Le Zinc – a French

Le Zinc – a French favourite Classic bars of France Zinc didn’t just cover rooftops – it also covered bars! From the 1800s, galvanised zinc countertops were a standard feature of French bars and cafés. In fact, they were so popular that the term Le Zinc came into use to describe bistros and cafés. The expression “rendezvous au zinc” meaning let’s meet at the bar is still in use today! Emile Zola wrote in “The Belly of Paris” published 1873: “In particular was the counter… sumptuous, with its broad expanse of silver polished bright. The covering zinc overhung the red and white marble base with a deep wavy border, thus overlaying it with a silky sheen, a cloth of metal, like a high altar spread with its embroideries.” Zinc countertop at the Train Bleu restaurant, Gare de Lyon, Paris During World War II, some of the metal tops were appropriated, nevertheless plenty survived and can still be seen all over France. There’s not much to beat sitting on a stall at local zinc bar with a glass of wine, imagining the people that have been here before you, perhaps with a glass of absinthe, the drink of choice in the late 1800s LaPont French Immersion in Burgundy Language Culture Gastronomy • Learn French in France • Stay in the château domain • Private cultural tours • Small groups lapont.com Jardinieres, baths, jugs and more Zinc proved to be such a versatile metal that it was used to make galvanised bathtubs, watering cans, jugs, buckets, decorative window surrounds, Jardinieres, wash tubs, tabletops and buckets galore and they’re commonly found at flea markets all over France. Zinc treasures at a flea market, Montreuil-sur-Mer, Pas-de-Calais Craft a lasting memory with our unforgettable private bespoke day tours of Provence Marseille, Lavender fields, Luberon hill top villages, Aix-en-Provence, Avignon, in the footsteps of Van Gogh and more… www.idreamprovence.com 54 | The Good Life France The Good Life France | 55