What I Can't Live Without

I am strangely obsessed with the “What I Can't Live Without” feature that the Strategist runs on occasion.  The idea is that they interview a famous (or, realistically, a moderately well-known person that I often have never heard of before) about the products that are essential to their daily lives.  I am not sure exactly what I find so compelling about the column, but I think I view it as Bob Nozick’s “An Examined Life:  Consumer Edition,” crossed with niche popular culture, all of which appeals to me.  (I took a class from Bob Nozick when I was a grad student, which I liked quite a bit, and, obviously, I am fond of both consumerism and niche pop culture.)

It probably goes without saying that I do not want to be famous, but still I find myself preparing my answers for the moment that the Strategist calls.  It occurred to me, though, that there is nothing stopping me from posting my own here!  One could even imagine various versions, like the Boston version, the Paris version, the New Hampshire cabin version, even a travel version.  But I am getting ahead of myself.  Let’s just start with the Paris version. 

I would say the most important Paris-specific item I own is my Navigo Pass.  I use it pretty much every day, and it gets me anywhere in Paris I want to go and also many destinations beyond, for zero marginal cost per trip.  (It’s a fixed cost of about 82 euros a month, so not super cheap, but psychologically it’s very different from paying for each trip.)  I love it and would feel hobbled without it.

Reusable bags are also essential.  I favor the strong nylon bags that fold up into a little square into their own pouches.  Monoprix has nice ones with large capacity and long straps that you can put over your shoulders for 2 euros, I think. 

I’m still pretty old-school in certain ways, and one of those ways is that I often prefer working with actual paper rather than a screen.  I’m particular about my paper—I like it thick and smooth and not bright-white—but mostly I’m particular about my pens.  I am partial to black pens with ultra-fine tips (less than .4 mm).  Here are a couple that I love from Japan (of course).  They are made by the Travelers Company and collapse into a shorter format for storing.  I love the way they write, the patina they acquire from age and use, and the way they look elegant but in an industrial, rather than twee, way.

Another old-school inclination of mine is a preference for reading actual books instead of ebooks.  I always have one or two (or three) that I’m working on in my nightstand drawer, and I almost always choose non-fiction.  French history and history of transportation are two topics that have interested me lately, and I am currently reading The Reason for the Darkness of the Night:  Edgar Allan Poe and the Forging of American Science.  I am learning all kinds of things about the convergence of the artistic and scientific worlds in 19^th Century America. 

Linen sheets are a must both back in Boston and in New Hampshire.  I could not justify buying linen sheets for our bed here, though, because they would not be useable on any standard American bed at the conclusion of our year.  So cotton it is here in Paris, but I did at least buy myself a linen pillow case from Monoprix.  (And, of course, we bought cotton flat sheets for both of the beds in our Paris apartment, because they only came with fitted sheets plus duvet covers.)

Wardrobe is a little complicated.  For reasons I can’t quite understand or articulate, I feel compelled to match the styles and shapes and combinations I see on the street and metro every day.  It is how I have always been.  As a result, wardrobe is a bit of a moving target.  There are a few fixtures, though, which have been constants for years, if not decades.  My favorite jeans are Levis and have been for as long as I can remember.  Lately, the ones in heaviest rotation are Signature by Levi Strauss, which is Levi’s brand that they sell at Walmart (for around $25 a pair).   Another consistent wardrobe staple is low-heeled riding boots.  They are so useful here, because they’re comfortable for lots of walking, and are very versatile, dressing up or down easily.  I have been more drawn to navy and gray, as opposed to black, lately, so those are the two boot colors I have here.  And, finally, I also am never without low-profile (no thick or slanted soles) white sneakers.  Allbirds Pipers are great, versatile sneakers, but I just got these canvas sneakers that have a classic decades-old feel with the athletic styling and the gum sole. 

Even though I often wear my Apple Watch these days, I still love my Tissot analog watch that Glenn got me for our anniversary about 25(?) years ago.

My other ubiquitous accessory is glasses.  I do not have a single pair that I would highlight as my favorite.  Rather, I’ll mention a relatively new way to buy glasses that I love and have come to rely on.  Probably about ten years ago, I discovered Zenni, a website with thousands of styles, online tools to help you virtually try out pairs, and fantastic prices.  There are others now, probably the best being Eye Buy Direct.  Since the prices are so good, I now have a few different pairs in my regular rotation, which I think is just fun.  Here is a pair that I love, but probably would not own if they were my only pair.

During the pandemic, two pastimes entered our regular rotation, Big Boggle (5x5) and wooden jigsaw puzzles, the kind with non-standard-shaped pieces.  We continue to rely on both of these when we want non-screen downtime or a fun activity when we have visitors.  We have acquired both since we moved to Paris (at Gibert Joseph) and have continued our practice.  

Below is a detail from a Nautilus puzzle I just got and will probably bring back to Paris after Christmas.  (By the way, some friends have asked where we obtain our wooden puzzles.  Off the top of my head, the brands I can remember are Liberty, Nautilus, Nervous-System, Artifact, and Wentworth.  Some of them will make custom puzzles, with your own images and even with your own choice of non-standard pieces.  Most of those brands are not available in Paris or would be too expensive to ship.  In Paris the one I bought at Gibert Joseph is the brand Puzzle Michele Wilson.  It does not have the interesting shapes that most of the other brands have, but it was quite challenging because pieces were often cut right along lines where the color changed.)

 

Ever since my mother took me shopping for antiques with her when I was a child and a green refrigerator glass bowl caught my eye, I have loved colored glassware.  (Colored glassware seems to be having a moment now and has become pretty easy to find.  You have to be careful, though, that the glass is colored all of the way through, not just coated, and it isn’t always easy to tell.  One of my favorite US sources is Estelle Colored Glass.)  Our apartment came with these tumblers from Ikea, and they have become our everyday glasses.  The colors brighten up the table and always make me happy. 

I drink black iced tea every day, so I need to have supplies here.  (Retail iced tea is somewhat available in Paris, but certainly not as widely as in the US, and it tends to be more seasonal.)  So, I stocked up on two Damman Freres teas, Darjeeling and Ceylon.  I typically make my iced tea with one bag of each brewed together in a mug, poured over ice after steeping on the long side.  If I am at leisure and feeling fancy, I might use some loose-leaf tea that I bought at a teashop in Odeon, The-ritoires, instead.  Glenn also got me some nice Ceylon tea from La Grand Epicerie, but I have used that up.  And I need ice cube trays, too (which I fill with filtered water).  I prefer purchasing ice in bags at the grocery because it is harder and better-tasting, but, again, it is not so widely available here.

I tend to have a well-stocked pantry and fridge, and I rely on that to whip up a quick lunch or dinner on short notice.  I will not list all items, but one of the more noteworthy is a selection of tinned fish.  There’s very good tinned mackerel here, in addition to the common tuna and anchovies. 

I do not eat salty snacks much at all, but I like to keep two different French ones on hand, Omie et Cie potato chips, which are excellent, and Michel et Augustin sables au fromage.  The sables come in various flavors, like Beaufort, Comte, and Parmigiano.  They’re rich and buttery and crumbly and unlike anything that is (easily) available in the US.  Both the chips and the sables fit the bill perfectly if someone comes by for an apero or if you’re just a little hungry before dinner but don’t want something sweet.  (In the US, I love Unique Splits Extra Dark Pretzels.  They are certainly not (easily) available in France.)

Fresh herbs are staple that I have become used to having, so I established an herb garden on the ledge outside one of our windows.  Sage, thyme, and rosemary are my favorites, and also, coincidentally, the hardiest and easiest to grow, so those are definitely included.  (There is a photo of my herb garden in an earlier post.  It has since grown and expanded, though.)

I do love ice cream, but I feel much less need to keep it on hand in Paris.  We can walk to Gelati d’Alberto, Amarino, Grom, and Berthillon in less than ten minutes from our apartment. 

Finally, let me mention one thing that I have lived without for my entire life, but I am not sure how.  In our hotel in Annecy, they had a plumbed, on-demand tap for filtered, chilled, sparkling water.  The company was AQUAchiara.  I would LOVE to have one of those.  The bonus was that it came with beautiful glass bottles for decanting that would be lovely on tabletop or bedside.  (Let me be clear:  I don’t put my nose up at Soda Streams.  I would just rather have something that was plumbed so I wouldn’t need to fill a reservoir, and that had chilling and filtering capacities.  And the glass bottles are key, too, of course.)