I made it to Maison du Puy today (wonder if his family has connection to Le Puy en Velay?) and wow - I was treated incredibly rudely. I walked in and didn't see anyone behind the counter...I started looking over the pastries and breads, and suddenly I hear a brusque "bonjour, madame." I looked up, smiled and said "Bonjour! Je parle tres peu francais..."
This has been my standard opening line - "I speak very little French..." and is usually met by a smile, some words I rarely understand literally but clearly mean "no problem, I will help you," and a pleasant, often fun attempt for the seller (them) and the buyer (me) to interact and transact.
Today, the grumpy, frumpy woman grunted something, then, as I was making my choices, proceeded to tell the other customers in the store about how I came in. She actually mimicked the way I said bonjour. Astounding. Then, best of all, the very chic Parisian woman behind me smiled with pity and modeled for me the way I should have said bonjour.
Snobs of the world, take note: just because the words of your language may not be understood in full, it takes very little to decipher the gist of mean, derisive, condescending comments - tone and inflection do not require a translator. It is categorically rude, crass behavior.
The woman in Le Grenier A Pain was also rude - I haven't been back. But here's the deal...the croissant from du Puy was mind-blowing. Take everything you like about a croissant, multiply it by 1,000, and divide it by a quantification of the extreme skill, refinement, and passion that a master baker has...that was this croissant. Shatteringly crisp exterior, unbelievably uniformly separated and moist layers inside. Flavor was suave, but intensely croissant-y. Absolutely worth the pain. I'm going back.
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