The Scandalous Secret of Paris Baguette
Last Saturday afternoon, I took a visit to the Carrot Market *coughs* I mean, Zion Market. (Sorry, I get confused by the orange and green colors.) I noticed a rather long line of people in front of Paris Baguette, inside people snapping their metal tongs to procure large amounts of croquettes, croissants, gallettes, pain au chocolates and other very fancy sounding non-English bakery items. I was almost reminded of the H-Mart of Irvine with its “Tous Le Jours” store. (Can someone say Francophilia?)
I picked up a delicious Cake Donut Twist (also known as lunch for lazy people) and waited in line. Typically, I would make conversation with the people in line like a normal person, but after buying my new Samsung Galaxy tablet, I can now access the internet and ignore the life around me. Nevertheless, I decided to do a little research on Paris Baguette in my ten minutes of waiting.
After a quick Google search, I found out something rather scandalous. Did you know that there is no Paris Baguette in Paris, France?
The berets, horizontal striped shirts, fancy cursive writing, black-and-white pictures of the Eiffel Tower are all a ruse. “Le Patbingsoo” is not French for “shaved ice cream”. It is not French custom to put curry in a croquette. I guess I also had my suspicions when I noticed all of the staff working were Korean and didn’t respond positively to my authentic French accent.
Taken aback, shocked, dazed and other phrases Microsoft Word says are synonyms with “stunned”, I took a seat at the very modern and trendy chairs and tables and decided to do some more research on the company. It’s time someone spoke the truth about Paris Baguette, and here is what 10 minutes of research has taught me:
- There are about 2,900 Paris Baguette stores in Korea, 50 stores in China, and more than 20 stores in the United States.
- Paris Baguette is a popular place for Korean drama heroes and damsels to share mushy moments with each other with come-hither looks, comedic synchronized laughs and to express “saranghae” in whispers. (Okay, this one isn’t fact. This one is my observation).
- They sell gift cards, so smack a bow on a card and make that special someone mildly happy.
- Paris Baguette is part of the SPC Group, developing franchises through affiliates such as Paris Croissant, Paris Baguette, Dunkin Donuts Korea, and even Baskin Robbins Korea.
- And holy cow, this Cake Donut is awesome! The crispy fried exterior, the sweet powdered sugar, the soft cake donut inside. Here’s hoping that Korean damsel doesn’t get too angry that I ate her share of the donut. Whatever, I’ll wait on an unusually rainy day to rush towards her with a half of a donut, asking for forgiveness. Pfft, Korean damsels…
I forgive you, Paris Baguette. You’re alright with me…
Team Sejong! 