So I’m browsing the Ballard Designs catalog the other day and I stumbled upon these “French Bistro Comfort Mats,” which are described thusly:
The fun design is based on a chalkboard menu we saw outside a Paris bistro
Since I can’t resist an excuse to try out my French reading comprehension (which was never great and is fading fast), I started reading some of the items, and a few jumped out.
Grande salade au fromage vegan & graines germés?
Sacre bleu, I thought, is this the menu from the Paris Loving Hut? That traditional Paris Bistro?
Other items on the menu (on the Mats):
- Feuilleté aux légumes & Salade composée – 11,00€
- Joyeux Croustillant – 5,00€
- Vermicelles du paradis 8,50€ (plus 2 pâtés impériaux 12,50€)
- Rouleaux printaniers – 6,00€
Even the dessert section includes nothing which woud suggest it couldn’t be vegan.
So, I went and looked up Loving Hut Paris’ menu – all the same dishes. (The prices seem to have gone up since the creator of the Mats was last in Paris, but otherwise word for word).
How does Ballard Designs end up with French menu comfort mats containing the menu of Loving Hut Paris?
Je ne sais pas.
Loving Hut Paris, 92 boulevard Beaumarchais, Paris