Holiday Reflections: Café Culture in a French Village

We have all loved exploring further afield this summer, rediscovering and observing life in villages across France, Spain, Italy, Greece and elsewhere. Lessons are to be learned from village life abroad. The most important? When morning comes, slow down and smell the coffee … If you would like to share a tale from your holiday, emailMornings in Provence start early.

I could make a perfectly lovely coffee at home but French café culture delivers an experience that simply cannot be missed and to fully appreciate it, it is best experienced alone. The tables in a French café are small, with chairs facing outwards because café culture is all about observation rather than conversation. Those enjoying their coffee at around 8am are usually locals, flicking through a copy of La Provence, while also keeping a keen eye on passers-by. Ordering a coffee here is a simple affair – there are only two options. Un café or un café créme/au lait.

I am lucky enough to have lived here for a full two years some years ago, so I know many of the locals, and we often meet while enjoying our morning coffee. Greetings are an important part of life and kissing both cheeks is mandatory for close friends, so there can be quite a lot of up-and-down, off your seat. Pleasantries are exchanged, and little bit of gossip; you would be surprised what goes on in a small French village! I use the time over coffee to plan the menu for the day too.

Market day in the village is a far more frenetic affair. Calm café culture is replaced by a far more sociable experience. My guests normally join me for market day, with all its sights, scents and sounds. After a brief stroll around the market, we gather at Chez Gaby, my favourite café. Tourists strain impatiently to get the attention of a waiter, only to be disappointed when they are told that a flat white will not be winging its way to them.

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