Podcast 14: ROBBERIES in Paris, influencer event fail and lululemon *DRAMA* 

Thank you so much for the lovely comment!!! 🥹🫶

Thank you ☺️

I totally get that and I appreciate the feedback and also appreciate you watching ☺️ but don’t worry about watching the videos you don’t like ! I like to post what I feel and sometimes thats a rant :) it’s not everyone’s cup of tea - but it’s important for me to be able to post what is authentic to my life in Paris.

Ugh so annoying though 😂 never again I swear haha

100% agree!

OMG THANK YOU ☺️🫶 love to hear that the difference isn’t just in my head hahahah

Ok I will keep that in mind for 2025 !! hahaha I’m thinking this whole money / party thing is a cultural difference because in France there are apps that everyone uses to track how much you owe your friends and also apps to send money easily without going through the hassle of a bank transfer…. And people generally prefer just assigning one person to do the grocery shopping and send them money…. I think as well, because everyone gets around on bikes or the metro people wouldn’t bring things like veggie trays because it would spill 😭 which is why I know I would end up with 65 bags of chips 😂

@getthemargarita Wow apps to track it! That's wild. I guess that's actually kinda smart now that I've heard it. And yeah veggie trays sound terrifically impractical with the metro. They have pre-made ones here that are packed for transit but if I had thought about it for one second I would have realized they wouldn't have that in France 🤣🤣

Love to hear this !! 😂🫶

You are so right 😂 I’m thinking maybe I’ll pick a date in August and people can sign up on my website that way it’s far enough in advance for people to add it to their calendars !

Been in Paris and the region for 7 years. Let's just be clear about these delivery drivers and who they are. They're mostly foreigners from French speaking African countries, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh or otherwise from Arab countries. The drivers on Moto's ride on sidewalks, against traffic. The vast majority of Uber drivers are Arab and official taxi's are where you'll find a bit more French and East Asian driver. Paris cost more to live and is both less safe. Now that I'm older, I don't want to deal with that garbage - the riff raff and homeless people in tents next to the park, taking a poo and/or peeing in front our apartment. Once we moved to a nice suburb - we no longer had to deal with that garbage. We have more space for the money far safer and we get to see the sky not being stuck in between buildings.

I lived in Paris 20 years ago as a student then as an apprentice. I had a gun pointed at me in the metro in Central Paris just because the guy didn't like my face- "la gueule que j'avais lol! I kept my cool and he put it away..Point I'm making is Paris is a metropolis and one must always be aware of rifraff. I am shocked by the delivery guy problem- really rotten I'd say. That did not exist when I lived there. Its still today my ideal city even with its issues.

This was what I was thinking but better explained ! THANK YOU ! ☺️🫶 yes normally all of my stuff from them lasts like forever….

Return..period

This comment is keeping me sane… THANK YOU. It is blowing my mind away that so many people are calling me rude and cheap for my decision without even knowing me…. It just makes so much sense for me to plan the entire party - which my friends have always enjoyed - and have my guests not worry about bringing anything. But at the same time I can’t always foot the party bill and my friends understand that and are happy to contribute 😅

Thank you ! ☺️🫶

Totally don’t agree 😂 I’m known as the hostess in my friend group - without hostesses you wouldn’t have fun friend gatherings :) so I think it’s ridiculous to expect the hostess to pay for every single event ? do you come empty handed to a party ? If you don’t… isn’t it easier to have the hostess tell you don’t even worry about making a trip to the grocery store and preparing a dish, just contribute 5$? Like in the end you’re spending less… unless you go empty handed 🤷🏼‍♀️ idk 😂

What we do (in France) is ask the organizer what they have planned to make and what we will bring to complement the evening. I agree that asking for money would be a negative unexpected obligation unless the guests already knows the organizer and is going to expect it. When we host, we expect little to nothing from guests because it’s our treat. We wouldn’t ask others over if we were not treating the guests. Maybe that’s a bit traditional but it feels nicer. Otherwise it’s just people getting together in a BYOB type gathering which younger folks tend to do.

Perhaps you do this in your region of France - but I live in Paris and all of my friends are French and this is not what we do. Perhaps you are older, perhaps you are wealthier than me. I think this is a true generational difference because the negative effects of inflation and an increased cost of living in undeniable for young people today. My friends and I cannot afford to host parties and pay for the parties ourselves. Are you suggesting we stop having parties and get togethers because we can no longer afford it ? Would you rather keep your tradition but disregard the importance of staying social and having fun with your friends ? Don’t you think there is value in sharing the burden of cost so it does not fall on one person ? Everyone can have an opinion on this topic, no opinion is inherently better than another. But it’s important to acknowledge that what may work for you and your friends may not work for others and that’s ok.

@@Ariellelaparisienne I live just next to Paris and lived in Paris for a few years. Clearly, if it's agreed before hand to those attending to pitch in, of course this is not an issue because it was agreed upon. Is this practice so ubiquitous where a 25 year old going to a party would expect to be asked to pay for a get-together? Maybe I'm out of the loop and a young person wouldn't think twice to oblige. I just think asking for money after they've arrived feels a bit transactional - a little bait and switch. If it's agreed upon before hand, then I feel it's perfectly normal and I've done that plenty of times - but we were informed in advance. When you're talking about 40 plus people, that doesn't sound like a get-together, that's a borderline event. I don't think I've ever been to a gathering in Paris where we fit 40 people in an apartment. If it's done at a bar or setting outside of your apartment then it sounds more like an organized event.

She’s still in her twenties & can get away with it, it’s fine! When you’re older I don’t think it’s cool to do.

Thank you ! ☺️

Out of curiosity, have you ever planed, hosted and paid for a party of 40+ people by yourself ?

She is the only thing on my playlist right now haha ☺️🫶

Honestly I thought about it… but I just don’t want to give them anymore of my time 😭

Love to hear the feedback, but don’t worry about watching the videos you don’t like ! I like to post what I feel and sometimes thats a rant :) it’s not everyone’s cup of tea - but it’s important for me to be able to post what is authentic to my life in Paris.

NO 🫶 no worries !!!!! 😂 I know when I say my name it’s impossible to know how it’s spelled exactly ! I just mean that if a brand sends me a professional email they should also be able to spell my name hahaha but omg you’re too sweet no worries 🫶🥹 and I hope your computer printer is ok !

Ugh I just can’t find leggings that feel as good and are as opaque…. Do you have a brand you like ?

Out of curiosity, have you ever hosted a party of 40+ people ?

I’m sorry, but I think this is elitist. It’s not realistic anymore to expect a host to cover the entire planning, preparation, hosting, and cost of a 40+ person party. If we don’t normalise contributions, then parties will slowly fade away with inflation and the cost of living. I will also remind everyone that I live in Paris where stores don’t sell ready to go platters, where people ride their bikes to get to a party, where everyones fridge is the size of a shoebox. It’s very challenging as a guest to bring anything for fear of spillage or breakage on the ride over so people prefer to just contribute money. It’s also very cultural for everyone to split the bill of a party - we have apps that we use to track this and apps to send money easily without the hassle of a bank transfer. It is one thing to give an opinion, but it’s another to act like your opinion is the ultimate truth. I am not an awful person like you say. I am not rude and I am not cheap. Just because our cultural norms are different, does not make your cultural norms superior.

I actually wildly disagree. I’m allowed to refer to my friends as “girlfriend” instead of “woman friends”😂 I’m allowed to say “going out with my girls” instead of “going out with my women” like these are just fun ways to talk about your friends… do you also expect jean to introduce me as his “woman friend” ? Do you also want me to call jean my “man friend” ? I call jean my boyfriend and I also do call his friends his boys and so does he….. It’s all about context - there is obviously a difference between being playful with your friends and infantilising grown women. And for the most part I am pretty intentional when I use the word “girl” and “woman” if I’m just telling a story about a friend, I will say girl - if I am referring to something more professional or talking about a larger topic (like women’s basketball and the pay disparity) then I will say woman…. Honestly, when I sit down and talk to you guys it’s a casual fun setting for me, I don’t want to feel policed by something so minor as this. Context is key.

Hahaha interesting ! I think I’ll talk about it more next week because from what I’m sensing I think this is a cultural difference…. In France it’s pretty normal to have 1 person do the grocery shopping and cooking and everyone just splits the cost… We mostly get around on bikes and the metro and have very small fridges so it’s hard to bring bigger items to a party as a guest…. And also I think I forgot the key point that I am the “hostess” of my friend group, meaning I host all our parties because my apartment it the most suited for it… but I think it’s psycho to expect me to pay for all our parties out of pocket 😂

@@Ariellelaparisienneif it’s normal in France to spilt the cost then fair enough. I’m speaking as someone from the U.K, and lived in North America too, I have just never come across this🤷🏻‍♀️