It's France Week! We asked Zazie Tavitian, the Food & Drink Editor over at Time Out Paris, to walk us through what French people think Americans think of them—and admit which clichés are true.
French people are used to hearing strange things about them and their eating habits. Everyone thinks of us as people with a baguette under one arm, a bottle of red wine under the other, and a camembert hidden under our bérets. However, you should know that French people's eating habits have changed since the 18th century. They like hamburgers and street food, and don't dip their cheesy toasts in coffee. (Though, it depends.)
Some clichés do ring truer than others, though. Par exemple...
French people eat frogs.
You can find frog burgers at an old place called Roger la Grenouille, where Picasso himself used to lunch. There is also a pub in Paris called Rainettes, where you can eat frogs for l'apéro.
Speaking of l'apéro...
A real apéro features red wine, cheese, and charcuterie. Nothing more. After work, if you're going to a bar to meet friends, you order a planche of charcuterie or a planche mixte (charcuterie and cheese) to go with your red wine. But that certainly does not prevent you from having a real dinner later.
A real meal goes entrée-plat-dessert, and is eaten while seated at a table. Or else it’s not a meal.
This is why it’s not a myth that French people spend a lot of time at the table—about 2 hours and 22 minutes per day, according to a survey from 2012. (I can attest this is probably still true.) At the least, you have to eat a main course and a dessert. But in most cases, there is a starter, and of course some cheese. (Perhaps a salad?)
If there's no bread, it's not a meal.
"And don’t forget to bring back a baguette" is one of those things a French person hears daily. At the very least, you'll see a crouton (the extremities of bread) on any French table; nothing is wasted.
If you don’t like cheese, French people will look at you with pity.
"Whaaaaaat? You don't like cheese? Why?" will be the most common reaction. Then, people will try to find psychological explanations for this very, very strange behavior. But what did you expect from a place that produces about 1,200 varieties of cheese?
Eating guts is fine.
The very pretty words andouillette and saucisson really just mean…guts! Mostly pig guts. When we revealed this pot au rose (a French expression for scandal) to two American friends eating andouillettes at L’Avant Comptoir, Chef Yves Camdeborde's trendy restaurant in Saint Germain, they nearly choked.
Sure, we know what brunch is. But what we really like is a good old petit déjeuner.
What a strange idea to mix salty and sweet food in the same course, and to pay an obscene price for it at a restaurant. Most of the time, during le weekend, French people just go around the block and buy a croissant pure beurre (croissant ordinaire, with margarine, is a crime); a pain au chocolat; and, of course, more baguettes.
Garçons de café are very unfriendly and it does not bother anyone.
In the old Parisian cafés, where waiters are dressed in black and white, don’t expect any smiles or kind words of welcome. Don’t be surprised if the waiter show impatience if you take too much time to choose your plate. And don’t be surprised if, after that, he expect a tip from you.
But that's okay. If you’re a real gastronome, you go to the market.
It doesn't matter if you can buy the same food at the supermarket; like Jane Birkin, you have to go to the food market on Saturday or Sunday with your wicker basket as a fashion accessory. There's a market in every city of France, so try to get on a first name basis with the organic vegetable sellers.
Because French people, men and women, really cook at home.
It’s not like Carrie Bradshaw, who uses her oven to store her shoes. No; in France, we make dinner for you, for friends, for dates, for family. This involves chopping vegetables, cooking meat, preparing a sauce, and making a nice table. My friends and I could easily spend three hours making spring rolls before sitting down to watch Top Chef.
For more on French food (sans white tablecloth), head here.
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Written by: Zazie Tavitian
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