A certain art de vivre
Around the globe, French art de vivre is beloved, sought after, envied… Is it our culture, our heritage, our gastronomy, our climate? It is all of these at once. The French culinary model, which we prefer to call “French food culture”, plays an important role in how foreigners perceive France, which they describe as the country of ‘art de vivre’. This character is based on highly specific, deeply rooted cultural foundations.
- 42% of tourists visiting France do so for the food (“because we eat well there”). Ipsos/Maison de la France 2007
- Half of all French people eat lunch at 12:30 p.m. compared to a maximum 17.6% of British people who eat their lunch at 1:00 p.m. Insee 2007
- A true sense of pleasure: 9 French people in 10 enjoy inviting guests for a meal. Crédoc 2004
- A real social function: 93% of French families enjoy meeting and joking at mealtime, and 79% discuss important matters when eating. Ocha/Sofres 2002
- An abundance of literature: more than 1,500 cooking-related books are published annually (+60% /2004). Livres Hebdo
When we speak of this food culture, we are above all referring to French food products, to the regions they come from and to the strong relationship that French people have with them. In France, cooking and food are sources of pleasure that are an integral part of daily life. Preparing a meal, playing with different flavours, tickling the taste buds, sharing food-related family memories and emotions are an intrinsic part of our identity.
A major symbol of this art de vivre, mealtime – with its inherent emphasis on sharing and communication – is a special time for passing on values and building social bonds. The diet based on three daily meals, a specific component of the French food model, follows changes in lifestyle: today, our meals are shorter, simpler and more practical. They are still based on the notion of a balanced diet and remain a time for learning about the world we live in and the food we eat.
At the same time, festive cooking – which is more occasional and often done at weekends – has become an important social practice whilst still maintaining the meal’s fun, friendly dimension. For the French, the notion of pleasure in eating is primordial: cooking means giving and a meal means sharing!
The French place a great deal of importance on the products they use, paying attention to where they come from, emphasising quality – in terms of both flavour and healthiness – and enjoying diversity. A rich palette of flavours is considered as absolutely essential to quality cooking and as a guarantee of a balanced diet. When we sit down for a meal, we talk about what we are eating, what we have eaten in the past, what we would or wouldn’t like to eat… it is a time for conversing, for discovering foods and beverages and their history.
The foods and drinks we enjoy, fruit of the talent and know-how of men and the wealth of our soil, thus play a predominant role in French-style art de vivre.
For more information:
French food, cuisine and recipes www.aftouch-cuisine.com
Discovering France and French Food www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/france_159/discovering-france_2005/france-from-to-z_1978/life-in-france_5279/french-food_5356/index.html
Discovering the French lifestyle www.france24.com/en/welcome-to-france