a tear to my eye.
The writer clearly got to know some Portlanders during her stay. She uses our favorite humble line about our home -- we are un bourg, pas une ville. And her summation of pop culture hits our proudest high points: Gus Van Sant, Pink Martini, and, of course, The Simpsons.
French Glamour suggests a stay of at least ten days to completely enjoy Portland's delights -- merci beaucoup!
The author also displays a nice bit of Gallic wit when writing about Pink Martini's latest album: "Hey Eugene, prenom masculin, mais aussi ville d'Oregon, hey hey."
Um. Actually, that's not that funny.
And that thing about French good taste? Remember, they revere this guy:
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6 comments:
tres vrais, trais vrais! la glamour n'est pas (how you say, "full of") merde!
This is so much more fantastique than Forbes Magazine finding that Portland is the 12th most overpriced city in the US (which I learned today from Matt Davis on Blogtown, http://blogtown.portlandmercury.com/BlogtownPDX/archives/2009/05/12/forbes-says-portland-12th-most-overpriced-city).
It may or may not be true that Portland has lost what we used to call its affordability factor, but Forbes' methodology is suspect, and their presentation simply lacks a certain je ne sais quoi to be taken seriously. Besides, we all know which of these two publications we're more interested in impressing.
Our friend over at Portland Art Watch recently wrote a post speculating about whether our little baguette of a ville might be likened to Florence (Italy that is) in 1400 -- on the verge of a cultural renaissance and all that.
http://blog.oregonlive.com/portlandarts/2009/05/portlands_great_experiment_in.html
I was thinking we're a little more like Paris ca. mid-19th century about to bust loose with the impressionist thing. Instead of painters hanging out drinking absinthe together, or artists are playing in each other's bands and working at Stumptown. So that's probably why the French love us so.
To say "full of" merde, you'd actually say it's "la merde" which is funny because it literally means "the shit" which, for reasons beyond my comprehension, is a compliment in English.
I think this is really funny, just because I think Portland is something completely novel to most French. The entire time I lived in France, I met only one person who at least knew that Oregon was on the west coast. They know New York, D.C., and Los Angeles, but that's really it. Sometimes I just saved myself the trouble and told people I was from Los Angeles just so I didn't have to explain. But, yeah, I never found anything like Portland anywhere in France, unless you maybe count Chatelet. Maybe.
As a transplant who's been here for over a decade, I now consider myself as much a native as just about anyone else I've met here. And I'd like to say that I love the idea of the French thinking of Portland as analogous to mid-19th century Paris. Perfect. We've got all that going on -- the poor artists in bohemian neighborhoods where only the hippest transplants tend to migrate, the sense that the rest of the world wants to emulate us without admitting where they got the idea, and that "on the verge of greatness" feeling we seem to perennially cultivate. Love it.
I suppose 10 days here doesn't sound so excessive when you get 8 weeks of vacation every year. The lucky bastards.
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