Yesterday I had a refreshing break from the evil Parisians who seem to despise me and seize any chance they get to be rude to my face. After I had a riff with some xenophobic Frenchmen at lunch, I was strolling past the old-school, pink VW van of a charming pizzeria in the Marais. It was lit with romantic twinkle lights and pink flamingo decorations for dinner.

I peered inside the van to find an adorable couple drinking wine and nibbling on a prosciutto pizza. The pretty blonde woman exclaimed, “Isn’t this the greatest?!” She knew I was American because I had been gauchely ogling the interior of the van. Then she said, “Oh my god, can you take a picture of us? I just arrived from Los Angeles, and of course, I packed everything in my closet except for my camera!” She asked if I had Facebook, and before I knew it, she was scribbling her name down and I was snapping a photo of her and her Frenchie beau.

When people are friendly, the world works so simply — like eating pizza by the light of a glowing flamingo in a converted 1960s van.

- Haley Hogan

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