We can’t all wake up in France, but we can add a little French joie de vivre to our mornings. Try a few of these French rituals and say Bonjour to your day!
5 Ways to Say Bonjour to the Morning
1) Enjoy a petit dejeuner – The French are known for eating light breakfasts. In fact, they consider breakfast to be a petit dejeuner or a “little lunch”. To add a little French twist to your breakfast, forgo your typical cold cereal or bacon and eggs and opt for yogurt and/or a few small slices of a French baguette smeared with butter or preserves. Add a piece of fresh fruit, a big glass of water, and a cafe au lait, espresso, or latte, and voila! Your petit dejeuner is served.
2) Walk or bike to work – Many French, especially those who live in major metropolitan areas like Paris, will walk or bike to work. If the weather or your commute makes this impossible, try taking a walk at lunch.
3) Dress the part – As Mireille Guiliano says, “French women dress to take out the garbage”, so why should you throw on any old thing to wear at work? Choose a flattering outfit and complete your look with a French fashion staple – the accessory! Try a chunky necklace, a bangle bracelet, or a long skinny scarf for fun.
4) Get your French face on – French women tend to wear minimal makeup and what they do wear is understated. Go easy on the makeup – play up your the best (or one) feature of the your face and then go light on the rest of your face. As always, you can’t go wrong with a great shade of lip color!
5) Say it with flowers – The French love fresh flowers whether they are received as a gift or purchased on their own. Buy a fresh flower(s) on your way to work and display it on your desk. It will help remind you of the simple pleasures in life.
Ciao!
Fantastic post today!
Even though you know all the French “rules” sometimes you need a review in quick do-able bites.
My breakfasts have been similar : 7 am French bread, butter, jam, coffee, 1 cup full cream milk. However by 10 am I am utterly beside myself with hunger. What is the secret? If French women don’t snack and wait for lunch (12 noon) then how on earth do they hold on? I have to eat something at around 10ish, but feel dreadful not being able to hold on until lunch time.
Roxie
Bonjour Roxie – I used to have problems snacking between breakfast and lunch until I started eating a little more at breakfast, especially yogurt which has protein to keep you full longer. If I still feel like snacking, I can usually hold off by drinking tea or very cold ice water. If all else fails, I’ll eat lunch a little early!