"Bâtir salon avant cuisine de la maison c'est la ruine."
"To build the living room before the kitchen would be a waste."
—French Proverb
But there’s more to French food than rich sauces and great wine. For the French, food is an expression of who they are as a country, as a people. The French are proud and contentious. They will squabble over picayune slights and long-held grievances, but in the end, they come back to the table as friends. Food is their nation's sinew. In our age of celebrity chefs and cooking as sport and dining that is increasingly didactic, I think we have forgotten the simple pleasure of sharing a homemade meal with someone.
French cooking has a reputation for being difficult, if not pretentious. That's not really fair. Like any great cuisine, French cooking is agrestic—tied closely to the land in which it was born. In the north, there is fresh cream and butter because the land and climate favor dairy cows. In the south, fresh seafood and olive oil reign supreme. And throughout, binding it altogether, is an abundance of fresh herbs and vegetables and wine. Don't forget about the wine!
How could anyone not love such a cuisine?!
So tomorrow, you will find me in the kitchen making coq au vin and French onion soup, or what the French simply call le soupe à l'oignon.
