Let's put it bluntly: the French are, with a few exceptions, a people of leggy bellies, who think of nothing but eating, and talk of nothing else. At the next family meal, when you're wolfing down half a leg of lamb after the aperitif and before the cheese and dessert, one of the topics of conversation around the table is bound to be: "What's for dinner tonight?
The French love to eat and drink, bon vivants that they are. They are also very proud of their gastronomy, which they often consider to be the best in the world. Many foreigners agree on this point (but not all of them, either - ask an Italian or a Spaniard...), except that in reality, there are also several French culinary traditions that leave them relatively perplexed. Here's a list of 10 things I've had to explain to foreigners about eating and drinking "à la française" since the start of my expat life, when I became, somewhat unwillingly, an ambassador for French culture. I'm sure you'll recognize yourself in this situation!
After the first part of the article on "culture and language" published last week, here's the continuation on "eating and drinking". Some of these points were touched on by my uncle Charles Timoney, an English expatriate who has lived in France for 30 years, observes the French as I do the British, and talks about French culture in his books, notably "Pardon my French". Studying cultural differences in one's country of expatriation is therefore a family tradition!
1. Dip your toast in the coffee
An absolute must in French culture, and, even if it's not very chic, I admit it... I'm a big fan of tartine dipping, so much so that even now that I've settled in England, I dip my crumpets in my coffee, under the astonished gaze of my British husband. Well, amazed the first time, bemused the second, very amused the third (the day he realized it was a well-established habit), and completely used to it ever since. To his question "Why do you dip your toast in your coffee?", I replied "Because it tastes better that way". That's all there is to it. Do I ask him any questions?
2. Bakeries
He dared! Paul Taylor, one of my favorite comedians, a British expat in France who cheerfully and brilliantly mocks French culture, has touched on the untouchable: our national bakeries (video above)! And yet, this isn't the first time a foreigner has told me that he finds bakeries relatively stressful. Blame it on the long queues, the hurried staff, or the tricky questions the baker asks about baguette baking. But the biggest problem? The incomprehensible variety of viennoiseries, baguettes (the traditional, the country, the traditional baguette, the half baguette, the viennoise, the cereal baguettes, the ears of corn, the crowns etc, etc!) and pastries. The latter are each more wonderful than the last, but it's impossible to know exactly what they taste like, for those who don't know them. And I'm not even talking about the French obsession with the crouton, and the fights that follow the purchase of a baguette to see who gets it. Bakeries in France? The cross and the banner for foreigners, I tell you!
3. "Small" coffee, "small" dessert
My Uncle Charlie (who talks about it in his book) loves it when he's offered a "petit" café or a "petit" dessert at a restaurant in France. Why "petit", my husband has since asked me, also taken aback? Probably to ease his guilt. If it's small, it doesn't count, does it? He also noticed that the answer to this question was often "Allez!", as if the customer was letting the waiter force his hand, but willingly all the same. What's behind this "Allez!" is: "I hadn't planned to have a coffee/dessert, but if you insist, I'll indulge in a little delicacy, but only to please you".
4. The aperitif
Other countries practice their own version of the apéro (for example, aperitivo in Italy), but the French apéro obeys its own rules. The questions I've been asked about the apéro, often by foreigners from countries where the notion of an apéro is unknown, are, in no particular order: why do you eat cherry tomatoes in a ramekin, what's the difference between an apéro dinatoire and an apéro lambda, are you still hungry for dinner after an apéro, aren't you still hungry after an apéro dinatoire (a variant of the apéro to be explained in itself too), what time is it drunk, do we have to get fancy, what do we eat there? These are, of course, difficult questions, since everything depends on the occasion, the time of year, and family traditions. The message I try to get across to foreigners is: the aperitif is an institution in France, it's a subtle art with many rules, and, clearly, any day that ends with an aperitif is an excellent day.
5. Trinquer
Just as the kiss of the lips terrifies foreigners who don't know how or where to begin, the act of toasting gives many non-French people a cold sweat. It has to be said that the rules are many, and sometimes difficult to understand. You don't drink until you've had a toast (this is a point that enrages the British - WHAT? Waiting for everyone to have a glass before attacking your pint?), you have to look the person you're toasting with in the eye (otherwise, you know the curse!), you can't cross, and of course, you have to toast with everyone present, including children under 5 with their wobbly orange juice cups. So, 20 minutes after you've started toasting, you can finally drink, yippee!
6. Pastis / Ricard
This classic summer aperitif is largely unknown outside our borders! I often explain that Pastis (or Ricard) is like Marmite in the UK: you either love it or you hate it. It's very rare that a foreigner tasting Pastis for the first time "late in the game" can't get used to it (although you may know of exceptions), but I've often said that to appreciate Pastis, you need to drink it under the right conditions, namely: during the summer in the South of France, with the cicadas playing in the background, and the aperitif on the terrace, in the sun. I don't like Pastis, but the aniseed scent on a summer's evening is synonymous with vacations!
7. Time spent at table
It's a pity there are no official statistics, because I'm convinced that the French would be on the podium of nationalities who spend the longest at the table (in fact, an update since the publication of this article: an OECD study has just proved that this is officially the case... Thank you dear readers for sending us this link!) Especially at family meals or Christmas. Spending 3 hours at the table on a Sunday for your grandmother's birthday? Nothing could be more normal in France. And that's not even counting the aperitif beforehand, and the digestifs afterwards. Foreigners who find themselves in this situation (from certain countries more than others, it's true) have the impression that the thing will never end. Bon appétit!
8. The squeegee
Believe it or not, most foreigners have never heard of raclette, unless they go skiing in France every year, or have French friends. And even then, it's rare for them to have experienced raclette, the real thing: the kind you eat with friends, 12 of them, around a too-small table, at home, with a Téfal raclette machine. What's hardest to explain to foreigners is the cultural importance of raclette, which, despite its Swiss origins, has become a pillar of French culture, even though it's little known outside our borders. Such a pillar, in fact, that that friend we all have who doesn't like raclette (often because he doesn't like cheese) becomes the black sheep of the group every year during the winter months. The same goes for tartiflette, another great stranger to foreigners, yet one that makes French taste buds quiver with pleasure (at least mine do!).
9. Not all French people are wine experts
I often see disappointed looks on people's faces when I explain that, no, not all French people are wine experts (and I fall into this category, even though I'm a great wine lover). In fact, some of them don't like wine at all, which is a hard reality to accept for your foreign friends, who are always asking you to choose the wine at the restaurant. Or even to taste it! So why do all French people have an opinion on wine and on the fact that France produces the best in the world, even those who don't drink it? Ah, that's the French arrogance talking!
10. La galette des rois
So important in France every January, it's actually not so well known outside our borders. And if you can find them in French bakeries abroad, many people are unaware of the rules that govern the galette des rois: putting a child under the table to allocate the slices once the galette has been cut (and the fights between children to have the honor of being in charge of this task), finding the bean, choosing your king/queen, wearing the crown... What fun!
From article: http://www.lalleedumonde.com/boire-et-manger-10-traditions-francaises-etrangers-comprennent-pas/
