DIRECTIONS FOR BEGINNERS This all sounds wonderful, right? But how can you get started? If you don’t live in a flat near the Eiffel Tower, how can you construct a new way of eating that suits the French style? It’s actually simpler than you think. Here are a few simple ways to make “savoir vivre” your modus operandi in 2024. 1. Set aside plenty of time: to eat, cook and enjoy a meal with friends. Spend at least 20 minutes eating lunch, which also aids digestion. 2. Explore new favours : we are accustomed to fast food that’s packed with fats and sugar. However, if we want to eat healthier, we have to try again with the foods that we didn’t like in childhood. Try vegetables, fish and things that haven’t been among your favourites – there’s always a chance that you’ll now find you love them. 3. Do everything yourself : If you want to be healthier and to take control of what you eat, you must enter your kitchen, sharpen your knife and start preparing something. In cooking, every small step is like a workout for your mind and health. You will learn how to make good meals for yourself and others. 4. Embellish the entire experience : eating means more than stuffing your face as you rush to do something else. It’s about creating moments of connectivity. Set the table, arrange the plates to ensure the food looks enticing, share the meal with friends... It is all these little things that make food a ritual.
that prompts the emergence of bet- ter ideas for life and work. And once you’ve completed your walk, it’s time for “apéro”, which is another great French tradition. Short for “apéritif”, it indicates the period before dinner when the French en- joy cocktails and light snacks with friends and colleagues. This is an important social element, even for those who don’t drink alcohol, and represents an important part of French culture that allows one to connect with others. It nonethe- less seems that nothing represents the French better than a dining ta- ble spread that’s consumed leisure- ly, spending hours with your near- est and dearest. The typical dinnertime gather- ing of a French family can last from noon until the early evening hours, and it can happen that no one even leaves the table in the period between lunch and dinner. It’s no myth: the French really do eat slower than all their European neighbours. They even spend longer in fast food res- taurants. The common stereotype
that has them spending hours sit- ting in a bistro, enjoying their crois- sant while leafing through a newspa- per, is on the whole true! The French don’t hurry with their dining: their meals have multiple courses and rit- uals that must be followed in order for it all to be truly enjoyed. No meal in France is a nutrition- al shortcut, rather they are all a way to enjoy the day. French food is a way of life, one based on respect and passion. Respect for the body, ingre- dients, and the people with whom you’re sharing a meal. Passion for the history of food, exploring flavours and everything that comprises the culinary arts. In a world that’s constantly en- couraging us to live ever faster, to eat as fast as we can, just so we can get back to work as soon as possible, the French dietary style provides a solution to take back control of your life and your time. That which many people do in a hurry, and with a dis- tinct lack of attention, you can do with real pleasure, simply by devot- ing yourself with verve and finesse.
straint. “Flâner” is a French word that can be translated as meaning ‘wandering aimlessly through a city’. Flânerie is the art of walking the streets alone, admiring the archi- tecture. This practice, which was enjoyed greatly by famous French novelist Marcel Proust, represents the perfect way to spend a day in Paris – but also in your own city, soaking up the atmosphere and fa- miliarising yourself with every lane and corner. Flâner helps you bet- ter comprehend the time you have; helping you to slow down to ensure you don’t burn out, and giving you the context of a meditative stroll
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