I've been in the neighborhood so long I have seen many of the shops change hands. In many cases it's an improvement, as stereotypical nasty stingy Parisians are replaced by cheerful, friendly young people. That's what happened to our bakery, which is on its third itération since I moved here. The first bakers were both nasty and unusually bad, so that I often took a long trip to a bakery six blocks away even though they were around the corner. The second bakers were much nicer, but their pastries and bread were nothing special (unlike the bakery six blocks away). They retired in September (and so did the rôtisseur, the butcher, and the wonderful lady at the bakery six blocks away) and now our new bakery is staffed by pretty, pleasant girls and everything is much, much tastier.
I went in to buy a baguette tradition for dinner and saw a green religieuse. A religieuse literally means a nun, and a normal chocolate one does look a bit like a fat little nun in a black-and-white habit (the shape of Merryweather in the Disney Sleeping Beauty). "Is that one pistachio?" I asked.
"Yes, it's the new style," said the girl.
Then I saw one I've never seen before-- with orange and white striped icing. "And what's that one?"
"It's mandarine," she said proudly. "Our baker likes to try new things. He's very creative!"
