Life in Rural France Interpreted Through the Eyes of an Ex-Pat Southern Belle

By Guest Postress, Lynn McBride of Southern Fried French

Southern Fried French editor and Better Homes & Gardens and Traditional Home magazines French editor, Lynn McBride.

Lynn McBride is witty, charming and can translate life in rural France as only could a Southern belle ex-pat or Peter Mayle.   A regional editor for Better Homes & Gardens and Traditional Home magazines, Lynn is able to continue producing and writing stories for the magazines in Europe in addition to bringing France alive in her blog for those of us stateside.

Her recent post, “It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere” Does Not Apply,  is so great and if you don’t know Lynn, this is our way of introducing her to you.  Be sure to visit her over at Southern Fried French and for heaven’s sake, subscribe to her blog. She posts a delightful post every Friday.

.

.

.

THE RULES for drinking in France:

“It’s 5 o’clock Somewhere” Does Not Apply

The French love rules, and they are mine fields for unsuspecting ex-pats, until they learn the ropes. We had our first taste of THE RULES for drinking shortly after we moved into the château. One afternoon, we spontaneously invited a group of 10 or so French folks who were visiting Nicole and Pierre to come up and have a look at our apartment. It was 5-ish in the afternoon, so as everyone was standing around admiring the apartment, I said, “Would anyone care for a glass of wine”? There was silence, followed by startled looks all around, and then, “Merci, mais non”. It was clear we had made a social faux-pas, but how could that be?

I later quizzed Nicole, who admitted we had breached protocol. She proceeded to teach us THE RULES for drinking/serving alcohol, if one is to do it properly.

Rule number one : You ONLY drink wine with food. You may drink it with lunch, and then again in the evening beginning with apératifs (served with a few munchies), but not until after the magic hour of 7:00.

We were confused. “In a café, in the heat of summer, you can’t order a glass of nice chilled white wine at 3:00, or even 5:00?”

Non. “At a café or bar,” Nicole said, “you may drink coffee or tea, or un sirope, or even a beer, but no wine until 7.”

Drinking beer in the afternoon--it's huge.

There was more. Apératifs may be champagne or crémant (the local version of champagne), or white wine, never red. Red commences only with the serious food. The host always pours the wine (don’t touch that bottle, even if it’s in front of you), and a French hostess never pours wine—-even the very enlightened Nicole holds to this this one.

And here’s a really interesting rule: a pitcher of water is set on the table at a meal
but not normally offered, since offering it would subtly imply that the guest has
overindulged, and should perhaps make the switch. If you’re offered water, take note!

Our friend Dee: Women can't pour wine in France. There may be a backlash.

One more, which is quite a bother: At a party, you don’t pour the first drink until EVERYONE arrives. And the French are not known for their promptness. So very often, chez nous, when the early guests have arrived for a party Ron will cheerfully announce “American rules apply!” Is it just my imagination, or do even the French smile when they hear that illegal cork pop?

Why are the rules important? Well, évidemment, such a structure helps keeps abuse at bay. But also the drinking of wine, it turns out, is somewhat of a class distinction. Ouvriers (blue collar types) may be seen in the cafés having their petit blanc at a frighteningly early hour, and sometimes drink it throughout the day. Drinking wine at the improper time marks you as mal éléve-badly brought up–or worse.

It’s close to 5:00 now, think I’ll go have a coffee—-oh wait, there are a whole set of rules for that too! But that, dear readers, would fill up another entire post.

RECIPE: Roasted Pepper Toasts

peppers

So, it’s 7:00, time for that white wine, but you must serve it with food! Here is a quick little something to offer with apéros that you can make at the last minute, from ingredients that are probably in your cupboard. With a green salad on the side, it makes a nice starter or a light lunch, too.

Rinse and drain the white beans and put them in a food processor with the garlic, a tablespoon of olive oil, a splash of lemon juice, and some sea salt and ground pepper. Blend until smooth and the consistency of a spread, adding more olive oil if needed.

Drain peppers well, and chop.

Spread crackers or toasts with bean spread and top with peppers and chopped basil.

FAQ’s about moving to France