Restaurateurs War on ISIS

It was a defiant sight! Despite warnings from local French authorities, not to mention police raids launched against suspected terrorists involved in last week’s attack killing two ringleaders, it seems as though Parisians want to prove a point!

Residents of Paris crammed in to local restaurants, bars and café’s Tuesday in a uniquely French display of solidarity. In a social media campaign called #TousAuBistrot (“everyone to the bar)”, led by restaurant review sites, the campaign asked for Parisians all over the city to take to the restaurants and café’s as an act of defiance against terrorists who shook the city last Friday, in a premeditated attack hitting six locations, five of them restaurants/café’s. The attacks left 129 dead and a further 352 injured.

Paris relies heavily on its food industry as a means of livelihood for many of its citizens and one local French news website has vowed that “the French traditional café culture would not be betrayed by our fears”. Yet, many museums, and stores remained closed since Saturday throughout most of the week as the French President François Hollande declared a state of emergency in France for the next 3 months. Some schools have since re-opened, though it is expected that many tourists will stay clear from Paris’s vibrant city for quite some time. Though despite all the red flags, restaurateurs in the city wish to continue operations as normal.

“Were not like London, where you have finance and all these other industries” expressed Jean Valfort, owner of the Farago, a tapas bar and restaurant. “In Paris, it’s just restaurants and hotels.”

Valfort decided to open the Farago the very next day after the attacks in an act of solidarity. Although his restaurant did not profit that night, he joined a coalition of other restaurateurs in Paris who sent a clear stern message to their attackers and loyal customers alike. Rain or shine these the restaurants and cafes of Paris would remain united and continue to keep their doors open to the public.

In a touching tale of perseverance the Farago in the face of all odds had been fully booked since Tuesday night. And so were all the other bars and café’s that share the same cobblestoned street in central Paris. Valfort who is also opening a second restaurant closer to the tourist district of Opera said it was encouraging to hear the familiar sounds of chattering and the clinking of silverware and glassware.

Message from the author:

As you and I may already know, Paris has recently been rocked by a series of malicious and deadly terrorist attacks conducted by ISIS, killing 129 and injuring several hundreds more. I offer my deepest condolences and apologies to the loved ones and the victims of these horrific attacks.

#y101fm #alwaysfirst #food101