Living Forever Chic by Tish Jett

Author:Tish Jett
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Rizzoli
Published: 2018-02-09T16:00:00+00:00

There are other nuances to the French dinner party. “L’exactitude est la politesse des rois,” (“Punctuality is the courtesy of kings”), was the only gift a king could give his subjects as a mark of respect, but when it comes to guests arriving to a dinner at the precise hour of the invitation, that’s simply not done. Guests are supposed to give their hosts and hostesses a fifteen-minute grace period. An invitation for 8 p.m. means 8:15ish.

An American friend of mine who has lived in France more than forty years told me that when she first moved here, she and her husband arrived at a black-tie dinner in a Parisian hotel at precisely eight. “We spent thirty minutes drinking Champagne with the waitstaff before the French started to arrive,” she says. “Live and learn.”

As far as how to greet your fellow guests, for the ubiquitous air-kiss greeting, keep it to two (one for each cheek). Unless one is familiar with the technique involved in le baisemain, the kiss on the hand that Frenchmen sometimes perform, it’s probably best left to the experts. It’s not as easy as it looks, and it involves a list of dos and don’ts, one of which is that the lips effleurer, or lightly brush the hand. In other words, it’s not really a kiss. And one is not enchanté, or enchanted, to meet someone. We may be pleased or delighted or happy, but enchanted means a spell has been cast upon us, and furthermore it’s an adjective. If you look up the word, you’ll see that it has morphed into a new meaning, but purists vociferously object. (OK, one could quibble, but that’s the way it is.)

Should you bring a gift? According to Albane de Maigret, arriving to dinners with a gift is a relatively new trend. “It’s not at all necessary—or expected—to arrive with a gift. The idea is that one is happy with the presence of guests, and a cadeau is not part of the ritual,” she says. At a later date, the invitees most likely will extend a reciprocal invitation to their hosts. However, invitees can send flowers to their hostess the day before her party or the day after. As we know, one never arrives with flowers in hand. And it’s not unusual to see guests arrive with a small box of excellent chocolates, a discreet offering that is then shared among the group with coffee.

After a special evening, it’s charming to write a lettre de château, a thank-you note. For simple get-togethers, a day-after text message or telephone call is always appreciated.

Comment Manger Le Fromage

HOW TO EAT CHEESE

To assure the ultimate pleasure from each type, I turned to our fromager, Monsieur LeBris, for advice. This is what he told me:

IF SERVING A CHEESE COURSE: The platter can feature one perfect offering like a Brie de Meaux, but if you wish to give guests choices, the minimum number is three (it should always be an odd number). Depending upon one’s source of reference, there are between 350 and 400 types of cheese in France.

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