Burst My Bubbles!

 

Forty-odd years ago when I first went to Paris, I wouldn’t even think of drinking water from the tap.

 

One look at the murky Seine river with centuries of pollutants was enough for me to do what Parisians do, buy bottled water instead, using it even to brush my teeth.

 

In restaurants as well, bottled water was the norm, and back then I was a little taken aback when sitting down for a meal I was asked if I wanted;

 

“Gas or no gas?”

 

It took me a second to realize they were, fortunately, talking about water.

 

Carbonated, sparkling water.

 

Perrier, Vichy, Badoit, Evian, Vittle, Volvic.  Like wine, the French take their water seriously.

 

 

Fizzy Fountains

So I was super surprised to learn only recently that some time ago, the publicly owned water utility Eau de Paris began installing a limited number of fontaines pétillantes|sparkling water fountains around Paris. 

 

I discovered this watching the Netflix documentary Series, Down To Earth, with American actor Zac Efron.  (Really good!)

 

In the second episode, I learned that since 2010 regular tap water in Paris is more than safe to drink. It now comes mainly from aquifers and is strictly controlled for toxins and treated for pathogens, making it among the highest quality in Europe.

 

 

 

 

This drinkable water|l’eau potable is now available at more than 1000 fountains in Paris, some of the most beautiful in the world.

 

But they have also installed new public fountains in all 20 arrondissements that serve up the fizz that Parisians crave.

 

 

 

 

These fountains have CO2 carbonators built into their bases to create refreshing sparkling water from tap water chilled to a crisp 7 degrees Celsius (44 degrees Fahrenheit).

 

Not a new idea. The Italians were the first to adopt it.

 

BUT how did I not know this?

 

Champagne or Sparkling Wine Anyone?

 

Speaking of bubbles and bubbly, I thought it might be a nice segue to remind you that you can join in on Delectabulle online webinars

Delectabulles is owned by Cynthia Coutu, a fellow Canadian living in Paris. Since Covid hit she has been offering webinars about pairing champagne with food, about the history of Champagne.

One of her trademark webinars this past week was “Bubbly Badasses: the History of Women in Champagne.”

Check out what is upcoming on offer here: https://www.delectabulles.com/en/calendar

or you can request a private bespoke webinar for just you and your friends.

See an earlier Blog Post I wrote about Cynthia by clicking on this LINK!

 

*************************************

Last Chance to Register!

Woman of a Certain Age in Paris

Presents This Coming Tuesday!

How To Fall In Love with A Frenchman!

My Exclusive Interview with Samatha Vérant,

Best-selling Author of “Seven Letters From Paris!”

TUESDAY, November 10th

12:30 pm EST/9:30 am Pacific/6:30 pm CET (Paris)/5:30 pm GMT (UK)

Click HERE to Register! It’s Free!

 

 

 Don’t Miss Hearing Samantha’s amazing LOVE story,

and about her new novel just published this fall,

The Secret French Recipes of Sophie Valroux!

You can BUY It Here if you want a head start!

 

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