Leaving Lost Belongings in an Obvious Place by BeatChick
So I was surfing around David Lebowitz' wonderful food blog, http://www.davidlebovitz.com, when I came across an item he wrote titled Métro Hands...and Cheeks. As is his wont, the article of the day veered from his germaphobic topic regarding the dreaded "Métro hands" to losing one of his favorite gloves to the wonderful Parisian (nay, perhaps French or even European!) habit of placing lost items where they might be found.This would NEVER happen in the US, at least I've never seen it happen, not even in the midwest (where I now live) where good courtesy is taken for granted. Nor does it happen in the south (where I grew up) where excellent manners are considered de rigueur.
Monsieur Lebowitz, an American now residing in Paris (lucky dog!), had lost one of his favorite gloves. Knowing the above-named French habit, he went out in search of the lost item only to discover it in his very own elevator cleverly tucked away in the hand rail (read the blog, it's really funny)!
Anywho, I'd read the blog a week prior to my latest sojourn to the City of Light. While traipsing around in Montmartre this past November, *I* came across a hapless glove myself (somewhere along rue Lepic between Place Jean-Pierre Baptiste and rue d'Orchampt)! Naturally, I had to take a photo just for the edification of you good VT folk.
In any case, in the war of French politesse v. American manners, I think the French have one up on us. I've vowed to continue this nice practice here at home but I'm not sure if it'll ever become popular. Of course, I'll never know the outcome of these Samaritan acts but it certainly won't hurt to try!!
Photo: November 2007