Episode 403

full
Published on:

20th Sep 2025

Lightning Round: French Pastries, Emperor Face-Offs & Metro Showdowns | Fast Five Shorts

The lightning round from the Omni Talk Retail Fast Five, sponsored by the A&M Consumer and Retail Group, Mirakl, Ocampo Capital, Infios, and Quorso, features Chris and Anne's French-themed rapid-fire preferences while broadcasting live from Paris. From pastry choices to historical emperors, it's a fun cultural exploration.

  • 29:21 – Croissant vs pain au chocolat debate 
  • 30:02 – Langoustines vs escargot preferences
  • 30:49 – Paris Metro vs London Tube comparison 
  • 31:22 – Napoleon vs Genghis Khan emperor choice

For the full #fastfive episode head here: https://youtu.be/xSLvyg5Sze4

#paris #nrfeurope #french #culture #travel




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Transcript
Speaker A:

Let's go to the lightning round.

Speaker A:

This is a French edition.

Speaker B:

French edition.

Speaker B:

Okay.

Speaker A:

Croissant.

Speaker B:

Bonjour, mon ami.

Speaker A:

Bonjour.

Speaker A:

Croissant or pain au chocolat.

Speaker B:

Ooh.

Speaker B:

Oh, pan.

Speaker B:

I go with the pain.

Speaker B:

A chocolat.

Speaker A:

I know for sure.

Speaker A:

Which I brought you.

Speaker B:

Yeah.

Speaker B:

Which you brought me, you can have.

Speaker A:

You can have right after this episode.

Speaker B:

I do so well.

Speaker B:

All right, and next one.

Speaker B:

Langoustines or escargot?

Speaker A:

For sure.

Speaker A:

Escargot.

Speaker A:

No way.

Speaker A:

Oh, a thousand times, no way.

Speaker B:

The salty sea versus the dirt of the earth.

Speaker A:

I think langoustines and lobster are very overrated.

Speaker B:

Oh, no, not if you have a good one.

Speaker B:

The best.

Speaker B:

The variability may be higher.

Speaker B:

Well, I don't know.

Speaker B:

I've had some bad snails too, but, like, the best lobster is freaking amazing.

Speaker A:

Oh.

Speaker A:

See?

Speaker A:

I mean, it's okay.

Speaker A:

But I think escargot is, like, such a unique.

Speaker A:

If given your choice, I think somebody could slip, like, a shrimp in there or something, and you would not be able to notice.

Speaker B:

Okay.

Speaker B:

Bonafide legacy.

Speaker B:

No, but not a shrimp.

Speaker B:

But okay.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

I'm just saying, like, I think that you could.

Speaker A:

You could be told, that's a langoustine, and be like, yeah, this is good.

Speaker B:

It's just a big prawn.

Speaker B:

Yeah, yeah, Right.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

Okay.

Speaker A:

Paris Metro or London Tube?

Speaker B:

Oh, God.

Speaker B:

You know the answer to that.

Speaker B:

London tube.

Speaker B:

100%.

Speaker B:

For so many reasons.

Speaker B:

Because it's also the greatest.

Speaker B:

Greatest example of user experience design in the history of the world, because the map is not actually drawn to where the actual tube stops are, which I just find fascinating.

Speaker B:

That's why it was on the back of the Fast5 podcast for so long in the background of our videos.

Speaker A:

I was at dinner last night, and there was a Frenchman who said the difference between the London Tube and the Paris Metro is that if you bump into somebody on the London tube, both people will apologize.

Speaker A:

And if you bump into.

Speaker A:

If I bump into you on the French Metro train, I would be mad at you for being too close to me.

Speaker A:

So that's simply the difference between these two modes of transport.

Speaker B:

Now, I will say I haven't ridden the French Metro as often as the London tube either, so I got to give it more of a try.

Speaker B:

But.

Speaker B:

All right, and last one.

Speaker B:

This one's a good one.

Speaker A:

Yes.

Speaker B:

Napoleon or Genghis Khan?

Speaker B:

Favorite emperor.

Speaker A:

I picked Genghis Khan.

Speaker A:

I like that song more.

Speaker A:

The Mike Snow song, you know, Like, I get a little bit Genghis Khan.

Speaker A:

You'll recognize it.

Speaker A:

I'll play it for you later.

Speaker A:

Yes, That's.

Speaker A:

That's.

Speaker B:

You're going Genghis, huh?

Speaker A:

I'm just going Genghis Khan because I have no.

Speaker A:

I don't have enough historical knowledge on both of their reigns to properly.

Speaker B:

I just read War and Peace, so I was like, it's all about Napoleon, so.

Speaker A:

Okay, so you're picking Napoleon?

Speaker B:

I think I'd pick Napoleon.

Speaker B:

Plus, he's got, like, you know, like, food named after him.

Speaker A:

What about Genghis Khan?

Speaker A:

Like, why would.

Speaker A:

Why wouldn't you pick Genghis Khan?

Speaker B:

I don't know.

Speaker B:

I mean, just probably because he doesn't have any food named after him that I can think of.

Speaker A:

So songs and food.

Speaker B:

This is how we're about, right?

Speaker B:

For our personalities.

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About the Podcast

Omni Talk Retail
Omni Talk Retail provides news, analysis, and commentary on the latest trends and issues in the retail industry
Omni Talk Retail provides news, analysis, and commentary on the latest trends and issues in the retail industry. It covers a wide range of topics related to retail, including e-commerce, technology, marketing, and consumer behavior. The podcast regularly features industry experts, Chris Walton and Anne Mezzenga, as well as retail thought leaders who all share their insights and perspectives on the latest developments in retail.

About your hosts

Anne Mezzenga

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Anne Mezzenga is an entrepreneurial Marketing Executive with nearly 20 years in the retail, experience design, and technology industries.

Currently, she is one of the founders and Co-CEOs of Omni Talk.

Prior to her latest ventures, Anne was most recently the Head of Marketing and Partnerships for Target’s Store of the Future project. Early in her career, Anne worked as a producer for advertising agencies, Martin Williams and Fallon, and as a producer and reporter for news affiliates NBC New York and KMSP Minneapolis.

Anne holds a BA in Journalism from the University of Minnesota – Twin Cities.

When Anne is not busy blogging, podcasting, or sharing her expertise with clients, she loves spending time with her husband and two boys and partaking in all the Minneapolis food scene has to offer.

Chris Walton

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