What NOT to do when Eating in France | French dining tips | French culture tips
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Eating in France - what a joy! But when it comes to eating in French restaurants or dining at a French person's home, there are definitely some French dining customs and French dining rules to be aware of. In this video I share 18 French dining tips that will help you to brush up on those French table manners of yours and avoid any obvious social faux pas in France.
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6 Things To NEVER Say To A French Person | What Not To Do While In France: • 6 Things To NEVER Say ...
Are you an expat in France? Have you picked up on any particular habits around French eating French manners or table manners in France? I love learning about "les faux pas en France" so please do let me know below!
Or if you're French, could you share with us some more dos and don'ts in France or some essential French manners? Or general rules around etiquette? It's always interesting for us foreigners to learn more about!
Of course, these are mostly based on my experience on what not to do in Paris France, there are probably lots of relaxed families out there who dunk the bread etc!
#eatinginfrance #frenchculturetips #frenchdining
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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).
Wait, this doesn't work like that in other countries ?
@@f0ld920 Apparently, not Regis' one
With larger tables, the rule applies that if the people around you (so left, right and other side of the table) are served, you can start eating.
@@erikv5382 Not in France at least.
@@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
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 !
Oh! really interesting! than you!
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.
If I'm correct, the "poison" theory to explain the way the French clink glasses stays unfounded. I don't think there's any solid explanation.
@@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.
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... :)
That's true. Actually in Bretagne, the bred is just an excuse to eat the salted butter 😄
in Bretagne, butter is food, not dressing.
@@ordinosaurs In Bretagne, butter is religion, not food and even less dressing.
On aime la Bretagne juste pour ça 😍😍
Not in Finistère only, we are doing it in Ille & Vilaine as well. Salted butter is life 😍
yes, always serve yourself last. I thought it was a common thing everywhere !
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.
Danielle McCarthy that’s “family style” eating. And I think she might have been referring to dessert or drinks, that sort of thing.
@@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
That is how it's supposed to be done in the USA.
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?
@@heatherj9029 Yes! We enjoy to share meal and food is a part of it, we don't consider it as gazolin for a car
@@heatherj9029 Umm. Don't be a douchebag? You're on holiday...
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.
@@bbmcgee33 I have a medical condition. I would prefer to be like most people but sadly i'm not. I would prefer not to be sick, but I am.
i'm french and i feel like a strange specie under study when i see this video
@@usernameusername6600 right
Yeah and i am also quite offended that she considered asking for ketchup or a soda at a restaurant.
@@anselme198 to be fair she simply warned against ketchup or soda.
Many of these rules apply even in the USA, but too many people delight in ignoring the rules here & get away with it. In Europe generally people expect rules of etiquette to be followed, making the rule breakers feel as foolish as they deserve.
Well, we are a strange species :3
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” 😊
I'm not sure with the first one
That's absolutely right both hands on the table no elbow on the table though and no "cupping" your head in your hand!
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.
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
Either he's uncouth or he was deliberately trying to irritate her.
@@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.
#13 is only at uptight restaurants that you avoid doing that, but I guarantee that if I enjoyed a good meal with a good sauce, I’ll deep that piece of bread onto my plate until whipping the last bits !! :-)
Best respect to the chef is shown by leaving a perfectly clean plate. And leaving the place with a wide smile that tells everyone you had a very enjoyable time.
Never ever use a fork though ! ( or bread for that matter ) if the sauce was really good you can ask the waiter ( in high end restaurants ) or your host for a special spoon ( cuillere à sauce ) to take the last sip of that deliciousness
Never wiped sauce my all life, it's disgusting to me.
Ah bon ? Moi on m’a toujours toujours dit que même chez soi c’était très très impoli d’essuyer la sauce avec le pain à la main et qu’il fallait toujours mettre le pain sur la fourchette avant de le faire
I try to do "quand on est à Rome..." as far as I can. But if there is a tasty sauce left on the plate, then bread is getting dipped. I'll claim diplomatic immunity if anybody protests. Bothering a fork to do so seems a bit silly.
I am italian and I often find that what you say about france is also true in italy
Meme I’ve been to Italy and it’s kinda true, it’s cause we have a strong gastronomy culture 🇫🇷🇮🇹
Latin bros
Except for the bread in restaurants. You have to pay it in Italy. In France it s free and as much as you want
Francine Villa the reason is france is a rich country... no one gives a shit for 1 euro for bread .... Love france 😘❤️❤️
Italians eat a lot of stuff with hands, though. It's more sensual.
Bread is never upside down on a table because in ancient times at the bakery, that was the executioner's bread.
@@SLOWHAND234 Which context? Upside-down now on a table means nothing, just inattention and shocks the superstitious. Before, while guillotine was still in action, till 1981 (yes!), bread upside down in the bakery was reserved for the executioner and nobody was touching it....
@@Jeff-ub4lr not exactly. During the monarchy, the executioner was an officer of the Crown whose privilege was to be able to take away from any merchant anything he could seize with his hands. As said hands were "impure", bakers would put on their shelves the loaf of bread of the executioner with the upper crust upside down. This privilege disappeared with the Révolution, when the executioner became just any civil servant.
@@jeangabrielkahane2961 I did not know, thanks.
what if you're John Wick tho?
Would the executioners please leave so we can eat the way we want. 😶
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. 😸
Hmm... interesting. Maybe upside down bread would be a good etiquette to follow at Hellfest!😬💀🙇
It depends. It has other definitions like: meaning you earn your money honestly, some others will say it's to not make the devil come, etc.
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. ^^
@@rycky56 Mmm...okay, ...I guess the executioner and devil stuff seem more intriguing though...
@@dougarnold7955 As I said, it really depends where you are in france. Different regions have differents significations.
For the 4 it is because sugar changes totally the taste of the food. It is impossible to enjoy a good meal with a beverage that don't fit. So water is a good option. Beer is ok with choucroute.
Beer is also seen as a good choice of beverage in north of France, just like wine or water
and cidre with crepes!
@@funlovincop parlez-vous directement en français on sait d'où vous venez l’alsacien et le breton ! :P
@@tyutiszognard J'ai des origines Bretonnes oui :) j'adore une bonne bolee de cidre avec une crepe au sarasin!
@@funlovincop miaam (°w°)
Ok j'aurais du me taire, maintenant j'ai envie de me gaver des bonnes choses Bretonnes.
Whenever I get strange looks while in France I just explain I’m Spanish and that seems to satisfy everyone.
I like that!
But the funny part is that I’m not
Lol, she is Spanish, she is allowed to do all those rule-breaking stuff.
Yes. We have a poor opinion about Spaniards. Just a joke.
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.
I am French and this is very accurate, I didn't even realize we do all of these things lol but we do
3:25 fizzy drink with cheese or charcuterie???!!! ARE YOU KIDDING?!
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.
During apero you drink fizzy drink or alchool with cheese and charcuterie.
Usually it is children that drink fizzy drinks
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
Oui on est des gros porcs et alors ??? x)
@@sevenn4365 on est des porcs fiers :D
Je suis solidaire avec votre frère ! ;)
Ela .drael haha 😂
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).
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
We can eat all day/night long, that's French first rule 😂
Sounds wonderful!
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.
😀
0:20 "hours and hours and hours ..." hahahah I know someone who had to attend to a french Christmas dinner.
Lol. Longest meal of the year on France.
And whats the point. If you like america so much go and eat at mc donalds.
@@Matthieu260582 What is the link?
You are perfectly right, eating before everyone is served and someone said "Bon appétit" is so rude !
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 🇫🇷
The medieval toasting tradition with the eyes thing also used to have the action of splashing a bit of your own glass into the glass of others so poisoning someone's glass would be discouraged. My French husband and I share meals in restaurants all the time and the waiters are nice to us .... y'know, it's the age of the gilets jaunes. People are generally sympathetic if they think you're on a budget.
I'm in a quite rural part of France here in the Deux Sevres region of Nouvelle Aquitaine......was Poitou Charante. Mostly agree with everything you said. A few small differences. Quite often the bread is served already cut into slices for you to take. You only take one at a time and ask for more after you finished with that one.....restaurants included. The height of compliment to the cook/chef is to return a plate that barely needs washing and you mop up every drop of food with your bread. Looking forward to your cheese video now. We do have one thing with the Brie......maybe a local thing, not sure. Brie is always served as a wedge on the board. When taking your piece, you never.....never, ever, at all, under pain of death being hung drawn and quartered.....cut the wedge off the pointed part. You take a slice down the side maintaining the wedge shape !
Ooooooh yes! With the brie, and also the cantal! All the cheeses sliced in pointed form! I can't stand when people cut the end like a square.I'm too from a rural part of France (Corrèze in Nouvelle Aquitaine ) and here it's ok to cut a small part of your bread and use it with your fingers to clean the plate, but for sure it's more fancy to do it with a fork!
Like someone said earlier in comments the only thing ok to share in a restaurant is the dessert.
I agree it's reaaaaaaally rude when you're invited to get too much food in your plate and not finishing it, like starting eating before everyone is served!
I did this once in front of a frenchman and boy oh boy
Oh no, I've been eating my Brie horribly wrong for so many years!^^ But I have to say, now that I've read your comment, slicing off the side to maintain the shape does make sense, aesthetically. I will definitely include that in my table manners.
And why did my picky french roommate not inform me? He criticised all my eating habits, especially those regarding cheese! :-D But I'm grateful (cheese, grate-ful, get it?), he taught me valuable lessons and increased my ability to enjoy and savour my food. In return I gave him advice/incentive in terms of exercise and he improved his shape and fitness. German-French friendship. But, boy, were we different. :-D
@@BlackAdder665 I went to dinner with a few French friends and did exactly that. They had said they had no "formalities" and to just help yourself. BUT when it came to cheese, although they thought they had no etiquette problems they obviously did. Being brought up to do things properly they were so surprised at how ingrained their table expectations were. Didn't stop me feeling embarrassed though.
Cheese cutting rules could be a full video topic in fact. The general rule is to take both the inside and the outside of the cheese whatever is left from the cheese.
Nice video! I'm German and from time to time in France for work. When I'm there I focus on the differences and try to avoid faux pas. It's refreshing to see in your video how many things Germans and French have in common. You normally don't think too much about those things ☺️
Thank you for posting videos with very practical information!
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
Merci Rosie pour cette vidéo, c'est toujours un réel plaisir.
Bonne chance dans ta nouvelle vie (loin de la France 😥)
Amicalement
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.
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 !
Yu french will starve soon, no food frim afrika
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 😂
I think you make a great point--the rules for public/restaurant eating are more rigid than at home with family.
C'est bizarre j'ai toujours vu et fait ça dans n'importe quel restaurant (hors étoilé peut être )
I’m going to be a French teacher and this video will definitely be a good one to show my students!
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.
J’ai l’intention de revenir en France après avoir mon diplôme, mais ces petites vidéos sont intéressantes et j’imagine elles seront utiles aussi.
Bonne chance
C'est une bonne vidéo.
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 ?^^
Thanks for all the great information! I think it would be really helpful at the end of each video doing a couple teaching phrases in French related to the video like.... can we have a glass of water? A table for two? Etc.
Your videos are great!
" on peut avoir de l'eau s'il vous plait ? " (water)
" deux personnes s'il vous plait" two people please
Thank you for this video. I am going to france tomorrow and I really needed this.
You're back! And it's amazing content, comme d'hab :)
On the topic of eating, the reason we take our time eating and I think you might have mentioned this in another one of your videos, it takes 20 minutes or so for our brains to register that we have eaten. So, when someone as you say “inhales” their food, their brain doesn’t have enough time to register what’s happened so they tend to be more hungry. (I hope you get what I’m trying to say)
I visited France in 1989. Truly, the baguettes were amazing, compared to California "French" bread. That was something I recall of an especially nice visit. I had two years of French language, which helped a lot. Everything I heard of of rude French culture I did not see there. My Grandfather had been there in the 2d War, but didn't tell me much. The only food rule I was told, was not to walk around and eat. I did not do that in the U.S. so . I was also in Switzerland. Save Mexico, that is the sum of my foreign travels.
Im french and you really describe those french food habits so greatly ty
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 !
In Brittany, you can ask for butter (salted butter of course) at every meal in restaurants !
You need to go to Alsace, we drink beer during diner there.
Also when cheering don't cross with someone else.
Well, you're not in Paris! Thank goodness there are normal people outside of the capital. I forgot about the crossing!
Alsace doesn't count: they're half German
@@rossanaguasconi6753 well we do that too in French Flanders
@@rossanaguasconi6753 Telling une Alsacienne she is part German would start a war. Absolutely not. Read a Hansi book. Alsace is very proudly French.
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".
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!
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
It’s rude everywhere to start eating before everyone has been served.
Except in italy, you are supposed to start you dish the moment you get it, otherwise it looses the taste when colder. And its not rude there. But most other places it is I think.
@@fleurbloem5462 not really :)
At a very informal meal the person serving piping hot pasta or pizza might say "please do start, your pasta will taste horrible if you wait". However that's just a friendly thing to say, you are not expected to follow through. What you are supposed to do is to decline and wait that everyone has been served :)
@@ChiaraFrancioli oké, I once read that its like an insult to the dish to not eat is at is best state. But maybe I was misinformed on that blog or whatever it was. Are you italian?
@@fleurbloem5462 I am. Having been an expat myself, to me this sounds like something a foreigner might very well have concluded (and published somewhere) after visiting some casual pizzeria. Sometimes as foreigners we do take things literally :)
@@ChiaraFrancioli oké, yeah I think I read it at buzzfeed or something. So thanks for clarifying. Btw I LOVE italian food. Whats your favourite dish?
Loved all of those tips
This was very interesting and helpful. Thank you!
Omg, the french people would see me as a barbarian at the table 😅
Hahaaaaa we arabs eat with our hands most of the times .. they would think we’re cavemen 😱
@@almaha88 Too messy. Why not simply use cutlery / utensils? Some traditions need to go.
Welcome back Rosie, are you back to your normal uploaded schedule?
Hello Rosie, happy Bastille day! So wonderfully informative, thank you. The point that surprised me the most is the request for butter being a no no. Very good to know. Cheers from Montréal, Canada
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!
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. ;)
If people are your guest or paying for there food they should be able to eat quietly what and how they like. That's elegance
I love discovering your viewpoint in my culture
A good refresher for me. Going back next month.
As a fellow Kiwi who lived in la charente maritime for three years I'm impressed by the extensive list you have accrued regarding eating etiquette, many of which I would've forgotten or not even known. I'm working hard to get back to France as I miss it very much. Bon appetite!
Wonderful video! You see, it is absolutely no problem that you are based elsewhere now. Our experience doesnt change, since you were usually talking from a room Anyway. And the info is still on point and valid. So "no worries mate" (oh thats australian slang😁)
or "Sweet as bro !" 😉
This is great advice. Learnt this over a long period of time :)
this is great! i love this video! so weird that many of these rules applied to me growing up on a midwestern farm! i use a subset now too as a mom and cook (no modifications/no salt and pepper). and eg we never snacked-just three meals-so it’s very hard to get used to the snacking culture in my urban area.
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. :-)
#12 is just politeness: you usually leave the last "nuts" to let one of your table mate have it. Only pigs rush to the food, careless of others.
Thank you for the tips Rosie❤
I find that some of these are just basic manners. But thank you for putting this together! Had no idea about the bread on the table bit.
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
There is a traditional reason for not putting the bread upside down. Long time ago, in bakeries shop there was a bread exposed upside down. Such bread was dedicated to the executioner.
U did ur research !!! all correct and in synch with what I’ve been taught / shown growing up... I even forget most of these, cos it’s customs pretty much engrained from youth, so kinda funny to have some of these rituals pointed out
Brilliant video. All so true.
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'.
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’m in catering… agree 100%!
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!
Thank you so much for all the videos that you have made. They have really helped me prepare you the university years I plan to do in Brest. (As a American I would act so strange to them without you videos)
Have a great time in Brest, don't forget to visit the coast and beaches around it's a beautiful country ! As you will be in Finistere, you will have the oppurtunity to enjoy AS MUCH BUTTER as you like at restaurants and actually everywhere in the cooking ! You HAVE to taste the Kouing Amann (traditional cake made with an unbelievable amount of butter) and go to a Fest Noz in the countryside at least once (traditional summer evening public party with traditional music, dancing, and food like grilled pork or mussels). You will find people in Bretagne despite parisians, and you won't be forced to follow ALL the etiquette :p
Enjoy your time in France !
14 : it's because the bread piece upside down was reserved by the baker for the executioner .. just so you know ;)
Most of these rules also apply in England as well. This is how I was brought up
With the exception that English food is gross.
@@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.
Thanks. I've been to France four times and didn't know most of these.
Merci! This was very helpful.
In France you can have a doggy bag everywhere because it's the law now. Every restaurant have to accept if you ask one !
that's awesome
That’s good to know. Thank you.
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)
monpopotam a
Good point. Very relaxed now about taking your wine away. 👌
Wow! I did not know that... And nobody looks down on you? ( I left France 18 years ago...)
Just pausing at 4:12 to say that YES, Rosie: everything you'd said so far is absolutely on track... except that it's quite normal to order "eau pétillante" -- all restaurants have it on hand -- and so if you like your fizzy water while you eat, that's absolutely okay! In people's houses there may be fizzy water... or not, depending on whether that particular friend (or couple) likes it.
As for "no ice," that's absolutely true as well. However, I grew up in Florida and tepid water just doesn't do it for me. So on a hot day I'll give the waiter my most charming smile, and say, "Excusez-moi, je suis américaine, puis-je avoir un bol de glaçons?" I've developed this phrase because that's exactly what they'll do: bring you a bowl (or a large glass) full of ice. That makes it easy to share, or if I don't have any takers I'll just keep refreshing my glass until all the ice is gone.
I can pass for French now with a lot of my eating habits (no butter on the bread; bread directly on the table; no using my hands, except for the aforementioned bread; no soft drinks, no drinking of wine after the cheese course; etc., etc.) but on a hot day I want my water COLD! And so I just come right out and acknowledge that I know it's not a French thing -- and most waiters think it's cute that I'm essentially confessing my status as a "gauche américaine." (In fact, admitting that makes me appear less gauche!)
This Floridian does fine with French water, even if not ice cold. But a Coke is intolerable if not ice cold. I order it “avec des glacons”. Never had a problem at all. I don’t have it with meals but frequently at a cafe when just quenching my thirst.
@@TedATL1 I'm relieved to know that you don't drink Coke with meals!
I am about water the way you are about Coke. The other day à French-American friend said, "Cold water is supposed to be bad for your digestion." Must be a French thing, because no American has *ever* said that to me! (Nor do I believe it.)
I love your Kiwi accent, love ! Great summary of french foody etiquette.
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.
About the look in the other person’s eyes it’s about respect basically. Because you looked me in the eyes while cheering I know you have some consideration for me. But there is an additional trick here as you also need to take a sip before putting your glass down.
At home in Finland, my family always ate dinner at 4-6 Xd
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?)...
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.
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
in Italy, salads don't have dressing(s) either that is what the oil, salt, and vinegar are for people's personal taste.
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.
Fantastic of her!!!
@@blaircalvin5025I just of something else...the waiter's attitude is why tips need to be earned! He would've gotten a 1 cent tip. Oui!
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.
@@blaircalvin5025 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.
Hi Rosie. A common explanation for never putting the bread upside-down is the following, coming from around two centuries ago: bread was (and is still, for most people) the base aliment, in particular for poor people.
It was hard to earn enough money to buy bread. Putting bread upside-down was simply a mark of disrespect to the person who earned the money to buy it, suggesting that he had earned it on his back... Which means, for a man, that he's someone who earns money without doing anything (i.e. being someone who don't know how to work and/or exploiting poor people). For a woman, it was indeed grosser: she was considered as earning her money while being on her back, suggesting that she was exercing the oldest profession in the world...
This starts to vanish anyway: most of the time, bread is sliced wherever you go (including acquaintances), and whole bread is presented only in smallest family circle...
Wonderful videoooo. Loveeee it. Big likeeeeee. Thanks for sharing. Greetings
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...
Waiitttt a minute: Jacques Pepin is FAMOUS for proclaiming his love for baguette with butter!!!!
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.
C'est super marrant de voir comment les étrangers se cassent la tête pour essayer de respecter les "coutumes" de notre pays. J'ai adoré ta vidéo 😁👍
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!
I was researching French Provincial furniture and somehow stumbled upon this video. . . and was certainly glad that I did. I was in Paris 4 years ago and have to say not once did I ever feel that I was disrespected by anyone regardless of where I went. I believe firstly we need to be respectful of the culture and accept the way the French do things. I happened to be traveling with some colleagues who were also my friends from work. We had gone to a nice restaurant that was right across the street from our hotel. One friend started making substitutions to her salad and you sensed immediately how annoyed the waiter was becoming. (I know for a fact that the French have perfected their cooking so when it arrives at your table--it will be perfect.) Needless to say, my friend wanted some onion on her salad. Well guess what? Several minutes later her salad showed up with the biggest chopped onion plunked on top of it. Need I say more. Great tips on dining etiquette. I've just subscribed to your channel.
Thanks,
Darryl
I'm Belgian and it's so fun because the way of eating in France is so different from our way to eat. And we are neighbour 😂
Really ? Could you give some examples ?
I'm Belgian too and to me it sounds like it's pretty much the same. Except there will always be butter to go with the bread and people will drink beer during a meal.
You can absolutely ask for a doggy bag in France, even in my village in the middle of bumfucknowhere. I now live in Strasbourg and I've never received any weird looks.
Raphanne bumfucknowhere lol
Donne leur une bonne vieille expression.
A VILLAGE in THE ASS HOLE OF THE WORLD.
Raimiana oh my GOD that’s even better 😂
@@JeremiahTatola "Le trou du cul du monde" if you wanna say it in french 😂
Ça me viendrait pas à l'idée du tout. En tout cas ou je vis ça ne se fait pas du tout (Nice 06).
I relate to quite a few of these and I'm English!
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?
@@justinecooper9575 Interesting! I have to discover more American traditions and their origins.
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 ;)
Also are you eating like a french person in NZ? are you guys still eating at 8pm? or are you adapting to NZ food customs? What are they?
Love Brett & Jemaine!! Great reference! :)
very useful! Thank you!