Apéro

Dinner time in France is typically well after 7:00. Lunch is still taken around noon. How do they make it that long? Although snacking is generally discouraged, having an apértif with some small dishes is ingrained in the culture.

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Apértif drinks are listed separately on the menu, so you don't make the mistake of ordering a digestif (after dinner drink). Mary Ann prefers a kir made with white wine and crème de cassis. Pastis, an anis flavored drink served with equal part water, is really growing on me. You should have your apértif with sliced baguette topped with tapenade (olive paste, yuck), paté (the best use I've seen for liver) or cured sausage (just beware of the organic farmers and their real intestine casing).

Apéro with the Bérards usually turns into a two hour event. Madame periodically retreats into the house to produce another extravagant dish or homemade liqoure. By the time we've finished the Apéro, we're stuffed with food and stumbling to the apartment. The ritual is quintessentially French and one that we've begun to adopt into our daily routine (sans the drunken stupor... usually).