Skip to main content

A Toast


Wine is very important in France and, from what I have witnessed, a part of Paris social life. New Yorkers share a bottle of wine or have a glass together, or even a cocktail, but there is something a bit more about sharing wine in Paris.

It is first of all, much more prevalent. In NYC, I will sometimes have one glass of wine. If two others at the table want wine, we may discuss getting a bottle. Rarely have I gone through more than a bottle. In Paris, if two people want wine, it is almost automatic that you get a bottle. If more than two people are at the table, there is a strong likelihood you will be getting more than one bottle. It is less of a special occasion in Paris. Not that it is not special, but it is more part of the meal than something "special." Never ordinary.

When the wine is poured, there is a special moment where we all toast. This is like in NYC, but not. In NYC, when you are all served, we hold up the glasses and everyone moves them to the center, making sure you clink every other glass. The important thing is the touching of the glasses.

In Paris, there is a very nice custom of toasting. "Cin!" Not the Italian "Cin, cin" but only one. At this point the toasting is done by couples. You touch glasses with every other person, BUT you must make eye contact. If not, you are politely but sternly chastised. Also, you cannot "cross," meaning if North and South are toasting, East and West cannot go over or under. This is considered very bad luck. I am unsure what happens if you do it. I have done it (not knowing) and was, again, chastised. Sweetly and jokingly, but chastised nonetheless.

I find it sweet that quite often when you look the person in the eye, you get an attitude of, "Oh, isn't this quaint," or "Isn't this silly." But don't mistake it; this is very Important and Serious. It really does set a lovely mood for the aperitif (cocktail hour) or the meal. At this point, I truly look forward to doing it every time and quite often I start it.

I was out with Helmut and some clients from London. When it came time for the toast, the Londoners did the normal touch glasses toast and crossed over each other to do it. The French people just let it happen. I asked Helmut about this later and he said that when others don't know, they just let the moment slip by. 

I wonder how many other moments I am missing for this same reason?

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

La Politesse

The way women are treated has changed dramatically in my lifetime. I was born in 1956 and my memories date from about 1962. At that time, the standard gender roles were in place and women were the homemakers. It was unusual in my hometown for a woman to have a job outside the home. Of course, then came the 60s and 70s and the US female population demanded changes that have changed how we view and treat women. In NYC, I have found that women are, for the most part, treated similarly to men. Some of the niceties of the past era are gone or at least greatly diminished. You can hold a door open for a woman or pull out a chair, but you may get a strange look or told that she can do it for herself. I spoke to Helmut about how women are treated in Paris and he tells me that women here universally will appreciate the niceties and are, to some women, expected when going out socially or romantically. He tells me that while women have advanced and are paid similarly to men (maybe 10% less), the...
Post a Comment
Read more

Chronomically challenged

Parisians are ALWAYS late. I think New Yorkers run the gamut, but Parisians are late. They always have a good reason: traffic, the weather, kept at work, the Métro, the dog, the kids, garbage truck. But late. I am in a period of adjusting to this. My tendency is to be on-time. I call it the German in me. Helmut, who was born in Germany, is Parisian now and so I am alone in this bit of frustration. For the most part, people are 15 to 30 minutes late but for some it can be a bit extreme. For instance, meeting my friend Laure means scheduling a 1/2 hour (at least) for this arrival time. I want to emphasize, this is my issue, not Paris'. BUT There are extreme cases. One time Helmut and I were supposed to meet someone for dinner at (let's say) 8 (16h). She called and was going to be late. About an hour and a half after our original meeting time, we left for dinner. She knew where we would be, so she could meet us. At this point I had my doubts if she was going to come at all....
3 comments
Read more

Shaving the Yak*

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I am planning to make chocolate chip cookies for Christmas here in Paris. Very American, chocolatey, how can I go wrong? "And," I think, "I have always made everything from scratch, so I will have no problems getting my ingredients." I even think I have put in some safeguards and bought some items in NYC, just to be sure. Baking soda? Check. Baking powder? check. The oven is celsius, but armed with a browser and Google, I'm good to go, right?Here are the ingredients: flour (all purpose), baking soda, salt, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, corn syrup, egg yolk milk vanilla extract, chocolate chips. My first inkling that things may not be as easy was the chocolate chips. I was planning on buying them, but Helmut told me the chips can easily be found in Paris ("of course they are.") and he was right. BUT... they are tiny. If I used these, they would melt, and would turn the cookie into a chocolate cook...
Post a Comment
Read more