Stories

Scarce are the French values more sacred than that of food. Yet its reverence isn’t simply drawn from the delicious flavors and textures it brings, but from the social customs it entails. After all, the “Gastronomic Meal of the French” is inscribed on UNESCO’s list of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, alongside the Baguette. Everyday, at 12h30, at least 54% of all French people are sitting at a table enjoying their lunch with friends or family, compared to only 17% in the UK at their peak lunch time of 13h10.

A good meal obviously begins with good products, fresh products. And what better place than a “marché” to buy fresh fruit, vegetables, and anything else that tickles the appetite. These marchés (very different from farmers market found in the US) are a pillar of the French way of life; a weekly reoccurrence met with anticipation and delight; a day circled on everyone’s calendar. These marchés constitute a true open-air grocery store composed of independent merchants dressing their stands with freshly caught fish, silk-smooth stinky cheese, delicious olives, local honey, toys, clothes, and all at prices that anyone can afford. These products are meant for the everyday people to buy their everyday food at a top quality.

But the colorful stands that populate French marchés represent a mere fraction of these lavish events. Although people gather in the name of food, they join together as a social tradition, dressing in their finest apparel to meet with friends and neighbors. Packed are the nearby cafés, reuniting accomplished shoppers as they enjoy an espresso or a glass of wine. A moment of celebration within the brouhaha of friendly chatter, most likely centered around food, marking the end of an accomplished morning. As we say in France, après l’effort, le récomfort (“after the effort, comes comfort”).

Food is everything.