haché (ha-shay)
un steak haché = hamburger (the French say hamburger when the burger is served on a bun; sans bun and it's called un steak haché)
A DAY IN A FRENCH LIFE
by Kristin Espinasse
My friend Ann wrote a new book called Mastering the Art of French Eating. Now there's a book I could have used when coming to France. Then, the world of food and dining was as foreign to me as the bon vivants who lived there.
Over the years I've had to paste together my own version of l'Art de Manger Française. Here are just a few gleanings:
Get your order right or end up with a marijuana burger
It's easy to flub up an order, or une commande–but a command of the French language will save you the embarrassment. Take your time when ordering and avoid the mistake I made when, as a young recruit at the chamber of commerce in Marseilles, I slipped out to lunch at a nearby burger joint and ordered a steak hashish….
Don't stock beans or other things
While playing house with my then boyfriend, I was lining up the cans of haricots verts and thon and maïs when I received a polite request: Essayons de ne pas stocker la nourriture, Jean-Marc suggested. It was true, why hoard food when the market was nearby? By buying only what we needed we could eat fresher meals and save money (by not having to toss out expired food).
Is French milk older than a toddler?
One of the things the French do stock is milk. So much so that it has a creepy-long shelf life! (the French keep their milk in the cupboard until opening the bottle, at which point it's stored in the fridge).
It is an acquired taste le lait UHT (sterilized, longue durée) but one thing's sure: a café au lait made in France is appreciated far and wide. Americans love it! So if you've ever wondered why you couldn't recreate the creamy taste back home, now you know: fresh milk's the culprit.
6 o'clock is when the birds eat
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Isn't there a rule about keeping your elbows off the table and left hand in your lap when dining? It's practically the opposite in France, where a hand that disappears beneath the table might be up to no good (feeding the hostesse's escargots to the dog, are you? Or maybe, as in olden times, you're reaching for your gun?! Best to keep your hands to the sides of your plate so the hostess can relax.
(When I first learned this rule, I didn't know about hungry dogs or outlaws, or the history behind the "hands on table" etiquette. My guess was that French innuendo was at play again–and that the French were always imagining the racy side of things. In America we call below the table "hanky-panky" footsies.)
Bon ap'!
It's lovely in any culture to wish each other bon appetit, but the French go as far as blessing complete strangers. Bon appétit, they'll call out, when you're seated on a park bench chowing down on un sandwich au fromage. Bon appétit, they'll shout, when you're stopped at a traffic light, inhaling a croissant, late for work. Bon appétit, you'll hear, when strolling down the street, window-shopping and munching on a slice of pizza. It can be embarrassing… or deeply charming. Depends on how you take things.
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le haricot vert = green bean
le thon = tuna
le maïs = corn
essayons de ne pas stocker de la nourriture = let's try not to stock food
I leave you with a few recipes–in case you missed them:
Tomato Tart — don't miss this favorite! It's tomato season here in France and time to make this easy, fast recipe that everyone loves!
No Grudge Fudge : you won't be mad at yourself after eating this organic 4-ingredient sweet treat. I've made it several times since posting the recipe (the latest version is a Reese's knock off! Just add peanut butter…)
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Braise (above left) and I in 2009. One of these 6 pups is Smokey.
This blog turns 11-years-old in a few months. 1500 stories are found in the archives, or pick up an edited collection here or here. Your book purchase is a great support to this free word journal. Thanks for reading and for sharing this website with a friend.
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The first time I saw two nicely dressed French women in a cafe waiting for their meal with knife in one hand and fork in the other, poised to begin the minute the plate was set down, I though I was looking at two Minnesota lumber-jacks ready to attack a plate of hotcakes! Then I found out that’s the way they eat! My daughter mastered that style when living in Australia…I still can’t do it.
The place I like to eat at home is at my kitchen counter with the newspaper spread out in front of me. I always like a table…I don’t eat or drink in my car or on the street. Everybody’s different! Viva la French!
The first time I saw two nicely dressed French women in a cafe waiting for their meal with knife in one hand and fork in the other, poised to begin the minute the plate was set down, I though I was looking at two Minnesota lumber-jacks ready to attack a plate of hotcakes! Then I found out that’s the way they eat! My daughter mastered that style when living in Australia…I still can’t do it.
The place I like to eat at home is at my kitchen counter with the newspaper spread out in front of me. I always like a table…I don’t eat or drink in my car or on the street. Everybody’s different! Viva la French!
I so love your posts and French food is a particular passion. I have noticed that in France there is a more relaxed way of using cutlery at the table and it’s not frowned on to put the knife down and use the fork in the right hand. I notice too that food is more often served in bite sized pieces so there is not so much sawing! Scottish table manners more closely follow the French and it is sometimes said that the English fiddle about with the food – trying to eat garden peas with a knife and fork pointed down – it looks so prissy! Of course table etiquette in England (and here in S Africa) has relaxed since The War. Eating while walking along the street is now all too common – in both senses of this word – one of the horrors of the fast food generation! Thank you Kristin.
I so love your posts and French food is a particular passion. I have noticed that in France there is a more relaxed way of using cutlery at the table and it’s not frowned on to put the knife down and use the fork in the right hand. I notice too that food is more often served in bite sized pieces so there is not so much sawing! Scottish table manners more closely follow the French and it is sometimes said that the English fiddle about with the food – trying to eat garden peas with a knife and fork pointed down – it looks so prissy! Of course table etiquette in England (and here in S Africa) has relaxed since The War. Eating while walking along the street is now all too common – in both senses of this word – one of the horrors of the fast food generation! Thank you Kristin.
Congratulations on the 11 year mark, Kristin. My food story involves our chocolatiere in our home port of Roanne. Last fall I went there in the morning for our usual Sunday treat (bien sur!). After waiting in line for awhile, I asked, in French for a Sunday “dessert”, not realizing that I was pronouncing the word like an American with a “z” and not an “s”. Our chocolatiere smiled and asked I wanted a camel or whether I would prefer chocolate. I haven’t made the mistake since and she continues to kid me, calling me her “desert” friend to the other customers.
Randy Komisarek
Bateau “Alouette”
Gray, France
Congratulations on the 11 year mark, Kristin. My food story involves our chocolatiere in our home port of Roanne. Last fall I went there in the morning for our usual Sunday treat (bien sur!). After waiting in line for awhile, I asked, in French for a Sunday “dessert”, not realizing that I was pronouncing the word like an American with a “z” and not an “s”. Our chocolatiere smiled and asked I wanted a camel or whether I would prefer chocolate. I haven’t made the mistake since and she continues to kid me, calling me her “desert” friend to the other customers.
Randy Komisarek
Bateau “Alouette”
Gray, France
About milk in France… true, most people buy the long conservation milk, much cheaper( and the French rarely drink milk as Americans do).
Mais, fresh milk is available in most stores, including organic.
Thanks for the easy et delicieuses recettes!
About milk in France… true, most people buy the long conservation milk, much cheaper( and the French rarely drink milk as Americans do).
Mais, fresh milk is available in most stores, including organic.
Thanks for the easy et delicieuses recettes!
Hi Kristin,
I hope all is going well with you and your family. How is Jackie liking the US?
I noticed in one of the photos that a “curtain” is hanging over a closed door. What is the purpose of the cloth?
I loved your recipes. I am going to repeat the fudge at Christmas.
My best to you,
Sharon
Hi Kristin,
I hope all is going well with you and your family. How is Jackie liking the US?
I noticed in one of the photos that a “curtain” is hanging over a closed door. What is the purpose of the cloth?
I loved your recipes. I am going to repeat the fudge at Christmas.
My best to you,
Sharon
Loved this post Kristi. We currently have guests from Aix-en-Provence staying with us and we are on what we call “French time”, which means we don’t eat until ‘l’heure de grillon’, as you say. Thank goodness I dropped a few pounds after our return from Belgium/France in April, as our guests are doing the cooking and the pounds are nowe adding up! Oh, and your tomato tart is one of my ‘go to’ recipes in summer! We all LOVE it with fresh tomatoes from the Farmer’s Market!
Loved this post Kristi. We currently have guests from Aix-en-Provence staying with us and we are on what we call “French time”, which means we don’t eat until ‘l’heure de grillon’, as you say. Thank goodness I dropped a few pounds after our return from Belgium/France in April, as our guests are doing the cooking and the pounds are nowe adding up! Oh, and your tomato tart is one of my ‘go to’ recipes in summer! We all LOVE it with fresh tomatoes from the Farmer’s Market!
Bonjour Kristin,
I was going through my inbox and found this delightful post! I must have missed it the first time around because July 23 was the date we flew home to the U.S. after a glorious year in Amiens, France!
We LOVED the milk, and every other dairy product for that matter, and shared many meals at “l’heure de grillon” with the wonderful French friends we made there.
We are gradually getting used to life in the U.S. again, but we miss our French life so much…
Thank you for your posts to remind us of the things we loved the most!
Bonjour Kristin,
I was going through my inbox and found this delightful post! I must have missed it the first time around because July 23 was the date we flew home to the U.S. after a glorious year in Amiens, France!
We LOVED the milk, and every other dairy product for that matter, and shared many meals at “l’heure de grillon” with the wonderful French friends we made there.
We are gradually getting used to life in the U.S. again, but we miss our French life so much…
Thank you for your posts to remind us of the things we loved the most!