by Ric Erickson

Number 1.30 - Metropole Paris - Monday, 16. September 1996:- After opening in a long, narrow shop - like a gallery - in the rue Lafayette in 1896, Théophile Bader took only 16 years to build the Galeries Lafayette, with its exotic 33-metre high coupole and grand staircases. This year the Galeries Lafayette celebrates its 100th birthday.

The Galeries Lafayette followed Le Bon Marché (1852), the Bazar de l'Hôtel de Ville and La Samaritaine stores as Paris landmarks of mass retailing. In 1919, Mr. Bader offered 25,000 francs to the first person to land an airplane on the roof. Jules Védrines did it and collected the prize while Mr. Bader collected the publicity.

All department stores in Paris have lost cliental who used to arrive by train from the suburbs - to regional shopping centres, with parking lots - but they are attempting to make up for the loss by being attentive to the vast numbers of visitors who visit Paris annually - especially the Americans and the Japanese.

For the occasion of the Galeries Lafayette's promo for its centennial, last Monday it opened 'Le Café Sushi' on the fifth floor, by the windows on the Haussmann side. The little brochure I picked up on the ground floor has the name in Roman characters, numbers in Arabic and the rest is in Japanese, so I took the central escalator up to the fifth to see what was on offer for 85 something something.

Le Café Sushi was busy when I got there, so I figured out from a borrowed larger menu that the 85 item refers to three 'sushi' meals or one of 'yakitori,' and the 120 probably is the cost of the more elaborate 'Kyoto' menu. 'Yakitori' used to be 42 francs in Montparnasse 20 years ago, so I figure that 85 francs for lunch five floors above the 'Grands Boulevards' today is a fair price.

At the moment Le Café Sushi is only open for lunch - but other numbers on the brochure lead me to believe that the intention is to operate throughout regular store hours - until 21:00 on Thursday evenings, but I'm guessing.

There are a fair number of other events taking place throughout the store, including a 'Prix Design '96' for new and well-designed products. The yellow Swatchmobile on display on the main floor will not win this prize, but you can order one all the same, for 55,000 francs, for delivery in 1997 or 1998, I forget which.

A nice young lady on the Swatch stand said it has a Mercedes motor, but would not show it to me. When I said the car looked used, she said it was a prototype. It looked like a pedal-car that you buy for little kids.

With the motor in the back there is not much room for carrying large purchases. Three of them would take up less than two parking places, which might be handy for going to downtown department stores, so long as you not intend to buy anything larger than a medium-sized transistor radio

Dirty Talk in France

Almost every time ultra-nationalist Jean-Marie Le Pen opens his mouth about immigrants and foreigners living in France - mostly to say they should go home - the dominant political class yells for the judge.

Mr. Le Pen and his Front National party constantly play on the dissatisfaction of the French - caused by the effects of the rotten economy - by suggesting it is the all the fault of 'foreigners' living in the country.

He likes to pretend that nearly everybody who looks foreign comes from Africa, but in fact he is actually talking about bona-fide French citizens and legal residents - many of whom have lived in France for generations. This is a delicate way of saying he is talking about race; that he says the 'French' are one and that 'foreigners' are another.

France does indeed have laws prohibiting the incitement of racial hate, but Mr. Le Pen has had long practice of skating close to them without going over the line and the judge threw out another case against him last week.

Does this remind anybody of anything? Hitler and the Nazis for example? There were careful too and they had their lawyers and the dominant political class of the time thought they were insignificant and silly. Through confusion and lack of resolve to block and eradicate anti-humanitarian ideas - the Nazis gained national power and carried out their insane ideas.

When Jean-Marie Le Pen is talking about foreigners he is talking about me. He is also talking about a lot of other foreigners who contribute or have contributed to the making of France. We bring ideas to France. Without us, the country would merely be a giant crossroads, hiding from the world, in the shadows behind its national walls.

A crossroads, because if he had his way, nobody would have set foot down in the place - France would only be a nonentity to fly over or drive through non-stop - because it would hold no interest for anybody, except Mr. Le Pen and his few hard-core followers.

He is about 120 years behind the times. But he is a danger and I wish somebody responsible would have the nerve to get up and out-talk him once and for all. Not talking about will not make him go away.

Some People are Very Rich

Last week I wrote an item entitled 'Cheaper by Eights' about the utility and relative economy of renting a chauffeur-driven mini-bus with which to tour Paris.

On Tuesday, while walking out of my apartment's park, I couldn't help noticing a large 30 to 40 seat tour bus parked in the exit. Past it, I looked back and saw a placard in the window with something like 'Japan Travel' on it.

Curious, I went back to ask the driver some questions. He told me he had brought some - Japanese! - to see our local church. I am not aware of its significance; all I know is it doesn't ring its bell on time.

Thinking I was to learn something new about my church, I asked how many were in the visiting group. The driver said, "Quatre." Four!

The 'Cheaper by Eights' piece popped into my head and I asked him, how much? He said, something more than 9,000 francs. And added, some people are very rich and they do what they want. They sure do, right where I live. I had better find out about the church.

Not the Last Tango in Paris

'Tango Pasion' played with success in February and it is back again for 20 performances at the Theatre des Champs-Elysées, to open its fall season. This entertainment presents the history of the 'portenos' of Buenos Aires with three actors, the El Sexteto Mayor orchestra and six dancing couples - with high heels, lacquered hair and short skirts - who represent a variety of BA types full of passion and high spirits - and it is supposed to be quite a spectacle.

Theatre des Champs-Elysées, 15. Avenue Montaigne, Paris 8. Métro Alma-Marceau. Daily - except Thursdays, 19 and 26 September - at 20:30; Saturdays also at 15:00. On until 28. September. 60 to 290 francs. For reservations, phone 49 52 50 50.

Garden Party

Sunday, 22. September -The city of Paris is organizing the first Journée des Jardins de Paris, featuring expositions, concerts, guided visits, gardening demos and nature 'animations.' For program information, phone 40 71 76 07 or try Minitel code, 36 15 Paris.

Classical Stuff

The 'Festival d'Ile de France' started on 8. September and runs through to Sunday, 20. October. This is an annual festival that takes place throughout the Ile-de-France and features a series of classical concerts, performed in various interesting monuments in the region. The advance program I have indicates that most events are on Fridays and the weekends - for precise information phone 44 94 28 50 or fax to (33-1) 44 94 28 58.

Old Stuff

18th Biannual International Antiques Fair

The International Herald Tribune's Souren Melikian writes in the weekend of 14-15. September edition that this fair is getting more serious, as it looks over its collective shoulder at the success of the frankly commercial fair in Maastricht. He 'detects the whiffs of Louis XIV-XVI' of earlier fairs, but manages to find the obscure treasures all the same and pronounces that finding them makes the fair worth a visit for art lovers with a dectective streak.

Until Sunday, 29 September; at the Carrousel du Louvre - including rare books and jewelry. From 12:00 to 21:00 daily, 12:00 to 23:00 Mondays and Wednesdays. 99, rue de Rivoli, Paris 1. Information at +33 (1) 47 20 31 87.