DINNERTIME - A late night affair!

My first dinner invitations in France as a German are still vivid in my memory. I like to invite guests and am very well prepared.

7 p.m.: Deco perfect✔️, appetizer ready✔️, food in the oven✔️. So ready to go...

I thought... Only, my guests were not there at 7pm, nor did they ring the doorbell at 8pm. Feeling 15 overcooked main dishes and collapsed salads later, I finally understood that French people are

✔️have a very particular sense of time and

✔️ rarely show up for invitations before 8:30 p.m.

The same applies, by the way, if you are invited yourself. If you show up at 7 p.m., the host is still relaxed mowing the lawn and the hostess is in the shower or at the hairdresser (!) True story! But with a lot of French charm and a glass of champagne 🥂 🍾 quickly put into your hand, you just wait. Not infrequently, I have been served my appetizer (!) only at 11:30 p.m, because the last guest came only around 10 p.m. So in France you should bring a lot of time and humor and leave your culture customs where they belong - in your country!

Have fun on your next city trip to France!

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