Holiday and vacation rental guide

Discover French Traditional Food Habits

France is a wonderful place to visit and even live.  But unless you are aware of the various customs and rules of etiquette in place, chances are you will be less likely to enjoy fully your next trip there.  If you are planning on visiting France therefore, you are going to want to be aware of these sorts of things, so that you do not come across as being rude or ignorant. There are varrious French traditional food habits for instance, that you will want to know about, so that you can go out to dine in the beautiful French restaurants and cafe without standing out the traditional French crowd.

French Traditional Food Habits

If you didn’t know it before, this one is a priority:  Food and the French go hand in hand.  In fact, it is true to say that there is a certain complicity in this relationship, elevated somehow beyond the requirements of nourishment, for the French have a great respect for their food. They have surrounded their food with so reverence, that their relationship with food is personal, and at times even sensual.  That is because it is not so much the food that they celebrate, but the occasion surrounding the meals, the joie de vivre in sampling meals that have been prepared with love and care.  As such, food is certainly also viewed as a major art form. Chefs up and down the country are eager to feature as masters in their art by various publications such as “Le Guide Michelin” which can make or break the reputation of a Chef, whoever he or she might be! Innovations having to do with food are celebrated and talked about as though they were phases in the development of a style of painting or poetry, and so you need to understand and respect the food more when you are in France.

One of the most important aspects of French traditional food habits is to take your time when you eat. Food is not meant to be shoved down quickly, on the go, or sitting at one’s desk during lunch break.  Food is meant to be enjoyed at a table, laid care and precision.  Do not hesitate to sit your fork down between each bite, if you can remember to, and oh!  A glass of wine a day is really what the Doctor has ordered.

French Chefs are known to for their temperament and their facility to loose their cool if they feel you do not enjoy their work of art.  You are in their restaurants, their temple, and food is the object art being enjoyed.  Most French chefs will take umbrage if you add condiments to a dish before even tasting it and it is also considered as being a grave insult if you ask for ketchup. This is because you are basically then telling the chef that their cooking is unsatisfactory, and it is unnecessary to add any flavoring to meals in France for the most part anyway because they are usually so well prepared.

Conversation at the meals’ table is another one of those important French traditional food habits.  Talk to each other. Not with a mouth full of course, but make sure that you engage in conversation to make your meal even more memorable.

Sit up straight in your chair, don’t fold one of your legs underneath you and keep both your hands visible even though you might be dying to place one of your hands on the knees of that delightful French lady who is your guest at the table!

Go with the flow! French traditional food habit is a complex thing to learn and come to grips with, but by understanding the reasons behind those conventions, you will begin to appreciate your meals even more.

So you want to make Authentic French Food at Home

It is difficult to find more delectable and delicious cooking than French cuisine, and the good news is that you too can make real authentic French food at home.  There are a few simple things to learn first. The most important thing to remember is that when you are cooking French food, you must remember that the French take their food seriously and as such take their time to prepare it, and of course, best of all to enjoy it. In Rome, do as the Romans do and in France… you get the meaning.  There are a few recipes in particular that you are going to want to learn if you want to know how to make French food at home.

Beef en Brochette

Popular throughout France, brochette is food threaded onto a small skewer and then grilled!  Hmm..  I can smell the aroma already!  So if you want to learn how to make French food at home, this is definitely one type of food that you are going to want to get your hands on and then, very definitely, your teeth. For Beef en Brochette you will need the following ingredients: 3 lbs. beef tenderloin and of course the following spices and ingredients needed for the marinade (A marinade is a mixture of ingredients used to flavor and moisten food): 4 medium shallots finely minced, 3 cloves garlic minced, 7-inch stalk celery minced, 2 tbsp. chopped parsley and 1 tbsp. fresh chopped rosemary.

You will also need 1 tbsp. fresh thyme leaves, the juice of 1 lemon, 1 tbsp. freshly ground pepper, 1 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp. oil, 2 tbsp. unsalted butter, 1 onion minced, 1 cup red wine, 1 tomatoes peeled and chopped, ½ tsp. sugar, 2 tbsp. Dijon mustard, 1 tbsp. lemon juice, and 1 tbsp. chopped parsley.

Combine the marinade ingredients in a large glass bowl, and then add the meat into this mix so that all the pieces are coated and let soak for at least an hour, more if you can. I usually like to live for at least 3 hours so that every aroma of the spices and other ingredients are permeated through the meat.  Melt the butter in a skillet and add onion, cook, stirring occasionally for about 7 minutes or until it is brown, and then scrape the marinade off the meat and add to the onion.

Now you want to add the wine, tomatoes and sugar and let this cook over medium heat until slightly thickened, which will usually take about 15 minutes. Puree the sauce in a blender until it is smooth, and then let the sauce cool slightly and stir in the mustard, lemon juice, parsley, salt and pepper.

All you need to do from here is divide the beef cubes among 6 12-inch skewers, and cook over very hot heat for about 8 minutes.

Of course, this is just one recipe to get you going..  There are literally thousands of recipes for French dishes and hundreds of cooking book to get your passion for French Food on the way to become a reality.

Remember that making French food at home may not be easy at first but as long as you take your time and have patience you will get better at it.

What Makes French Culture and Customs so Beautiful?

If you have ever traveled to France, you will surely have been impressed by the French customs and culture. France is such a gorgeous country, and whilst it is true that some French may appear to be rude at times, I have found them in general to charming, helpful and welcoming. When you travel to France, be sure to spend some time taking a break from tourist attractions and immerse yourself in the French culture and customs.

French Food

It is a known fact that French culture and customs is often times associated with food, and for a very good reason. French people absolutely love their food, and mealtime is a leisurely and treasured affair they choose to spend with their family and friends. Whereas Americans tend to opt for quick meals, often taken on the run, in the car or in front of a television set, in France, things are different. For the French food is an occasion to savor life and thus they make sure they fully enjoy each one of the meal they take.  Lunchtime meals for example are not taken sitting at a desk, munching at a stale sandwich, but rather sitting at a local café or restaurant and sampling the “menu du jour” which offer a diverse choice of delicately prepared meals full of taste and aroma and in smaller portions. The French always prefer to sit at a table to eat (not in front of the television), and eat late dinners, often with multiple courses. And wine almost always accompanies the meal.

Fashion and Style

One cannot talk about Fashion and style without referring to France. And while so many if the world’s top designers come from France, the custom of French culture is also deeply rooted in the fashionable. The French pride themselves to be well dressed and take pride in their overall appearance. While jeans, t-shirts, and sweatpants are commonplace in the United States, they are far less common in France. Women wear high heels as a matter of choice, and the common US t-shirts popular with the graphics displayed on them are rarely. Society has an aura of formality.  Well-made, well-tailored clothes are the norm. When in France make sure to make Galleries Lafayette or Printemps, a priority on  your list of places to visit so that you may see for yourself the essence of French fashion.

French Customs and Culture for Travelers

If you are used to the fast pace life of the US you will discover that French customs and culture even extend to that area and you will gradually learn to slow down.  Indeed the pace of life in France is much more leisurely.  Take the time to enjoy your trip and to soak up the culture around you. Secondly, no trip to France would be complete without the pleasures of a meal or two in a French café. The café culture is an essential part of France, especially in Paris.  When you are in a restaurant, the tip is generally included in your bill; generally, it is considered appropriate to round the bill up to leave an extra Euro or two for good service. And finally, make the effort to try to speak French, even if you can only ask if someone speaks English.