[3]
Disoriented and hungry in Arles, I decided to approach the lone youngster perched on a bench overlooking the river.
"Masaki Yamamoto!"
I don't know what I had been expecting, but a Japanese name seemed unlikely a response to my enquiry about local patisseries.
"It's the best," the girl with black-framed glasses and a bohemian handbag insisted, and proceeded to guide me back into the narrow, cream-coloured streets I'd just left behind.
Locating the shop with a merry, yellow colour scheme, I was instantly impressed by the presentation of the patisseries, which had both elegant contours and a glaze-induced shine. So charmed by these edibles that I ordered two, I proceeded to imbibe the best lemon tart of my life.
I came back the next day, trying various mind-blowing morsels. The sales staff had been a young, white woman the first day, but the second day it was a middle-aged, Asian woman. I wondered if she was related to the eponymous Masaki, but felt too shy to ask.
At any rate, it's nice to see a Frenchperson of Japanese background responsible for the best patisseries in Arles. The choice of name clearly illustrates pride in the owner's origins, and breathes new life into a city which is in search of more innovation.
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