Unclear on the concept

Meanwhile, in sunny Talence, France, I decide to stroll the ten minutes or so to get a couple of pizzas at 4:30 p.m. on a Monday. It’s off Boulevard Georges V. There’s a Domino’s, which I’m not very fond of, but another place two doors down that calls itself “Artisanal” . . . that’s always promising. And putting your pizza place two doors down from a Domino’s is pure cojones.

But the place is firmly shuttered with one of those pointless roll-down metal shutters (I can’t see any rioting in this neighborhood in the near future) so I reluctantly decide to go to Domino’s.

Umm, not. It’s firmly closed as well. “18H, m’sieu” says a fellow sitting with a woman on the stoop outside. Hmm . . . he’s got a long wait.

The sign on the door says “Ouvert 7J/7”.

Reminds me of that Stephen Wright joke: man comes up to a store that says “Open 24 hours”. But the owner is locking it up. The man says “But your sign says you’re open 24 hours!”

And the owner says “Not in a row.”