Brief Episode

As I Tweeted earlier this week while paused in traffic in Koreatown, there’s a bakery in Koreatown here in Los Angeles called the Paris Baguette Café.

I wondered if this were a regular chain, with a somewhat ironic placement in Koreatown.

I was not at all prepared for the reality when I dug a little further…

Name Made in Paris — Bread Made in Korea

Paris Baguette Café is Korea’s largest chain.

In a mind-bogglingly confusing webpage, they explain that the “identity” is all about Paris — the logo, the name, the Eiffel Tower.

But the history is entirely Korean.

To add bewilderment to confusion, all the rights to the website are owned by the Paris Croissant Company, Ltd.

Nevertheless, I’d like to know if one can buy kimchi to spread on the non-Parisian baguette.