Why is it that a French birthday lunch or dinner take so long – and then I feel so full after? It’s alway a five course meal – we were eating from 11AM to 5PM.
Around 11AM, we were having champagne, sandwiches, and pistachios – or what the French calls amuse-bouche. This was my breakfast since I woke up late and didn’t have time for my usual morning yogurt. I was stuffing myself full, which was not a good idea at all – but drinking champagne on an empty stomach is even worse.
At the restaurant – wherein we had another amuse-bouche and white wine. I kept on drinking, so I had to keep eating. The service was really good – and fast. After the amuse-bouche, the entree was served – smoked salmon with salad, some bacon, bread, and a block of foie gras. I was really starving, but I had to save room for the main course. I left out 1/4 of the block of foie gras and all the bacon.
It was pretty satisfying and I admit that I got a little bit stuffed, but thanks to some kind of digestif – lemon ice cream with calvados – I was able to prepare myself for the main course – steak with fries, vegetable omelette, and some kind of Alsatian flour/pasta, and of course, red wine. Had to skip the red wine – I think 1 glass of champagne and 2 glasses of white wine would be enough to last for the whole meal. I looked at the time – 15 minutes before 3PM. Amazing.
After eating everything very slowly, I was craving for dessert. What was happening to me? In Pinoy parties, I usually get a plate, go to the buffet table, and take everything in moderation – then eat everything in 30minutes. These Frenchies eat sooo long. I remember all the French lunches and celebrations I attended – and yes, it usually lasts this long. This time though, cheese was not served before the dessert. Thank God.
The dessert consisted of 2 chocolate muffins – oozing with chocolate fudge inside, strawberries and cream, chocolate and apple ice cream, and kiwi cuts. It was excellent.
Coffee followed.
At 5PM, everyone was done eating and talking. My rusty French was used to the maximum and I was tired. We still have another kaffee klatch to attend – I swear I couldn’t eat another bite anymore. But when we arrived, I couldn’t say no – I had 2 cups of coffee and a very small piece of cake.
When we went home, I did a little bit of sports – went biking around the village to burn off some calories and played some basketball. Then we began to prepare for dinner – *nod* *nod* – and ate what’s left of the 11AM amuse-bouche. Well, this time, I just had coffee. Again. And that, my friend, is the reason why I’m still up now.
