After attacks, many Parisians embrace food, wine and friends

In France, a glass of wine is many things: one of life's small pleasures, a civilized complement to food, a source of national pride. Now, it's also a symbol of defiance.
As vintners release this year's batch of Beaujolais Nouveau in the shadow of last week's Paris attacks, "To the bistro!" has replaced "To the barricades!" as France's rallying cry.
"What would our country be without its cafes?" asked President Francois Hollande, telling his compatriots that life must be "resumed in full" after the November 13 gun and bomb rampage by jihadi militants.
The attacks, which killed 129 people and injured more than 350, have left France in shock. They overshadowed today's Beaujolais Nouveau Day, when winemakers uncork their latest batch of the fruity young wine, and bars and restaurants hold special tasting sessions.

Jean Bourjade of the wine producers' body Inter Beaujolais said the group considered scrapping some of the promotional events after the attacks. But it was decided that the wine should flow, because "it is the French culture, it is the French way of life, which has been put in jeopardy."
Many Parisians are determined to raise a glass even those who consider Beaujolais Nouveau's popularity a product of savvy marketing rather than quality.

"The Beaujolais isn't good wine. But everyone will go out on purpose tonight," said 63-year-old Lucienne Tavera, sitting with two friends on a cafe terrace near the Bataclan concert hall, where the deadliest of the attacks unfolded.

"Tonight, we won't care how it tastes."
Her resolve is echoed across the patch of eastern Paris where the attacks took place - the 11th arrondissement and the neighboring Canal Saint-Martin area in the 10th.
When the Islamic State group took responsibility for the attacks, it called Paris "the capital of prostitution and obscenity."
The militants did not hit the city's high-profile tourist attractions, gleaming buildings and neighborhoods of freshly washed streets. They chose an eclectic, slightly scruffy area where destination restaurants, hip bars, art galleries and designer boutiques sit alongside corner stores, kebab shops and bakeries.
It's also a place where a mosque, a church and a Jewish school occupy the same few blocks - a diversity that many residents treasure.