Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
WHEN TO EAT
Petit déjeuner (breakfast)
The French kickstart the day with a
tartine
(slice of baguette
smeared with unsalted butter and jam) and
un café
(espresso) or - for kids - hot chocolate.
Parisians might grab a coffee and croissant on the way to work, but otherwise croissants
(eaten straight, never with butter or jam) are more of a weekend or 4pm treat along with
pains au chocolat
(chocolate-filled croissants) and other
viennoiseries
(sweet pastries).
Déjeuner (lunch)
The traditional main meal of the day, lunch translates to a starter and
main course with wine, followed by a short sharp
café
. During the work week this is less
likely to be the case - many busy Parisians now grab a sandwich to go and pop off to run er-
rands - but the standard hour-long lunch break, special prix-fixe menus and
tickets restaur-
ant
(company-funded meal vouchers) ensure that many restaurants fill up at lunch.
Apéritif
Otherwise known as an
apéro,
the pre-meal drink is sacred. Cafes and bars get
packed out from around 5pm onwards as Parisians wrap up work for the day and relax over
a chit-chat-fuelled glass of wine or beer.
Diner (dinner)
Traditionally lighter than lunch, but a meal that is being treated more and
more as the main meal of the day. In restaurants, the head chef will almost certainly be in
the kitchen, which is not always the case during lunch.
