Lunchtime

Most people look forward to lunch as a relaxing break. This is especially true in France. No one eats at their desk. Everyone takes time to walk to the cafeteria and eat a complete meal of starter, main dish, and dessert. This is often followed by coffee.

For me, lunch is not much more relaxing than work. It is still in French and requires effort in order to follow the conversation. This conversation is rarely about work, and is usually relatively interesting.

My lunch experience on Friday was quite typical. We sat down and the start of the conversation was directed towards me. They were interested in know what my plans were for the weekend. Most people are under the impression that Chi and I travel a lot because we are new to Europe. This is true compared to the typical Frenchman, who only travels during certain times throughout the year.

My lunch companions’ latest suggestion was Deauville. It is on the coast west of France and only a few hours drive. There was an annual American film festival there last weekend and this must have been what brought it to mind.

More interestingly, apparently, is the local cheeses of Deauville because this is the direction to which the conversation took. The cheeses of Deauville became compared with the cheeses of Caen, a city towards the east of Deauville. In typical fashion, I took the opportunity to daydream. The steady French conversation provided a mellow background for my thoughts.

After ten minutes or so I faded back into the conversation. They had arced their way across France to the cheeses of Alsace. I was in disbelief. I stopped them mid-sentence and asked, “Are you guys still talking about...cheese?”

They looked at me. I looked at the younger guy across from me who was wearing a grin. Yes, yes they were still talking about cheese. They must have realized how ridiculous I found all this. They finished by stating: “Yes…Deauville. You must visit Deauville.”