Emily in France 🇫🇷 It's Time for Apéro!
On prend l'apéro ?
Over the course of my 15 years living in France, there are some cultural norms I've never quite gotten on board with, like closing the shutters all day in summer and basically living in the dark in order to stay cool sans air conditioning (I'd rather suffer the heat and have sunlight). There are some that took me some time, like remembering when – and how often – to say bonjour. But there are some I have embraced wholeheartedly. One? Apéro dinatoire.
Apéro is short for apéritif, a term for the pre-dinner snacks and nibbles enjoyed not only in France but also in Italy, for example, where it's known as aperitivo. While usually apéro is merely the opening scene of a multi-act meal, in recent years, the younger generation of French people in particular has turned it into a meal on its own, a sort of snacky dinner perfect for when you have guests but don't necessarily want to proceed with the pomp and circumstance of a seated, multi-course dinner.
Apéro dinatoire is like an indoor picnic; like having hors d'oeuvres for dinner. And especially in the heat of summer, it's one of my favorite ways to dine.
What I'm Eating
Local bleu du Vercors and Saint-Marcellin cheeses, Espelette pepper-spiked saucisson sec, and beetroot-cured gravlax. Oh, and olives. I come from a brine-loving clan.
For more of my foodie finds, follow me on Instagram @emily_in_france.
What I'm Writing
1. Pale Provençal rosés have been the pink wines of reference for years, but darker rosés are more traditional in some parts of the world – and from a gastronomic perspective, they can be far more interesting. For Pix.
 2. Not a fan of cilantro or raisins or cauliflower rice? You're not alone. Here are the foods famous chefs simply can't stand. For Mashed.
3. In a nod to climate awareness, Epicurious recently announced it wouldn't be publishing any more beef recipes. But for some experts, the move was misguided at best. For Organic Authority.
What I'm Reading
1. Perfect is the enemy of good: so said Voltaire, and so implies Roxane Gay in her Bad Feminist, an essay collection that guides the reader along Gay’s own journey embracing her feminism, activism, and womanhood. More on the blog.
2. My favorite English teacher trained me to be an eavesdropper, claiming it makes you a better writer. It's perhaps part of what I loved so much about this essay about post-pandemic eavesdropping in the New Yorker.
3. Lockdown led to two brand-new cheeses in France! More about these inventions from Food & Wine.
A bientôt !