index
Chocolat
We had gone to see the film Chocolat, which tells of a woman who opens a chocolate store in a hidebound traditional town, where her magic tastes gradually lead the repressed villagers to rediscover long-repressed desires. After the film we emerged from the sixteen screen multiplex cinema onto a walkway above a festival of desires unrepressed and desires forced on us. Below us spread ninety tables at the food court of the Providence Place Mall, filled with customers from Ben & Jerry's, Cathay Cathay, Japan Cafe, Latin Grille, le Petit Bistro, Pizzeria Regina, Johnny Rockets, Subway, and Surf & Turf. (If the food court didn't awake or suit desires, elsewhere in the mall there were Cafe Nordstrom, Dave & Buster's, Fire + Ice, Hops Restaurant Bar, Joe's American Bar and Grill, Napa Valley Grille, Pizzeria Uno, Bick's Bagel Cafe, and The Cheesecake Factory.) The mall occupies a restored galleria dating from the nineteenth century. The long thin rectangle has a skylight above, a main floor with stores and approved pushcarts, and three levels of perimeter balconies with more offerings. Down from the food court, on three more levels, were fifteen stores listed for "Men's and Women's Fashions," twelve stores for "Women's Fashions," five for "Fashion Accessories," six for "Children's Fashions," four for "Athletic and Fitness Wear," fourteen for "Shoes," six for "Jewelry," seven for "Home Furnishings," twelve for "Beauty and Health," two for "Optical," nineteen for "Books, Cards, and Specialty Stores," two for "Toys and Hobbies," ten for "Music, Home Electronics, and Photography," five for "Specialty Foods," and seven for "Services," plus three large department stores. Most of the stores were recognizable national chains.Do you still have desires?