Paris in uncertain times

Resetting with wonder and a few laughs

January light, Paris, 2026. Lindsey Tramuta

I didn’t intend to wait until mid January to write again but I’ve felt paralysed. How could I possibly write and publish anything on my personal platforms that isn’t somehow in response to what so many of us knew would happen but are nonetheless stunned it has come to fruition as swiftly and violently as it has? It’s been a lot to process.

I’ve leaned heavily on historians and brilliant thinkers, like Tressie Mcmillan Cottom, Timothy Snyder, Stacey Abrams. I’ve felt the power of this essay in particular from Brandon Taylor, and the reliable clarity of thought and careful words from historian and prolific chronicler of democracy and its downward spiral Heather Cox Richardson—vital in a sea of hot takes and quickfire analysis that don’t come close to matching the moment. I admit it’s taken me time to come around to truly believing her words from nearly a year ago:

“Authoritarians cannot rise if there are strong communities and people are acting with joy. That is, you need despair and anger in order for an authoritarian to rise. Whatever those things are that you bring to the community, do them and do them with joy, and don’t stop doing the things you love because you’re scared, because that actually is a form of resistance.”

She employed the word fascism this week to, adequately, describe the ideology governing the U.S. Which means, authoritarians have risen. But the joy she speaks of is crucial to taking action now, too. It’s too much to expect it to be sustained given the uncertainty we’re in— we because those of us in Europe are bracing for a future that may involve military intervention to protect Greenland¹ (how is this real), the end of NATO, and a world order that is being upended and rewritten, and because most Americans who are physically abroad haven’t severed ties with their homeland—but if the last two weeks have taught me anything it’s that I will not be much of a fighter if my fight or flight response is activated all hours of the day. This is why Audre Lorde wrote at length about the power of joy to fuel action and to resist the oppressive forces at work.

Some of the techniques for triggering your vagus nerve, which lowers anxiety and quiets the fight or flight response, are as simple as taking a walk. Humming. Singing. Dancing or exercise. Deep breathing. Writing in a journal. Apparently, lateral eye movements and eye circles are helpful, too.

And where possible, allowing yourself to feel wonder.

“A growing body of evidence demonstrates that the experience of awe that visual arts can trigger has mental and physical health benefits for us. They are similar to the restorative effects produced by awe-inspiring natural settings, such as a mountain vista or open sea, but we can access them more easily. The best part is you don’t need to know anything about the art you are looking at.” (Washington Post)

Sounds like a no-brainer, right? And yet, if you’re like me, you may feel a certain way about allowing that joy and awe in right now, because it means momentarily putting aside the polycrisis. But we physically, mentally, and spiritually can’t live in a permanent horror loop, even if we mistakenly believe it’s a sign of remaining active and informed. I say this as someone who has resorted to some pep talks with herself in the last two weeks. It’s why I’ve made a pointed effort to reset and calm my nervous system, in little moments. Maybe some of these ideas will help you, too.

A SONG TO LISTEN TO

I’m soon seeing Sofiane Pamart perform live and have been putting his music on repeat in anticipation. A French-Moroccan piano virtuoso whose parents discovered he had a gift at age four, entered a music conservatory by age six, and has performed as an adult to a sold-out Accor Arena and on the Seine at the Olympics (you might remember his piano was on fire) straddles genres and styles. Here’s a video he released one year ago that I have found particularly moving.

TWO EXHIBITIONS TO SEE

Left: Claire Tabouret © photo Marten Elder, 2025 / Right : Eva Jospin, vue d’exposition Palazzo, 2023, Palais des papes, Avignon © Photo Benoît Fougeirol

The Berthe Weill show at L’Orangerie closes January 26 and it was one of the most important and beautiful shows I saw in the last year. I hope you can all get to see it before it leaves but if not, and you’re interested in learning about the pioneering art dealer who propelled Picasso’s career, check out this interview I did with the show’s co-curator, Lynn Gumpert:

The other exhibition (photos above) will bring you to Le Grand Palais to see Eva Jospin’s monumental grottos and forests, made entirely of cardboard, and Claire Tabouret’s preparatory work, sketches, and models for the six stained glass windows she designed for Notre Dame Cathedral, which will be installed by the end of 2026.

SOMETHING SWEET (AND BEAUTIFUL) TO EAT

Galette season is here, another opportunity for the city’s most talented pastry chefs and bakers to wow us. The above array was part of a group taste test / therapy session with a few friends (and also for a related story that will come out in a year!), organized at just the right time. We were all feeling fragile. Not only were they each exquisite to look at (particularly the one from Nina Métayer, shown above, an upside down version topped with verbena and lemon confit-infused frangipane and topped with delicate tuile), they were a masterclass in galette flavor, originality, and texture. My favorite of the bunch was the sobacha galette from Christophe Louie, shown bottom right as a slice with its Madeleine fève. Pistachio galette, also wonderful, from Ginko.

SOMETHING COMFORTING TO EAT

Ramen Wagaya, Paris

Ramen Wagaya took over a crêperie and has had a line out front since day one. The good news is that if you’re keen on an early early dinner, they open at 18:00. We got there five minutes before opening on Friday night and were home for a ginger tea before 19:00. It reminded me of Tokyo in the best of ways. The French-Japanese couple started with a traveling pop-up, The Ramen Project, before settling here and continue the same approach: homemade broth and noodles prepared daily on site. I also tried the maze tantanmen, sans broth, which combines noodles, peanuts, and minced pork, and finished with a plump red bean mochi. It was a warm hug.

SOMEPLACE TO EAT AND LISTEN TO GOOD MUSIC

There are listening bars and then there is the new restaurant from chef Masahide Ikuta. At Masa (restaurant Masaikuta), you can drink wonderful wines, eat beautiful food (tasting menu or à la carte options), and listen to his and sommelier Tom Faucoeur’s personal collection of vinyl records. I heard everything from Sade to Tatsuro Yamashita and Coltrane and, once again, felt transported. Music, I think, is going to need to play a big role in my personal stress-management program this year.

SOMETHING TO MAKE YOU LAUGH

Well, I don’t know if it will make you laugh but it sure made me laugh. An ad for diapers with the tagline, “absorbs the most monstrous things”. Also, this video spoofing an interview Macron was giving a few weeks ago (on live TV, it was real!). I’ve watched it ten times and lose it every time. The kicker: “Can we just have something that functions?”

---

Thanks for reading! If you think a friend would enjoy The New Paris Dispatch or this series, gift subscriptions are available here | Order copies of my books The New Paris, The New Parisienne, and The Eater Guide to Paris.

1. Read this from Mira Kamdar for The Guardian