Bon appétit!
By Juliette Martel

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« Bon appétit » is something that exists only in French I think… It means « Enjoy your meal » and it is almost systematic to say it before starting to eat when you are with other people. It is a way of acknowledging that we are going to eat something good and that we wish others to be hungry so they can take the most out of it.

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It shows how eating can be important in France! In most families lunch and diner are important meals and real moments of gathering: the whole family will come and have a seat at the table, and eat all together. In my family, we would never have eaten all by ourselves or go take something to eat in the fridge… We would wait for my mom to call “A table !” (Food’s ready!) and wash our hands before seating at the table – at least, that’s what she thought.

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We love to go to the restaurant, eat something, then stay there for 2 hours talking about anything. In other countries, I have seen people go to a restaurant and leave the table as soon as they were finished. It seemed crazy to me!

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But I guess we French are a little bit crazy when it comes to food. Oh, well. It makes us happy, so why not?