To the Oriental diner in a Western setting, it’s often the fancy cutlery layout formation that throws them: the endless tiers of course-related cutlery hierarchy, which item of cutlery to use when and with which course. My advice, as an interpreter to visiting Chinese delegations, has always been: just watch what your hosts or fellow (Western) diners do, and follow suit. Can’t go wrong.
Right, no problem there then when you’re ensconced in a French farm house. After all, they have just a simple set-up of: knife on the right, fork on the left. Simple not just in terms of what [tool] is for what [function], but also in terms of what to expect: a one-course meal.
Right, no problem there then when you’re ensconced in a French farm house. After all, they have just a simple set-up of: knife on the right, fork on the left. Simple not just in terms of what [tool] is for what [function], but also in terms of what to expect: a one-course meal.
WRONG.
The courses keep coming and coming and coming. Even an everyday family meal will easily have four courses, if not more: soup, meat, vegetables, salad, dessert. Sometimes some meat-based (e.g., home-made pâté) course as well, after the soup and before the main meat course. Because they are served in succession rather than together, you don’t see what’s coming next. NOR HOW MANY MORE. And there’s no hierarchical cutlery layout to give you a visual inkling.
I still get caught out after visiting over a 16-year period.
To me, a meat course is practically always the main course, so I’ll have a second helping when they do and when they offer it to me. Then I discover that it’s only the hors-d’œuvre (starter), by which time I’ll have had a double helping of soup and a double helping of hors-d’œuvre. And there are still the main meat course, the vegetables, the salad, and the dessert to come!
And don’t forget, all of this — except for the dessert (unless it’s cheese) — is eaten with the ubiquitous and filling pain (bread).
(France 1996–present)
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