French Meals

Saturday, my host family played host to not only me, but 4 other couples for lunch. The total at the table was 11 people. Lunch was set to begin at 1 o'clock in the afternoon and I have known the French to be firmly planted at a table for meals. Most dinners on a daily occurence at our house, as an example, last 2 hours on average. I guess I was expecting a similar duration because of this previous knowledge (us educators like to call it schema theory). However, wrong was I. The lunch was most enjoyable until I realized that it was dinner time--standard French dinner time that is--7pm.

The meal consisted of salad with guacamole and melted chevre cheese on toast with an apéritif of sweet white wine. Followed by, salmon with a white butter sauce and dry white wine followed by a second white wine. A second main course (and 3rd course if you are counting) of duck and peas with a dry red wine. Next course, cheese platter of brie, camembert, chevre, roquefort and morbier with a different red wine. Dessert was a coconut cream cake. Coffee was served shortly thereafter with chocolate. Lastly, champagne. That makes a total of 6 courses and 6 wines in 6 hours. Sounds like a lot of time to digest but in actuality, I was tipsy by the second course or perhaps the third--don't remember. For those who know me well, you know I can tolerate 1 glass of whatever and that is the end. As "lunch" continued and I got more "festive", my French got faster which all things considered isn't all that bad. Its Monday as I write this and I have just finished detox. C'est la vie!