Parisians living in the 20th arrondissement, if they suddenly have a craving for fries or mashed potatoes, will never run out of potatoes. Not thanks to night-time grocery stores or supermarkets, but quite simply because they are near the Père-Lachaise cemetery.
A place that houses the tomb of Antoine Parmentier, the promoter of the potato. Since his funeral, fans of these tubers have been depositing them daily on the edge of the tomb of Parmentier. With sweet little words, like “Thanks for the fries!” », Engraved in the potato.
This habit could be extended to other graves of personalities buried in Père-Lachaise. I can see myself placing my old transistor on the grave of Pierre Bellemare, which I listened to so much as a child on the radio. Fancy a little treat? It would be enough for lovers of literature to place madeleines on Marcel Proust’s grave. If possible individually wrapped …
A celebrity from the Pyrénées-Orientales, François Arago, could see his tomb serve as a receptacle for glasses, he who has done so much for the progress of optics.
Less useful, but more symbolic in these laughing times, we could cover the tomb of Achilles Zavatta with thousands of red noses to preserve the soul of a child. Other little jokes will no doubt have the idea of decorating the tomb of Maurice Thorez, famous communist leader, with bouquets made with sickles and hammers.
But the most useful of the tombs will remain that of Jean-Pierre Bacri. As a tribute to the most grumpy of French comedians, all you have to do is put down your bad mood and leave with a light mind.
Chronicle published on the last page of the Independent on Friday, December 3, 2021
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