Sssss, schwoop! I gazed down as the pastry chef finished preparing my strawberry tart and moved over to package it in a pretty, blue box with a ribbon. However, this dessert shop is not like a typical pâtisserie you would find in Paris—in fact, my little tart is completely inedible! This weekend, I visited the JellyCat Pâtisserie, a pop-up shop in the Galeries Lafayette that sells exclusive French pastries in a plush format. You can choose from six options for the Pâtisserie Experience: Collette the tarte au citron, Brigitte the brioche, Fleurette the tarte aux fraises, and three multi-colored macarons: Mia, Max, and Mona. Aside from the Paris-exclusive designs, you can also find hundreds of plush éclairs, mille-feuilles, and madeleines for sale in the store, each one sporting a cute smile and a pair of miniature, animated legs.

Coming from the United States, I was so used to takeout and drive-through restaurants and coffee shops that at first, I could not tolerate sitting down for thirty minutes just to drink a coffee and look around the Parisian scenery. My initial reaction has drastically changed since my first few weeks in France. I have come to enjoy café culture and to value taking time out of my day so I can simply relax and ground myself in the present—all while sipping on a delicious cappuccino and enjoying a delicate pastry. I encourage you to try this out, you might find that a moment of self-reflection and meditation is just what you need to refresh your writing for an essay or to continue studying for a difficult exam. And of course, if you ever get the chance to visit Paris, make sure to plan a day to visit the JellyCat Pâtisserie! If plushies are not your thing, you’ll have no problem finding a pâtisserie or a boulangerie nearby and enjoying JellyCat’s more delicious, edible counterparts.