The one local tradition that I like above all others, is to faire chabrol.
I presume the above photo is 'staged', but it illustrates the practice perfectly.
Lunchtime here is known as La Soupe, because that's normally what is consumed. Most homes will have either a vermicelli or bread-enriched soup for their lunch, and when down to the last few spoons-full, red wine is added and drunk direct from the bowl.
Voila; that is to faire chabrol. The wearing of a beret is optional; I always do!
and I was trying to make out which one was you!!
ReplyDeleteHa, ha!
DeleteAh yes, now there's a tradition to be carried on. Add red wine, pick up the bowl and slurp it down . And all done so charmingly. The French know how to live!
ReplyDeleteAnd it's still a part of everyday life.
DeleteYes that's us every day. I wear my old school boater.
ReplyDeleteActually some of the older folk still do this with the winter soup in restos.
I should hope so too.
DeleteThat sounds lovely. Although, I'm sure the keepers of British etiquette would be horrified at the 'slurping'.
ReplyDeleteIt would be frowned upon at Boodles.
DeleteI like the idea of having a daily tradition for lunchtime, it gives a feeling (or illusion) of stability.
ReplyDeleteI agree. We follow the tradition religiously.
DeleteI like that idea very much - it takes all the worry of 'what shall we have for lunch' away.
ReplyDeleteAbsolutely. A bowl of soup and some cheese and fruit. What more could you want?
DeleteI'll have the soup and wine without the mutze! I've tried a few but they make my scalp itch. A friend of mine wears one all the time. But then he has no hair.
ReplyDeleteI first started them when I was about 18. At the time we lived by the sea, and I had an idea that a beret was less likely to blow away in strong wind. I was wrong, but continued to wear them anyway.
DeleteHere in new Britain, families eating together as a group has almost become a thing of the past. I heard today that Britain has the highest proportion of single households in Europe. It is a real shame, and I often look at Italian and French families going to restaurants in a three or four generation group with envy.
ReplyDeleteAnd I believe that 'dining tables' have also become a thing of the past. One now eats one's McSupper on one's lap, in front of Eastenders. I agree with you about family meals; there's nothing better!
DeleteEating as a family at home makes children happier I heard on the radio the other day. It is in decline and the tv is turned on anyway which cancels out any decent family time even if they do eat together.
DeleteWhen my children were small, and with my grandchildren now, I have only two rules; they must have a bedtime story, and they must always eat around a table with the family.
DeleteI have to tell y 20-something year-old grandchildren to not play games on their phones during dinner. Depressing but true.
DeleteI think it's a great tradition, to be held onto. The beret finishes it off.
ReplyDeleteWhen you're next in France, you'll know what to do.
DeleteIn the US, most families work and children are in school for lunch. The weekend is for getting everything done and attending activities. Dinner was family time but alas, that time is also eroding with work schedules and kids sports. It is a very sad aspect of today’s life.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I insist. Even if they come home late, we all sit around the table together.
DeleteWe always eat around the dinner table, it's something I've always made a rule of in my house.
ReplyDeleteUs too Sue. A very strict rule.
DeleteWhat is the English translation of "chabrol"? Google doesn't have one.
ReplyDeleteI don't think there is one. It's probably a 'patois' word.
DeleteWhat I like is the amount of wine that is poured into the bowls. It looks like several glasses full.
ReplyDeletecheers, parsnip
I like the way you think, Parsnip.
DeleteI love that too! We were once in a restaurant in Oban, Scotland, where an elderly Chinese gentleman came in and sat near us. He ordered a soup, with a glass of port, which he then poured into the soup and silently - and rather elegantly - drank from his bowl. We were rather surprised but that all changed when we came to France!
ReplyDelete