Tea at Trianon: How To Breakfast Like A French Socialite

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Friday, September 8, 2017

How To Breakfast Like A French Socialite

From The London Economic:

Beautifully crafted tartines with butter and jam, croissants and other flaky delights, paired with an orange juice and perhaps a coffee — this is the usual formula for a French breakfast. But to eat in true French fashion, the ingredients must be fresh and natural. Junk food isn’t part of the French way of life. Each meal is to be savoured and snacking just isn’t part of the culture.

French culture sees a meal as an important moment in the day, something to be cherished as much as conversation. It’s all about taking pleasure in what you’re eating and setting the time aside to fully enjoy yourself. There’s a common French saying: “mangez bien, riez souvent, aimez beaucoup”, which means “eat well, laugh often, love much”. This perfectly sums up the nation’s approach to food. (Read more.)