A French Dining Experience

On Wednesday night we were invited for dinner, along with our fellow 'foreign' players, to the house of one of the rugby league club's board members, Vince. The experience of dining out in France is one that we have experienced often, but to be hosted at a home and truly experience the French hospitality is something that is worth sharing with you.

Vince is a lovely man, who was of great assistance to us when we arrived, and seems to take the foreigners under his wing when needed. We were able to call on him a few times to help us through some challenges, such as having no hot water in our house when we arrived; Vince sorted out this issue quick-smart.

So the six of us foreigners - three Aussie players, two Kiwi players and myself - headed around for dinner with Vince, his wife and daughter. As is custom, we all arrived with something to contribute, having coordinated this to ensure all bases were covered; between us all we gifted bottles of wine, flowers and a tart for dessert to our hosts.

We were invited for 8pm, which by now we know didn't really mean dinner would be at 8pm. Vince wasn't yet home, having worked slightly late, so we were invited to sit in the lounge and offered all sorts of beverages to get us started; Blanquette, red or white wine, beers, or our choice of a large selection of spirits. The boys settled with cold beers, and I was happy to enjoy a white wine.

The table was laid out with various food to nibble on as we drank and talked; calamari, muscles, olives and chips. Vince arrived around 8.30pm and joined us with his small glass of Blanquette. Two hours and three wines later, we were invited to take a seat at the dining table. But at 10pm, it still wasn't quite time for dinner just yet.

 

The table was laid out with bottles of red wine, two loaves of bread which were larger than our usual baguette, and two plates of pate. We have gotten used to having pate as a starter or entree, and enjoy it perhaps a little too much. We were told this particular one is made locally by a family that has been making it for over 50 years, and as I'm reminded of what pate is made of, I decide to leave some room for dinner.

Dinner was finally served at around 10.30pm, and was simple yet delicious. We were offered the choice of stuffed capsicum or artichoke, served with riz a la Provence - a dish of rice flavoured with vegetables. I was intrigued by the flavours of the rice, so Vince's wife offered to show me how to make it as she had to make another batch to feed us all. It was very simple, and she gave me a packet of the rice to make my own at home.

The wine continued to flow as the third course was presented - cheese, grapes and yet more bread. We each cut a small chunk of cheese and ripped off some bread, as we were taught a new way of eating this common course - take a bite of cheese, bread and a grape all at once. The sweetness of the grape complements the cheese nicely.

It was midnight by the time the dessert was put on the table, with only a few of us able to fit in a slice of the fruit tart. By this stage the wine bottles had been emptied, and Vince had opened a special bottle of homemade alcohol for us to sample. We could smell the alcohol as Vince told us it was 50% strength and poured a small amount into a glass for Marty to taste. I was invited also to have a taste, however my hesitation prompted Vince's wife to show me how ladies drink it: place a cube of sugar into the drink to let it soak, and then nibble on the sugar. While I'm sure this was more palatable than drinking the liquid straight, one small nibble was more than enough for me.

We left the house at around 12.45pm, thanking our hosts for such a delicious meal and a great French experience. The next morning we woke at around 11.00am, wondering how the French do this on a regular basis.