If the Bible had been written by a Frenchman, its first commandment would have been “You must eat at least three meals a day,” and the book of Deuteronomy would probably have become a recipe book. Since the French devote quite a bit of their lives to eating and dealing with food, it is not surprising that over the years they have created an entire etiquette regarding how to behave at a meal. The number of rules has grown over the years and filled many books, so in this post, let me bring you the most important rules, a kind of Ten Commandments for the French meal:
1. During a meal, guests should be seated in the following manner: man - woman - man - woman, etc.
2. In a restaurant, the woman always sits with her back to the wall. This way, you can be sure that the man will only see his partner in front of him and will not be able to peek at other women.
3. A woman will always order first and the man will not start eating before the woman takes her first bite.
4. On the other hand, the wine will be poured first for the man, and he will be the one to taste it, so that he can make sure that there are no cork residues in the wine.
5. It is permissible and desirable to talk about food during a meal, except about the food you are eating (unless you are sitting in a restaurant, in which case it is permissible to ask your table neighbor their opinion on the food).
6. You should not cut the lettuce while eating a salad. The reason for this is that in the past, knives were made of iron and the vinaigrette dressing would give the lettuce a metallic taste.
7. A salad without dressing is simply a collection of vegetables. The dressing should be added at the last seconds before serving so that the salad is not soggy.
8. Oysters are only eaten in months that contain the letter “R” (e.g. September, November, etc.). The reason for this is that in the summer months the water is too warm and the ability to keep the oysters refrigerated is compromised. Try to be smart and order oysters in Paris in August and you should be prepared to spend the rest of your trip in the bathroom.
9. Don't put an upside-down loaf of bread on the table – it brings bad luck. The same goes for crossed knives, which symbolize an argument (especially don't put crossed knives in the sink because then a fight will start over who washes the dishes).
10. Just because something smells like a corpse or cow dung doesn't mean it's not delicious. Often, the smelliest foods taste heavenly, as evidenced by the Libarro cheese, which is considered both the smelliest cheese in the world and a French delicacy. So if you're given a hot dog or Cheese When it's particularly ripe, try holding your nose and just tasting it – you'll be in for a pleasant surprise. In the event of an unpleasant surprise, remember,France It is customary to spit to the right…