For breakfast in Paris, you might have a hot cup of tea, coffee or hot chocolate, a piece of toasted baguette with butter or jam and a glass of orange juice.
Lunchtime is one of my favorite parts of the day. My lunch breaks in France are much longer than the ones I had when I was in school in the U.S. Growing up in Arizona, we had around 30 minutes for lunch and recess. At my lab in Paris, everyone typically takes a lunch break of at least an hour! We walk together to a nearby street, called the Rue Mouffetard. The rue Mouffetard has many restaurants to choose from, from Lebanese falafel sandwiches to Chinese noodles. Most days, I grab a sandwich and pastry from the local boulangerie.
For dinner, I’ll often eat at home with my host family. These big, family-style dinners bring my host family together and are the best time to chat about what happened during the day. We regularly have vegetable soups, which my host mom makes from scratch. I like to add crème (cream) or fromage (cheese) to my soup.
Sometimes we have main dishes similar to what I eat in the U.S., and sometimes I get to try something new.
After dinner, we wash the dishes and clear the table together. Sometimes, we’ll drink either a cup of decaf coffee or a cup of herbal tea to relax before bed.
Table manners, or etiquette, in France are very important.
