France: Let's have some kebab!

Kebab

SAINT-DENIS (France) - The sale of kebab sandwich symbol of Turkish immigration, spreads gradually in France as local shops, where groups of friends and families of diverse backgrounds meet.

•     "People are looking for a friendly atmosphere, the banter of the east street," says Anis, kebab seller in a snack that is always full of people in Saint-Denis, a suburb north of Paris.
  
      "Customers are attracted by the gruff and friendly side of the boss, the accent of the seller," says Halim, another vendor.
  
     Kebabs Snacks offer simple decorations: a room, tables and chairs are often very close, a self-service refrigerator of drinks, bare walls or covered with a picture representing an Oriental character, screens or plasma screens television broadcasting basic video clips.
  
      The property is held by two-three persons belonging to the same family, according to "kebabers.
  
      The formula seems to work well: In France, 250 million units per year are swallowed, or 14% of sandwiches consumed, according to a study by Gira Cabinet Council, published in March.
  
      "The kebab-snack has a friendly side, traditional, and near the neighbourhood that are not found at all in the traditional fast-food chain where the atmosphere is quite cold despite the trendy decor," says Nadine, met with parents and her sister in a "kebaber" in the Paris suburbs.
  
      "There is a scenery side, when we pass the door we radically change world: the boss is often a resident of the neighbourhood, a neighbour. We can joke with him, sellers are nice, plus it's good" claimed her sister Emilie.
  
      Ibrahim, a regular "kebabers" finds authenticity in a sanitized world. It is true, no cheating, you discuss, you laugh, exchange gossip, we share with others," he advocates.
  
      In some popular neighbourhoods abandoned by cafes and bars for safety reasons, the tour to the point of sale of kebabs is a tradition. "One finds friends, hear the news, play cards as you could do it over a beer or a coffee at a bar," says Abdel, a dedicated consumer.
  
      Sign of this gradual transformation of kebab snack in local shops, web pages, animated by consumers, are entirely devoted to social networks like Facebook and websites. Here aficionados meet to share their good addresses with special emphasis on hospitality and atmosphere there.
  
     "Very warm Restaurant ", writes a visitor about a "kebaber" on kebab-frites.com on a platform of exchanges between fans of "roasted meat -tomato-fried-potato-onion." "The welcome remains traditional that one would have liked a bit more fancy! We arrive at a final better that correct!" notes another.
  
      More and more one knows his kebaber as his butcher or baker, "said Maso Benedict, creator of kebab-frites.com.
  
      "This is not only for Muslim youth from the suburbs, or fans of rap," he adds.
  
      Between 8,000 and 10,000 snacks kebabs operate in France, according to Mr. Maso, whose site identified 4300 so far but this is an area in perpetual motion." "Many are opening every month and many others are closing," he says.
  
      
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.