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It all began with a long line of people, and please, don’t read that with a French accent or any inappropriate connotation—”queue” actually means “tail” in French!
To put it another way, it all started with an enormous line at the intersection of Rue du Couëdic and Rue Sainte-Catherine.
If you aren’t French, you might think Taylor Swift was at the Mercure Hotel, which is also located right at that street corner, signing autographs for eager fans. But if you’re from Nantes, you’re likely to just nod and say, “Ah, lunchtime” or “Ah, dinnertime,” because this massive queue is a common sight during noon and dinner hours.
People are waiting to get a table at L’entrecôte, a restaurant renowned for its fixed menu of rib steak, a delicious buttery sauce, and unlimited fries.
The French adore this place, and since it doesn’t accept reservations, getting in line is essential.
This inspired me to embark on a photography project—documenting what the French eat when dining out.
I hurried home, grabbed my camera, and began with the line outside L’entrecôte.
Initially, I planned to focus on capturing the food on people’s plates. With the lovely summer weather, narrow streets, and outdoor dining right next to passersby, it should be easy, right?
I started wandering around, observing tables and their settings. I was amused by how varied the table setups can be depending on the cuisine—traditional French meals typically use knives and forks, while cider is served in small bowls at Breton crêperies, and kebab sandwiches often come with plastic trays and lots of paper napkins.
However, where’s the food? Everyone was busy drinking alcohol or ordering picturesque meals!
It became clear that dining in France often begins around 8 or 9 p.m., which is more about the apéritif (pre-dinner drinks). You must give it to the French; they have fully embraced the concept of enjoying drinks before a meal.
“In a way, you actually captured the essence of French culture,” Mark said, chuckling when I explained my plan to venture out again the next day to take pictures of people with their meals. “In France, alcohol is considered food.”
True enough, but it’s not very visually appealing. I was determined to showcase delectable food on this blog.
So, we returned later, around 10 p.m., when people were finally done drinking and started eating—though they were still sipping on drinks. Unfortunately, it was still a challenge to photograph the food because, as expected, meals disappear quickly. I managed to capture half-eaten crêpes, leftover fries, melted ice cream, and greasy plates (Was it steak or buttery fish? A DNA test might be necessary!). But nothing was really Instagram-worthy, which is probably a relief since I don’t even have an Instagram account.
Along the way, I learned quite a few things, such as the fact that regardless of how upscale the restaurant is or what you’ve heard about non-picky young French eaters, kids will always opt for French fries. Even if their parents are enjoying steak tartare, mussels, or kebabs, the kids will be munching on fries. Maybe this is why Americans named them French fries (spoiler: it’s not; the term originated from American soldiers encountering fries in French-speaking Belgium during WWI).
I can also tell you that while French people generally use knives and forks, they also enjoy food with chopsticks or their hands. In Nantes, there are roughly four categories of restaurants. First is traditional French cuisine, featuring meats, fish, rich sauces, and elaborate dishes that rarely get made at home. Next are numerous crêperies and pizzerias, providing an easy and relatively affordable option for full meals (French pizzas are personal-sized, unlike the massive shared ones you might find elsewhere). Then there’s ethnic cuisine, which includes Indian, Greek, Lebanese, Eritrean, Thai, and Japanese restaurants. Finally, you have kebab shops and local burger joints, many of which offer “French tacos”—and no, these are certainly not the same as traditional Mexican tacos!
But you’ll have to take my word for it, as I don’t have any mouth-watering food photos to share, sorry.
However, I can provide you with photos of French people enjoying their food and drinks—and it’s genuinely quite entertaining!
As you can see, the essence of dining and drinking culture in Nantes is indeed lively and engaging.
The charming atmosphere of French dining reveals an intricate dance between conviviality and culinary delight, and while visuals of delectable dishes may be lacking, the spirit of dining in Nantes shines brightly through these captivating images.
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