Lunch In The Land Of The $1.60 Euro

The dollar hit a new low relative to the euro yesterday: it now costs $1.60 to buy one euro, and it is impossible not to be aware of that. It isn't a surprise why we don't see any other Americans here.

I thought it might be interesting to break down how we spent $123.00 on a modest lunch:

We decided to go to a new restaurant with an interior terrace that we had noticed while walking around: "Laurane et Sa Maison" (16 rue Victor Leydey, 04 42 93 02 03). We showed up at 12:50 pm, so were the first ones there. A modest place with a pleasant enclosed courtyard decorated in part with little blackboards each saying "hello" in a different language.

We sat down, were handed menus, and were asked what we wanted to drink. They didn't have Orangina (Nicki's favorite) or syrups (Ari's typical choice -- like an Italian soda) but they had quite a selection of juices. So we ordered one for each girl: 4 euros each, or almost $13. Stri and I ordered a bottle of Pelligrino: 4.6 euro, or $7.30.

The girls weren't hungry -- they'd made and eaten crepes as part of their morning activity at the children's bookstore up the street -- so we asked for a dish of pasta to be split between them. For that, they charged just 5 euro each, or $16.

There were two lunch prices, each with various choices, and a few stand alone salads. Stri and I ordered the more modest lunch, both choosing the chicken, for 18 euro each, or almost $27 per person. We had half a bottle of wine, an inexpensive Rose, for 11.50 euro or $17.50, and ordered one dessert, which they didn't charge us for. Then two very small coffees ('noisettes' -- one shot of espresso and a tiny bit of milk) for two euro or $3.20 each.

We got the bill, 74.10 euro, or $117.80, plus we left three euros on the table. Total: 77.10 euro, or $123. And the girls split a bowl of pasta! I'm not trying to pick on the restaurant: Laurane et Sa Maison was pleasant and priced very similarly to other restaurants. By the time we left, the restaurant was pretty full of mainly locals. This is more an illustration of the impact of an unfavorable exchange rate.