Rest assured, I'm eating lots of other things in addition to oatmeal, bread, and cheese. Lots of wonderful fruits and vegetables are in the mix--and the French honey is also delightful, resulting from bees that pollinate lavender fields.
And in addition to eating, a few other highlights from the last few days:
I saw a concert with Habib Koite, Tartit, and other Malian musicians on Saturday night! For all of my ethical concerns about the Quai Branly, they certainly have involved many incredible people in their exhibitions and programs.
And this is what I saw on my way home that night:
Oh, and work? I actually started research at the Musee du quai Branly Mediatheque today, i.e. the research that brought me here. Fabulous resources--I am again appropriately awed by the power of the French state. And since I last wrote, I've been to the Musee d'Orsay, the Louvre (yes, again!), and the Musee de l'Homme.
Quickly on the museums: I can't wait to get back to the Musee d'Orsay: Gauguin, Courbet, Rousseau, Manet, Monet, and more!
As I had read, the display of African art at the Louvre has the opposite aesthetic as the Musee du quai Branly. Check out how bright and airy the space is:
And this is the Musee de l'Homme. It is attempting to rectify its past as a place where racism was elaborated and refined with exhibits that rightly explain scientific reasons why racism is based on untruths. However, it is obviously underfunded and as you might guess from the name (Museum of Man), they haven't gotten around to worrying too much about sexist language yet. In a display about height, the labels read something like (in French): Average Heights of Men Around the World (Men) and Average Heights of Men Around the World (Women). I was very surprised to find that many of the exhibits were aimed toward children, and amused to see that there was some definite ooh-la-la in the French approach to teaching children about human sexuality.
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