Tricky rule here: You wait for everyone to get their plate before starting BUT if you are not served yet and other people get a hot plate (like meat) it's polite to tell them to start eating before it get cold so they won't feel guilty to start eating before you get served. The "eat before it get cold" is some kind of wildcard that is used to start eating before the other are served. It's really usefull when the table is big (weeding etc).
@@erikv5382 I always wait until everyone is served before eating (excpet if I'm told otherwise). Like even if you go to a restaurant and you're a so large group that you have to sit at different tables, I usually check that all tables are served before eating
Where I'm from we just pass the dishes around and everyone serves themselves. That way they can take the amount of food they feel comfortable with. The exception would be parents dishing up food for their children. So pretty much, if you serve someone else, you're basically treating them like a child.
@@katiek1856 well it is for any meal, mostly with people you know. generally you have the dishes next to you, and in order not to encumber the table, you just serve everyone, the amount they want, and then you serve yourself
@@daniellescrochet that's what we do for family meals like christmas or stuff. But if you're eating at someone's place or at the restaurant, you must serve others before yourself
Point 3 has to do with poisoning during middle age. Then it was very common during banquets to free of your ennemy/rival by poisoning him. That's what the toast was meant for : you had to clink glasses with your guest's in order to mix each other's beverage, while staring into each other's eyes, just to be sure about everyone's intentions. Hope you're glad back home Rosie !
That sounds absolutely correct. That goes along with sneezing...they believed that part of the soul left the body and returned "blessed"/safe/"unspoiled" (by the one doing the wishing) into the body.
@@BassComb This is not a theory. That's absolutely true (I am French). If you visit some of the old castles in France, the guide will probably explain that. This usage comes from the middle age and of course lost this initial intention (there is no poison anymore ;) BUT today looking at each others eyes means that you wanty to express your sincerity to this person. If you don't do it, that would mean you don't really care about him/her of that you have something to hide. Actually it means "you are someone important to me". And the longer you look, the more important that implicit message is.
@@denebcapella2358 I was talking about clinking the glasses. By "Unfounded" I meant there isn't any piece of evidence to support the poison theory. For what I know, no medieval chronicler nor any other literature ever explained the clink tradition as a way to avoid poisoning. Pas de preuve = pas de raison de croire.
Hey Rosie, As a French it's always fun to see what foreign people thinks about us and our culture. I would say your video it's 99% accurate. I would like to add that the only part of a meal you can share it's the desert ! It's see like : your food is too good for not having any desert even if I'm full.
I eat high protein low carb meals here in the US. So bread is out, cheese is out by choice. What's left to eat in Paris? I don't drink wine, but enjoy coffee. Will I suffer in Paris?
Heather J Actually, a lot of french food can be low in carb: you will find a profusion of mixed salads with egg, tuna or chicken for example, and main courses often will be fish, chicken or meat with vegetable. The caveat is: ask for « no croutons » (bread chunks) in the salad and the veg. might include some small amount of potatoes which you can simply leave on the side of your plate. There will generally be a choice of soups (at least vegetable) and dessert options will include « yaourt » or « fromage blanc » : these are types of yogurt (the second is thicker nearly like greek yogurt) which, unless flavoured with fruit or vanilla, are unsweetened and served with sugar on the side. Often you will find goat or ewe milk yogurt and cheeses which are easier to digest than cow milk: both yogurts are really delicious ; the goat cheese (« chèvre ») has a distinctive smell, is very mild when fresh and gets very strong as it gets older and harder; the ewe cheese (« brebis ») remains mild with age. The french’s main consistent source of carbs is their bread: they do not eat rice or pasta on a daily basis.
im french and i must agree for the most part of what you say my brother in law is American and the 1st time he met my parent we were eating foie gras and he ask for some coca cola to go with I remember the guns in my mom's eyes at this moment
@@temperateortropical161 Lol I don't know if you're American or French or neither, but in North America, it's so normal to do that! Poor guy haha, I'm sure he wasn't trying to irritate her. Maybe North American habits are uncouth where you're from, which is fair lol
It's due to Prohibition that some Americans think soda is an acceptable accompaniment to a meal. Are the meals so defective that the taste must be concealed by sugar? Or are Americans obese because they're sugar addicted? Btw: wine has been consumed with meals since pre biblical times so as to counter anything in the (non refrigerated) food supply that might make people ill. Note the difference in quantity as well.
@@temperateortropical161 I'm not arguing with you about why certain customs exist in some cultures or others, or whether they should. I'm only pointing out that he definitely wasn't trying to irritate her, it would be completely normal to do that in North America (and based on this video, Oceania as well)
No, outside the USA, drinking soda with meals isn't typical at all; it'd certainly raise eyebrows. Don't confuse Rosie's lack of expressing surprise, let alone disapproval, for the idea that such a habit is normal in her country.
Hi Rosie #14- the reason we don't put the bread upside down: once upon a time, it's how we recognized the bread for the executioner. 😬😳🤨🤔🧐 Plus it's esthetically inappropriate. 😸
As a french myself, my father use to say to me about that "on ne gagne pas notre pain sur le dos". "Gagner son pain / sa croûte" literally means "wining our bread/crust" which is also a way to say "make money by working" so the full expression kinda means "we don't make money by laying on our back (sleeping, being lazy)". Guess there are several good reasons not to put the bread upside down. ^^
Hey Rosie! There are 2 rules you didn’t mention but which are really important in my opinion for us, French people 😊 First one is never eat with your hands on your legs. It is soooo impolite! Always keep your hands on the table but at the same time, avoid putting your elbows directly on the table. And second one (I don’t know if it’s the case somewhere else but I’m talking as a French girl), it is very impolite to eat with your mouth open. You have to chew with your mouth close :) If you’re not following these 2 rules in France, people will definitely see you as “mal élevé” 😊
En Français ça donne ....jean ! Les mains sur la table!🧐 Pierre! Les coudes sous la table🤨...Marie...ta tête est trop lourde?? Tu veux que l'on t'aide??🤯
@@hudiscool4186 Et le fameux "ta main elle est en vacances?" (pour la main qui ne tient pas la fourchette et qui généralement se retrouve sous la table)
I watched a lot of etiquette videos lately and I think you are referring to the international style of eating where wrists are rested on the edge of the table and you eat with knife in one hand and fork in the other at all times. Then there’s the American style eating (it is literally called American style even though other countries use this technique) where hands are on the lap at the table. While eating you cut your food and then place the knife down and put hand on lap and have fork in the other hand to eat. So international is wrists on table and American is hands on lap. I was told either are ok to use as long as you follow the rules of each one correctly.
About the bread upside down : when we left the bread upside down my mother would always flip it immediatly and say "Je ne le gagne pas sur le dos" ("I don't earn it on my back") meaning she had to work honorably in order to buy the bread and it was disrespectful to put it on its back.
actually yes, I saw that quite ofter during my childhood. They are often serve to kids, but even now i'm a grown up with few friends which don't drink alcohol, soda during apero is not something really shoking. It's just to allow everybody taste, and sometimes you don"t feel to drink alcohol.
One exception for bread and butter: in Bretagne, particularly in Finistère, you always get salted butter with your bread so you can wait for the rest of your meal! Usually you don't spread the whole butter on your bread, but take a little piece of it and eat it, and then do it again... :)
Very cool video. As a French person, I realise that some rules I consider being obvious are much more French cultural aspects than I thought. As a side note, the reason there is a superstition about putting the bread upside down is because back in time, bakers reserved the bread for tormentors by putting it upside down, and so it was associated with dead. Sorry if my English isn’t perfect, have a great trip if you plan to go to France !
Hello everyone ! I'm French and agree with a lot of things in this video 😉 But it's not rude to use water first, what is badly polished is not to offer other people to serve them at the same time. Only exception, if the glasses of other people are full, no need to propose. Moreover, you can ask doggybags in some restaurants (brewery, pizzeria) especially if you come with children. It's not badly seen, some can not, others will be happy not to throw food. have a good day ! Sorry if my english isn't perfect 🇫🇷
I'm a french far away from home and watching your video is making me remember baguette and camembert (very hard to find here in China). God, I'm addict to these. I long them.
Only time you have cider with a meal is galettes in Brittany! 😁 Thanks for another great video Rosie! As a Brit who spent 11 years in France I love seeing your point of view of life in France
Rose is back ! ❤ That's a pretty exhaustive list ! Concerning the tip "saucer ou pas son assiette avec du pain", I think it depends on the context, you should not do that (with or without your hand) if you are in a classy restaurant or with people you don't know well. But if you are at home with family or with close friends, it's more than ok to do it. In this last context you can also use your bread to help pushing your food towards your fork, instead of using your knife !). C'est pas compliqué 😂
We are a bit crazy about food... last time my brother were mad because I didn't have bread when he come to eat 😂 We ate pasta, my god. It's so french to eat carbs with more carbs and complain you feel sleepy at 2pm
149/5000 "I am on a diet, I no longer eat bread with my noodles" Coluche (the most famous comic in France; died in 1986 of a tragic motorcycle accident).
NON ! ceci n'est qu'une expérience personnelle intéressante ! rien n'est vraiment faux mais rien n'est vraiment exacte ! c'est plus nuancé que ça ! forcément ! venez passer du temps en France. C'est comme passer quelques années a NYC et dire je vais vous expliquer la culture américaine.
Yep I learnt so many of these when I was in New Caledonia, it was such a shock to me. We had dinner at 8h30 ish at a restaurant with other host families but I was sooooo hungry and luckily I brought snacks before so I could tide myself over till dinner. Dinner took 2 hours which is quite normal then we had dessert and afterwards i was ready to leave😂 but then we sat around and talked and then played a game?!? It was 1 in the morning at that point then we had wine and cheese and by the time I got home it was 4 in the morning?!?? I died a little cause this had never ever happened to me
Akasha: Thanks! You have brought back many wonderful memories of great food and great friends in Montreal (Canada). Not unusual for me, I grew up with it. Hint: If you're arriving to the meal at 4 pm, eat something at 3 pm. You won't starve, but the wine will kill you.
Hi Rosie ! A lot of the things you said in this video were true but some of them are not always accurate : some people in France (especially the young ones and the kids) do order soft drinks (and beers, of course, we love that !) in restaurants with their meal or dinner. I, even myself, last time I had dinner in a (burger) restaurant, ordered one, and I even ate my burger and my potatoes with my fingers ! But yeah, most of the time, when we're having a dinner at home, we drink water because it's healthier... Unless we're spending a casual evening with a bunch of friend in front of Netflix and/or video games (yeah, we do that too in France^^) Ahah, the 6th point sounds so weird to me : sharing a dish with a friend has never come to my mind ! I want it all for myself ! For the 7th, as a vegetarian, I sometimes do it. Well, for the doggie bag, now it's becoming more and more common, as people are very concerned about food wastage here ! I've asked for it several times and never got any confused/mean looks. So don't hesitate to ask for it and explain it's because you don't want to do food wastage and people are going to understand... maybe except in Paris hehe ! For the 12th part, I've never noticed this rule, despite the fact I'm French, and I eat the last piece^^ For the 13th part, bread with the fork, SERIOUSLY ?? Well, everyone I know do the saucing stuff with their hand !! Only snobbish bourgeois do that with the fork^^ 14th : never heard of this superstition... 15th : this one is strictly respected ! I've recently worked in the summer camp for two weeks and we desperately tried to learn this rule to children ! For once, I can understand because it seems definitely more polite to me to wait for everyone before beginning to eat. ah ah, have we got that many rules ? That's funny because we say exactly the same thing about the Japanese, that they're weird and have so many untold rules^^ So what happened if a New Zealander ever went to Japan ?^^
If you're not that hungry at the restaurant and can't finish your meal you can always ask the waiter to pack it for you so you can take it home (maybe not in super fancy restaurants but most of the time it's no problem at all and actually it avoids wasting so that's good ;) ) I saw you talked about the doggy bag and said it was kinda weird but honestly I ask for it almost all the time and the waiter always says "of course no problem" with a big smile. Most people don't ask for it because it seems most of them don't know you can, so yes it's not that common that people ask for it, but it's totally acceptable and somehow it proves that the meal was good and you didn't finish because you're full, not because you don't like it (though if you call it litterally doggy bag it sounds like you will give it to your dog which can sounds rude for the chief who cooked it) Also, I don't look people in the eyes when saying "santé" because that's annoying, especially when there is a lot of people, I haven't really noticed that anyone is really upset about that, there are some people insisting like "in the eyes!" but you should know that it is also a famous sketch from Gad Elmaleh's one man show, so sometimes people are just pretending to insist as in that show
I used to work at a ramen house here in the states, and I loved almost every bit of it. Usually on friday and Saturday nights, it was busy, and there would be many orders modified to the point of insanity, and it slows you down. I understand that allergies are a real thing, but just as much, there are those who treat the menu as optional practically. It was almost always some strain of Karen, super snooty and borderline disrespectful. If people like this travel they would do well to stick to the anglosphere, because outside of that they'll have a tough time eating out since many countries don't bow down to the whim of the customer's every single solitary need. Am I salty about this topic? Yes. Yes I am 😅
I love your videos because as a French person, you talk about absolutely normal things for me and that is how I learn what you are used to in America (:
She's not American!! Lol. She has a European accent In U.S., we absolutely wait for everyone at your table in restaurant to be served or hostess if at someone's house, no one would ever serve a baquette of bread upside down, We do expect a bread plate and cut a piece off to butter it and bite it, some (not in my family) do have soda at meals, and we do ask for take home containers if the meal was too large but was really good. It seems most other items seem like good etiquette rather than "french".
Even if it's not a good thing to use bread to eat the remaining sauce in the plate, it's true that the "acceptable" way to do it is to pick a piece of bread with your fork and then use it to sauce your plate 😉 but this is quite rare and you'll see it only in very good restaurants if people love the sauce
I'm French and living in Australia :) Very cute and informative video - French people are extremely serious when it comes to food, be around the table, manners, etc... bonne chance!
I had NEVER heard of using a fork to wipe your plate clean with bread xDDD My family, friends and everyone I know just uses their hands, even in fancier restaurants...
You don't clean your plate with bread in a "grand" restaurant. And yes, it's more well seen to use a fork to stick bread to wipe the plate if ever you really can't help but clean the plate with bread. But the rule to show your good education is usually to never clean your plate with bread at restaurant, in no one. ;)
The soft drink thing is one of the things that make me like the French a lot. First of all, Coke, Fanta etc. are candy, not drinks, and should be consumed as such. And secondly: how will you taste anything of the food when you maltreat your taste buds with those sirups? The French know how to eat and to celebrate their food and they sure have some of the greatest food on this planet. I once bought a canned Cassoulet au canard at a supermarket and it could hold a candle to some restaurant dishes I tried here in Germany. True story. We do also have excellent restaurants, though. :-)
At a restaurant in Paris I was surprised to notice that I was the only one with a hand under the table. Only much later did I find out that keeping a hand in your lap is only an American custom. I did have the good grace at the time not to comment on what i observed.
In France it is very rude to put your elbows on the table. The correct way is to keep your wrists on the table. Hands below the table is considered rude too. When I asked my mom why, when I was little, she said "because we don't know what you're doing with them". :D haha
@@FuninFrench Somewhere I read that keeping a hand under the table was started by gamblers, primarily card players, on Mississippi riverboats keeping that hand on or close to a firearm. Sounds good, but who knows?
Exactly, and it's getting quite common, so people won't think you are weird, don't hesitate. You may as well take your unfinished bottle of wine. (a few years ago, it wouldn't be done)
Beer is commonly drunk with the meal in the North of France, maybe not in Paris but definitly around Lille where the beer culture is part of the tradition -Une Lilloise
@@christianjambou8208 How uneducated and repeating prejudiced stereotypes. I have both English and French faily and the food is fantastic in both places. If you are a tourist trying to taste real British food in central London tourist traps, then you are not eating the right foods, nor at the right places.
The thing about leaving the last piece of anything is true here in Sweden too. It does get a bit ridiculous if, say, there's cake and everyone keeps cutting the last piece in half again and again never to claim the very last of it. You'd also be frowned upon if you'd ask for ketchup in fancier restaurants but that's probably true for all of Europe.
My whole team's coming to my place tomorrow for a raclette dinner to celebrate my birthday (it's winter down here...). There are 2 other Frenchies, 1 Aussie, 2 Kiwis and 1 German. I've sent them a link to this video for them to be prepared, and pointed out the "come with an appetite point" especially for my constantly snacking Aussie colleague :-D It'll be a fun night I'm sure!
Really great video!! Keep going with videos like these. They are awesome! Perhaps you could also share a little about urban legends or stories that are popular in Paris?
Oh yeah...what I call 'French facts'. Every country has them and we probably don't recognise our own - those little things that a culture assumes is true because everyone says so e.g. the mass French avoidance of 'courants d'air'.
Good tips as usual Rosie. ❤️ The 7 years of bad sex was a new one for me eek. I got chipped by a waiter on a hot day in spring for ordering a Condrieu wine instead of a Bordeaux with a veal dish. I asked him if he was offering to pay for my wine? And a lovely Asian friend of mine, I had to warn her about the hot water thing being a minefield. So she insisted on drinking a dessert wine right through our lunch. The sommelier lost his shit lol.
Marina Zagrai And it all turned out ok. I went back for lunch a week later and the sommelier apologised to me. We had a good chat, I think he learnt a lesson regarding customer service and not imposing your view on them. He got a tip from me after that and still looks after me whenever I visit that restaurant when I’m in Paris.
@@Blair338RUM He shouldn't have had to apologize if he hadn't acted like an ASS! I'm glad it was alright in the end. I live in the US, and that's why a tip should be earned (let the waiter get a cent tip, and they're going to dust off your coat before you leave!).
Marina Zagrai Marina, I agree 100% with you. But he learnt a valuable lesson. It shook him. We weren’t nasty, but he is smart enough to learn from his mistake. And he admitted it. Teaching the French about service is like herding cats lol.
A tip you didn't mention is about the cheese: a cheese platter usually includes 5 or 6 kinds of cheese, but don't pick more than 3 little pieces of them, especially when you're invited to somebody: cheese is here to be tasted after a good meal, so if you eat a lot of cheese, your host would get the impression that the quantity of the meal was not enough.
Most of the rules are true. For the fuzzy drinks: beer is the most common drink while eating in top North of France... And cider used to be in Normandy and Brittany. Now usually we have cider with a crêpes meal.
In my experience, the way to deal with French eating conventions (and other conventions, I'm sure) is to simply not care about French people's reactions to or judgments of your request. If you want a bread plate, ask for one. If the waiter reacts oddly, repeat your request and thank him. You will get what your want. The great irony is that the French, especially the Parisians, respect people who break the rules, sometimes to the point of worship. If you look at the artists, philosophers, and politicians the French revere, they are usually people who did things that were "not done" or said things that were "not said." Eating conventions are not on the same level, but the point stands: the French love rulebreakers. But, they will always try to intimidate rulebreakers first, to make sure you are breaking the rules with charm and style. Or maybe it's automatic, some kind of societal testing mechanism. I don't know. In any case, when they try this stuff on you, you just have to make it clear to them, in a subtle or humorous way, that they can go fuck themselves. They always, always back down. P.S., I don't mean this as a criticism. The French are wonderful people who have been nothing but kind to me. But they are what they are.
Just because certain customs exist doesn't mean everyone in the world has follow them to a T. We are talking about putting butter on your baguette, putting ice in your drink, or sharing a meal, not spitting at someone's face. I think there's a little room for variation, even in France.
We do not shy away from rudeness or provocation. We are unaware of it and grant no interest to its author who believes himself to be intelligent, artistic, intellectual whereas he behaves like a clumsy.
Je confirme , les repas de famille le dimanche commence à 11h par l’apéro et termine à 16h30 par le digestif 😅 , donc oui on passe beaucoup de temps à manger discuter
C'est souvent pour les grandes occasions : fêtes, anniversaires, mariages, communions... Rester tant de temps à table pour des journées ordinaires n'est pas raisonnable.
Keep your hands on the table! Not in your lap. I used to have a terrible time with this and now when i visit the UK I have to remember to keep my hands in my lap. I had a French friend who was very strictly brought up and was really stressed when she visited the UK, just because of where to put your hands. This was a really interesting post and I'll be more careful with the baguette in future!
Jacques Pépin was born in the Bresse region... if I'm right they're as proud of their butter (and creme) as the people from Bretagne are. Maybe that explains his butter on baguette dogma. Since 2015 butter and creme from Bresse have the AOP/AOC label.
I'm a Canadian and I just came back from south of France with my husband. I got halfway through your video and was like "oh good! I haven't done any of this" but then the second half of the video was all a disaster lol. We shared meals so many times because my husband hates spending money lol 🙈Ugh now I feel embarrassed
@@Rockickou Yes, but when it's because u hate spend money, is not really well seen in France. Because we think; why you invite your wife at restaurant if you don't want spend money? You'd better stay at home. Muriel Robin performs a very famous sketch on this subject called "L'addition".
@@j-loosenfout67 Mmmmmoui c'est pas faux ça. Mais c'est pas comme si c'était une grave offense quoi, du style demander à baisser le prix de plat si tu enlèves les frites ou refuser de payer sous prétexte que t'as pas aimé et en faire scandale, non ? En tout cas si je voyais deux personnes de la table d'à côté partager un plat au resto, j'en serais pas scandalisée ^^ Je l'ai d'ailleurs probablement fait moi-même
I'm going to Paris in a month and at this point I feel I should just pack a bunch of granola snack bars and survive on that, LOL I'm not a "foodie" kind of person, so skipping restaurants seems like a better option than dealing with the bad looks.
In many Asian cultures, there are numerous rules that I routinely see Westerners breaking. It's annoying when sometimes it seems flagrant (like playing with your chopsticks like they're walrus-teeth) but for the most part I just don't sweat the small stuff. I'm also from a former French colony and follow French rules on semi-formal dining. But meh...who cares...I got over all the silliness when I lived in my college dorms and saw all the different ways people stuck food in their mouths.
I feel many of these things are considered good manners in most places. Thank you for sharing. I didn’t know about the piece of bread on a fork to get the last bit of sauce. Good tip!
The vidéo is mostly true but it depends of the contexte as well for some of the points. For exemple there are places where it's absolutly not a problem to ask for a doggybag, samething for having just an "entrée". And some of the rules don't really applie in fast foods, having a soda with your meal or eat with your hands is not really a thing to do in a "classic" restaurant but if you go to McDonalds for exemple, you can. And eating with your hands can be possible if you are eating some pizza or burger in a Brasserie or a pizzeria, it would depend on the restaurant and maybe if a non french eat in a pizzeria with a french (s)he could ask the french person if it's ok or not to eat with the hands
Interesting... Seems like the more south you go the later people have dinner... In the Netherlands it starts around 6pm. In Spain it was lile 10 / 11pm... As for France I guess we eat sooner in the north (7pm?) than in the south (8 / 9pm?)...
1: I don’t do that in restaurant but in Brittany where a part of my family comes from, when we are at my Grandma’s house, the salted butter is such a thing that we can eat it at every meal (such a pleasure with shrimps or fish for example) 7: I obviously don’t go in gastronomic restaurants but in all restaurant I can ask « without this, this, this... » because I am a picky eater and it’s okay 10: actually I don’t want to waste my food so if I ask a doggy bag, I always get it without any strange look (I’m not from Paris) 13: I never seen or heard about someone using their fork to clean their plate 😂 I love these videos Rosie, I will miss you if you decide to stop RU-vid 😘
To wipe your sauce with your bread, hand are commonly used except for very expensive restaurant. As long as you don't put sauce all over your hands. Also for a tip, if you like mustard, expect french mustard served and not mild mustard... might be stronger than expected ;)
Very good job, As a french, I confirm everything you say is true. It's an excellent introduction to how to behave when eating in France I believe some rules are not specific to only french people (don't start without everyone being served, implicit law of letting a little something in the snack bowl, don't take so much that you can't finish...), and some are related to your american "bias" such as ice on drinks, replacements...
Hi there! On your point 13 - I agree that there are competing perspectives on whether one should wipe the sauce on your plate with a piece of broken baguette bread using either hands or fork. In Southern France where we visited our friends, I observed our friends wiping their plate using their hands.
Wow you have been dining in fancy places with fancy people haha. Most of the times things are not that fussy, it mostly depends on the place and the company. So for the butter I agree but if you still want some without being judged, you can ask butter when you eat radishes, it’s a little tip. For the fizzy drinks, people absolutely drink them throughout the meal (everyone I know do at least) but...when we drink wine, we avoid it because it spoils the flavor. The reason why it’s weird to ask ketchup is because the biggest added value to our cuisine is the variety of out sauces. It’s glorious and ketchup is just the bottom of the sauce barrel for us haha. And for the bread used to finish the sauce, I have never in my life used a fork. We do tend to avoid eating with our hands but this is the exception for me. Asking for replacement in a set meal can lead to a little teasing but at the same time, the French are so into food that we do not hesitate for a minute to ask for it even though we know it can be seen as a bit annoying. We are annoying about food and we are unafraid haha. Once again it depends on the place and who you’re going with though. I agree with everything you said if you dine in a fancy restaurant or with you in laws for the first time. As a French living abroad, it’s always nice to follow your videos just to reconnect with the culture. Thanks for your love and appreciation of our culture !
Antony Mompo je suis pas d’accord pour les boissons gazeuses. C’est vrai qu’on boit de l’eau à table et pas autre chose. C’est comme ça que j’ai été élevé et au restaurant si je bois du coca en mangeant c’est que je l’ai pas fini avec pendant l’apéro! Le seul moment où on boit des boissons gazeuses en mangeant c’est dans les fast food
Mais y’a rien de « fancy » à servir les autres avant de se servir soi, de finir son assiette, de ne pas prendre le dernier morceau de l’apéro, d’attendre le « bon appétit » avant de manger ect ect... c’est des règles de base
Ah oui non c’est pour la plupart le fancy mais je suis d’accord que attendre c’est plutôt classique. Pour les boissons gazeuses j’imagine que chacun a ses habitudes
@@antom999 Je pense que ça dépend des gens pour les boissons. Généralement en famille ou au restaurant on ne boit pas de boissons sucrées pendant les repas mais là encore ça dépend des gens. C'est généralement les jeunes qui le font.
Bread, in the basket, on the table. Available at all time. No nibbling at it. Cut a slice cut it in half and spread butter on it. Baguette is made for spreading thing on it. Soft inside but a nice crust so you. Can. Spread. Butter. Might be a Brittany normandie thing though. Mom might say "don't stuff yourself it's only entrée " I so miss French bread.
I am French myself and have an US American husband... I think he probably know all of this but... as a reminder I will forward your video! Another thing I would add eventually, is that in France you have to keep your hands on the table when eating unlike the US or Germany for example.
hello :) About the bread on the table. There is basically 2 ways to share bread. Already cut like in restaurant and the baguette on the table that you have to cut with your hands. This is the way families, friends and coworkers use bread. It shows a strong bond between people. It means you are sharing bread so life together. The word "copain" come from this habit which mean friend now but meant you were sharing bread on almost daily basis. (you should really try a strong cheese with some jam on it ^^ look for the good combination on internet)
The rule with sauce and bread in France is very special. This depend of where you live. In town people use the fork to hold the bread but it's a bit "prout prout" like we say in France. It 's for people who want to be very distinguish. Generally we just a take a piece of bread with the hand. Sometime (this append generally with soups and not in restaurant) you can see people licking the plate :D
Hey (I'm french). You're not suppose to finish the sauce in your plate with bread (nor with a spoon). We said "Il ne faut pas saucer". Sometimes we do it (if the sauce is really good), but it's against the "étiquette" and we apologize for it. (Maybe because it's almost like liking your plate for the very last drop of it,). But nice video, like always.
ou alors on dit "fuck les regles qui n'ont aucun sens, mangeons ce qu'on veut comme on veut et laissons " l'etiquette " aux culs serres qui s'accrochent a leur bourgeoisie."
About the bread putted on is back , it comes from Middle Age. At the time , the morning of an execution , the baker used to reserve one bread for the executioner by turning it upside down...so having the bread turned on his back is associated to death and woe . ;)
2:44 Regarding rule #3, my grandparents would maintain eye contact between the time they picked up a wine glass and when they set the glass back down on the table.
Cool video, thank you. Since I've been living in France (I am German) I often struggle with the 'no salt and no pepper on the table' thing. In Germany we always have it on the table and we consider it bad service if we have to ask for it. Another thing I noticed is that side salad comes without dressing. I think they only see it as decoration but I actually want to eat it :D
Haha, I was waiting for the fourth facts about the bread upside ;) Your videos are worked and they give me the possibilities to improve my english. So thank you !
Woohoo ! Useless historic fact on #14 ! We don't put bread upside down because it was the way to recognize the executioner's one : on middle age, he was able to get free stuff, like food or bread. So that's why ;) Really nice videos btw, laughed so hard on the stereotypes !
I have been living in France for 15 years now and I’m still tired of their eating habits, either it’s breakfast or lunch or dinner ... it’s too too stuck up sometimes lol so often I do eat on my own way just to be scandalous Hahahaha and it works 😈
Way to go...you show them! Who are they to complain, when their custom in the 17th century and part of 18th was not to bathe because you might run the chance of dying...hahaha
Eating slowly for hours ... 😂😂😂 thats true. For the bread: in France we let the bread crums on the table. And the tartine in the morning you eat without plates, just on the naked table.
I grew up in France, in the Alpes, we always ate at 6 , 30 pm in winter and 7 pm in Summer never later, and all my family still do the same. It is not all the same in France , each regions has it own rules stop stereotype France please!
About #4 cidre (fizzy apple alcohol) and fizzy wines like champagne or clairette are often accepted and common on special occasions (birthdays, christmas etc)
If you haven't travelled to North America or Anglo Saxon countries, she refers to small plates that are placed on the top left of your dinner plate, and put there specifically for your bread as is etiquette in those countries. In France that small plate doesn't exist we just put the bread on the table
The plate for bread does exist in really posh restaurants, and afterwards they sweep the crumbs away on the table with a special crumbs sweeper after the main.
Hi Rosie! Good video as always! It's very nice to see our French culture depicted and explained from a foreign point of view ! In this video you are mostly right, just some comments or details: #3 - Never heard of the bad sex thing... I think it's mostly a tradition from the Middles Ages (have a look at Ogami Itto's comment to know why) #7 - You can ask for modifications, if it's only one or two... If more you'll be considered as a pain in the *** #10 - There's a law that compels restaurant to give a doggy bag ! Usually you don't need one since you ate everything 😉 #13 - i disagree, we definitely use our hands to wipe sauce with bread (maybe not in classy restaurants)! #14 - Putting bread upside down meant you invited the executioner in your place (and thus the Devil), so you didn't do it. Old people used to pay attention to that but now it's less and less common And you forgot to mention that we speak about food (or next time we'll eat) even when eating ! 🤣
hello ! we do not put the bread up side down on the table because in old times when the boulanger baked the bread it was the one for the executioner that s why it's no good!
Chiara Francioli in my opinion there are two different occasions: the one when you are with friends at a bar and you say « santé »; and the one when you are with family or at a formal event and you’re celebrating something like a birthday or a certain accomplishment with Champagne!
I think it is ok to be yourself with just a little adjustment here n there. You can't expect a tourist to embrace everything. Not there to settle down after all.
i think its better to only serv yourself only of half of what you're planning to eat (depending also if ppl take full plate and it sdont seem there is going to be a second serving) because if you take more but only take a small protion it look like you dont really like it and force yourself, also keep in mind there is cheese and dessert after the main dish
Point 3 is not really a superstition, we just like to make eye contact (it is more polite as well, like when you say hello to someone you look at that someone) when cheering, the bad sex thing is told as a joke...
If you say "bon appetit" in aristocratic families, it is actually considered as quite rude. It is like wishing you to have a good digestion, which sounds impolite to the person who took so much care in preparing your meal (that you should have no problem to digest). Plus, it refers to your digestive system, which can sound indelicate because too organic (= relative to your anatomy = grose). However, in most environments, this is totally accepted. So don't worry. But I thought it was interesting to specify this :)
