In earlier chapters (Such as Chap.100), I have mentioned how important lunch-hour is in France. I used the word sacrosanct as it best describes the reverence with which the French respect lunch-hour. From noon to 2pm, virtually everything stops – even parking meters. (Large department stores stay open and the Métro continues to run – but that’s about it.)
Today, a perfect example.
The fire-department dive team was here to check things out at our port. They arrived in one large truck and two smaller vans.
Because it’s France, one vehicle was the “lunch van.” It contained a tent, a table, benches – but most important, food and drink. And at noon, all work stopped. No sitting on the ground hurriedly eating a sandwich or a burger grabbed from a fast-food outlet. Here, even for firefighters, lunch was a time to relax, to sit down and enjoy the food and each other’s company. Unfortunately, I missed the main course, but I did see lunch ended with cheese, pastry, and coffee. How civilized.
