Last Thursday, Brice invited me to go out with him and his friends, so I said, "Hey, why not?" And, I had fun (other than missing the last bus in Neuilly by four, yes, that's right, FOUR, minutes, and having to make the 40 minute trek home on foot - I'm convinced there's probably a faster way to go, but we all know that I have a miserable sense of direction, and I don't really want to be taking any chances or making wrong turns at 12:30 am).
Anyways, our evening started with us meeting up with some of Brice's friends in another town and dropping bags off at an apartment where they were planning to stay later that night. Then, we headed into Paris to eat at...McDonald's. I think I ate at McDonald's in France when I was here 9 years ago, but I hadn't yet enjoyed the experience this time around.
It wasn't bad - pretty similar to U.S. McDonald's. A little greasy, but hey, that's okay once in a while. However, it really isn't that cheap - I got a chicken sandwich, fries, and a coke for about 6, 50 Euros. And, several of the people we were with ordered more than one sandwich/burger, which brought the total up even further.
Maybe it is that we don't have crepes on every corner in the States, but I think I'll opt for a crepe and a soda in the future, seeing as the price is just about the same.
I have, however, noticed that U.S. chains are really popular and crowded here in France. There are lots of Starbucks here in Paris and they are always PACKED. I've been in three times and have yet to be able to find a seat where I can enjoy my coffee. Strange, given that there are cafes on almost every corner here.
But, the most interesting part of the night was still to come Espit Chupitos - the bar that serves over 600 different shots!
On our way there, Brice asked if I had my Passport with me because apparently this place checks IDs. Mind you, the drinking age is 18 here and I am 30, but hey, I'm okay with looking younger (and apparently I do - most people guess 25 - and, one of the kids at the center even thought I was 17 the other day - that's a bit off, but it was funny). I didn't have my Passport, but my U.S. driver's license sufficed, and I found myself wedged into a long and narrow bar, looking at a board with 600 random names of shots on it.
Some of them were more obvious than others - kamikaze, B-52 - while others like pompiers (means firefighter) were complete stumpers (I tried this one, it was GROSS). You just had to pick one, ask for it, and pray it wouldn't kill you or make you sick! Most of my choices were quite good - ciel bleu (blue sky, with curaco), daisy (fruity), willy wonka (chocolate flavored), and smarties (sweet with whipped cream and chocolate candies on top) - but others weren't so lucky.
Part of the appeal of this bar is that the shots are cheap - only 2, 50 Euro each. They are also really creative. Many drinks involved lighting things on fire - whether it was the liquor itself or toasting marshmallows over a flame before dunking them in liquor, eating them, and taking the shot (this one was called a "boy scout") - or sucking liquid or air through a straw. They even had a Monica Lewinsky shot that was pretty lewd, but funny to watch (and yes, Brice's friend Thomas was subjected to that one.)
We got to the bar pretty early and left around 11ish, but it was PACKED by the time we headed home. It is a pretty creative concept though the options are so vast that the bartender often had to look up the recipe on a cheat sheet (I don't think I could remember 600 shots either) and definitely resulted in lots of discussion and laughs and a few gags (when you made a bad shot choice) throughout the night!
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