 One
of the things that I see when dining with visitors to France is that
right after they pluck a piece of bread out of the bread basket that is
invariably set on the table in cafés and restaurants, they start looking
around – a little nervously – where to put their bread down. While the
conversation is going, I sense a bit of multitasking – their eyes
nervously scanning the table, darting back and forth, looking for
something — a plate, a board, an extra napkin…anything to put their bread
on.
Finally,
they settle on the side of their plate or bowl as that’s the only option
that seems to be available to them. But that’s tricky since the sides of
plates are sloped. Their minds continue to race as they mentally
calculate the engineering behind finding the exact correct angle to place
the bread on the plate, usually close to the rim, so it has something to
hang on to (because, darn, those porcelain plates are slippery), while
trying to look nonchalant and continue to appear unruffled. But soon, the
slice of baguettes starts inching down towards their dinner, and they
have to keep propping it back up to keep it away from the food. Or worse,
to keep it from sliding off, and onto, the table.
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