Paris Eateries Seek UN Recognition as a Cultural Treasure

 

Owners of small restaurants in Paris known as bistros or cafes want the United Nations to recognize their importance to the French capital.

They also are concerned that what they bring to the culture of Paris could disappear.

The restaurant owners have launched¹ a campaign. They want the United Nations Education, Science and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) to place them on a list of cultural treasures. As “Intangible Cultural Heritage² in Need of Urgent³ Safeguarding,” the restaurants and eateries would be protected.

UNESCO recognizes many different traditions, from Mongolian camel rituals⁴ to Iranian sailboat building to musical prayers of native Peruvians.

Members of a bistro owners association⁵ gathered recently at Le Mesturet in central Paris. The eatery has been in the community for a long time. It was also one of the places attacked by terrorists⁶ on the night of November 13, 2015.

Places were people come together

Cooks and business owners said Parisian bistros are places where many different kinds of people come together to share a low-cost coffee or meal.

But they warn that traditional bistros are threatened by increasing rents and competition. Owners say the number of bistros in Paris has dropped by half in the last 20 years.

Alain Fontaine is owner of Le Mesturet and president of the association. He said, “Our most beautiful love and friendship stories were born in bistros and on terraces⁷.”

He said tourists who go to the city’s bistros “will find a lively place, a place to share with the people of Paris – the people of Paris today, not the people of the past.”

Fontaine said the city is multi-ethnic, inter-faith and socially varied⁸. But he said of those differences: “All of this disappears inside a bistro.”

Fontaine said a real Parisian bistro offers homemade food at reasonable prices. A full meal and a glass of wine should cost about 12 euros, or $14. A small cup of strong coffee goes for a little more than $1.

Fontaine’s association hopes that UNESCO will consider its candidacy⁹ next year. City officials are also hopeful; Paris Mayor¹⁰ Anne Hidalgo supports the effort.

Stephanie Mathey owns three bistros in Paris. The 39-year-old said she has always enjoyed the city’s bistros, even before they became her life’s work. Her husband once was in the United States for a long time, she said.

“When he came back [to Paris], he said, ‘It’s really something that I missed – the bistros.’” The pair later decided¹¹ to open their own bistro.

Fontaine still gets emotional¹² when he thinks about the attacks of 2015. Violent extremists targeted a concert hall, a soccer stadium and several cafes. One hundred thirty people were killed.

He said the attacks hurt because they targeted the Parisian “way of life.”

After the attacks, Parisians supported the cafes and bistros by going to them in large numbers in a show of defiance¹³.

I’m Mario Ritter.

Words in This Story

rituals –n. acts done in a special way and in the same way each time

intangible –adj. not made of physical substance: not able to be touched

heritage –n. the traditions and beliefs that are part of the history of a group of people

rent –n. money paid in order to live in or use a property

tourists –n. people who travel for pleasure, not business

varied –adj. involving many different kinds

defiance –n. refusal to obey someone or something

1 launched   

v.发射( launch的过去式和过去分词 )；[计算机]开始（应用程序）；发动；开展（活动、计划等）

参考例句：

• He launched a bitter diatribe against the younger generation. 他对年轻一代发起了猛烈的抨击。
• The product was launched amid much fanfare worldwide. 这个产品在世界各地隆重推出。

2 heritage   

n.传统，遗产，继承物

参考例句：

• The ancient buildings are part of the national heritage.这些古建筑是民族遗产的一部分。
• We Chinese have a great cultural heritage.我们中国人有伟大的文化遗产。

3 urgent   

a.紧急的，急迫的，紧要的

参考例句：

• He asked to see the manager for something urgent. 他有急事求见经理。
• A part of this urgent task was allotted to us. 这项紧急任务的一部分分给了我们。

4 rituals   

（宗教等的）仪式( ritual的名词复数 )； 例行公事，老规矩

参考例句：

• A cognac before bed is one of our little nightly rituals. 临睡之前喝点儿干邑是我们每天晚上的小习惯之一。
• Many of the tribe's customs and rituals are as old as the hills. 这部落的许多风俗、仪式都极其古老。

5 association   

n.联盟，协会，社团；交往，联合；联想

参考例句：

• Our long association with your company has brought great benefits.我方和贵公司的长期合作带来了巨大的利益。
• I broke away from the association ten years ago.我10年前就脱离了那个团体。

6 terrorists   

n.恐怖主义者，恐怖分子( terrorist的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The terrorists have halted their bloody campaign of violence. 恐怖分子已经停止了他们凶残的暴力活动。
• They were finally forced to capitulate to the terrorists' demands. 他们最后被迫屈从恐怖分子的要求。

7 terraces   

台阶( terrace的名词复数 )； 台地； （房侧的）铺砌地面； 一排并列的房屋

参考例句：

• The people here grow rice on terraces. 此地的人们在梯田里种植水稻。
• Footballers launched an unprecedented crusade against racism on the terraces. 足球运动员们对阶梯看台上的种族歧视发起了一场空前的运动。

8 varied   

adj.多样的，多变化的

参考例句：

• The forms of art are many and varied.艺术的形式是多种多样的。
• The hotel has a varied programme of nightly entertainment.宾馆有各种晚间娱乐活动。

9 candidacy   

n.候选人资格；候选人的地位

参考例句：

• The reporters trapped the official into declaring his candidacy. 记者们设下圈套，巧妙地使那位官员公布了自己是候选人。 来自辞典例句
• "We got the word that Jack Woltz won't spend studio money to support your candidacy. “我们得到消息说，杰克 - 乌尔茨不愿意拿制片厂的钱来支持你为得奖候选人。 来自教父部分

10 mayor   

n.市长

参考例句：

• The new mayor said he would clean the city up.新市长说，他要整顿本市。
• The mayor hurried into his office,brushing off the reporters.市长赶快走进办公室，拒不接见记者。

11 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

12 emotional   

adj.令人动情的；易动感情的；感情(上)的

参考例句：

• Emotional people don't stop to calculate.感情容易冲动的人做事往往不加考虑。
• This is an emotional scene in the play.这是剧中动人的一幕。

13 defiance   

n.挑战，挑衅，蔑视，违抗

参考例句：

• He climbed the ladder in defiance of the warning.他无视警告爬上了那架梯子。
• He slammed the door in a spirit of defiance.他以挑衅性的态度把门砰地一下关上。