Make your life frenchier with Rebecca Plotnick | Q&A with the creator of the "Every Day Parisian" blog

Rebecca Plotnick is American and the founder of "Every Day Parisian" blog. In 2013, she moved to Paris for three months. These months turned into three years of living a nomadic life between Paris and Chicago. After returning to the USA, Rebecca missed the Parisian way of life. So she decided to start her blog "Every Day Parisian" and share her love of Paris.

We met Rebecca "by chance" as a customer introduced each others and felt the connection right away. Today, Every Day Parisian and French Wink are launching a special Collection together. Let meet Rebecca first and then discover this new exciting collection. 

French Wink: How was your passion for France born?

Rebecca/Every Day Parisian: I grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio so I can’t exactly explain it. We had a choice for a language in Middle School and I heard French and I jumped at the chance. One day, you decided to make the jump and to live in Paris for a while.

Do you remember the day of your arrival? Could you tell us more about your feelings discovering Paris for the first time?

I remember the date of arrival pretty clearly. I was so terrified! I prepaid for an Airbnb apartment for 3 months and it was before anyone else was renting online from strangers. I look back at images of those 3 months and I saw everything with a fresh set of eyes discovering doorways, streets, neighborhoods all through the lens of my camera. They still are my favorite memories from Paris after all these years. I went without knowing anyone and I really had to find my way.

How was the discovery of the French people and the Parisian life in the early days?

I was put off at first because I was to shy to speak the little French I knew and I didn’t try. I feel like once you try, the French are more open and friendly. I love the laid back Parisian approach. I have adopted a lot of things from the French but this is one thing I still haven’t mastered being able to turn off at night or on the weekends. 

What was your most funny misunderstanding with a French?

I couldn’t sleep when I first arrived in Paris for those first couple of months. The bed was terrible and so were the pillows. I walked into a French Pharmacie and asked in French for “a sleep doctor” instead of “medicine for sleep” it is easy to mix the two up. The lady gave me directions in French for a doctor down the street. I left and called my sister thinking what have I done? 

What do you like the most about French people after living in Paris?

I appreciate the slower pace of life. I never liked Sundays growing up and now they are my favorite day of the week. Sundays in Paris are for markets and time with friends and family (I have friends that have become family in Paris they are known as my “Paris family”). Now that I am back in the US, I started Links I love which is a roundup of my favorite links of the week. I love connecting with people around the world every Sunday and I know that this is their weekly highlight too. I encourage people to grab their coffee and croissant and join me on the blog to read. 

What was your best dining experience in Paris?

My family came to visit a few years ago. We rented an apartment by the Eiffel Tower and we visited the local market. I introduced my family to French salted butter and baguettes along with cheeses from the fromagerie. We picked up a roast chicken from Rue Cler along with French wine, cheese and a baguette and ate in the apartment. Good food with family is all I need to be happy. My sister still requests “a French dinner” meaning just this whenever we are together.

What are the French dishes you like to cook?

I have mastered the quiche during quarantine something I never thought I would eat. Sablés (my family calls them Auntie’s cookies) I use Dories Greenspans recipe for vanilla and chocolate, roast chicken and potatoes.

What is your best memory in Paris ?

There is a photo my friend Katie Donnelly took of me walking in a red dress through foggy Luxembourg Gardens in the early morning. I had tears in my eyes when she shot it knowing just what it would look like. It just happened by chance, it wasn’t really planned. I am always so grateful for my time in Paris, I never know when it will be my last trip so I do my best to soak up every minute.

You started a blog dedicated to the Parisian way of life. What made you started? What content can we read there?

I was homesick for Paris after coming home to Chicago. I was living a “French inspired life” back in Chicago and I wanted a way to connect with a community. I could not find anything that was what I was looking for so I created it. Since most of us cannot travel to France right now, the blog is all about how to live a French life at home. I write a Frenchify series where I break down things at home and in your everyday life that can have a little French flair. 

Would you like to write a book one day about Paris, this city that makes your heart beat?

My dream is to write a book one day about Paris. I have a few ideas including Paris by the Seasons a collection of images from my years in Paris. Right now, it seems fitting to write a book on how to Frenchify Your Life. I hope this comes true.

You are going to create a special collection, with French Wink. What do you like most about this brand?

I love that it is women owned. I started my own small business selling my photography back in 2010 and I try to support small businesses as much as possible. Plus, once I saw the site I was in love and sent the link to every Francophile friend. The grocery section is like strolling "Monoprix" (a French urban supermarket chain) without a Passport.

 

Photo credits: Katie Donnelly; Every Day Parisian

 

To discover the Every Day Parisian X French Wink collection, click here.

Here below is a sample of it... Enjoy!!