It’s all about presentation

Have you noticed, in walking around Paris, that presentation is extremely important? From the clothing stores to the outdoor market, everyone pays a lot of attention to how things look. And you’ll find just as much attention given to things you buy.  I wanted to take flowers to an old friend I was having lunch with so I stopped in at a flower shop along the way and chose a small bouquet. Let me note here that I made sure to say “Bonjour Madame” to the storekeeper as I entered- this is EXTREMELY important in France to show your respect for the shop and for the shopkeeper. Anyway, I took my bouquet over to her to pay and when I handed it to her, she asked me, “Est-ce que c’est pour offrir?” “Is this going to be given as a present to someone?” I answered yes and she proceeded to spend the next ten minutes carefully wrapping it in a colored paper that complemented the flowers beautifully, re-arranging the flowers within the bouquet, and tying it with a beautiful ribbon, which she carefully curled to create a small bow. She then added a small sticker onto the ribbon stating the name of the shop.    I now had something that was truly “gift-wrapped.”