In my country, children eat their ‘lunch’ at school mid-morning, and then they arrive home to eat their afternoon meal called ‘comida’ at around three o’clock in the afternoon, while in the United States people call lunch to the main meal at noon, just in the same way as in France, and children regularly sit down at the school table in the cafeteria to eat what they are served. However, in the land of Napoleon, children stay at school until 4:00 or 4:30 in the afternoon, and obviously, when one has eaten at noon, by 4:00 pm one is hungry, don’t you think so?
Thus, when the school bell rings marking the end of the day, children sit down and meticulously go over the contents of their ‘goûter’ box. Frequently, the loot includes a small cake, a fruit compote, and a small bottle of water or fruit juice. When they are even luckier, candy can be found, but this is not on a regular basis. If the day is inviting, many gather and eat their snack, which, needless to say, is sacred, at the nearest park whilst running and jumping up and down.
With age and the workload increase, adults stop having these snacks, but not long ago did I read that the goûter was not only to be considered as food for children, but also for adults. So, it is no secret that at home, given how sweet-toothed we are, we take every opportunity to sit down and eat these so-called snacks whenever we have a chance. Sometimes we even go the extra mile and find ourselves before a madeleine or a cake at said ‘tea time’ we now call the same way our youngest Gaelic friends do. So, why deprive ourselves from a Danish or a chocolate croissant whenever the stomach starts to growl? A small bite does no harm.
Who doesn’t like a good crêpe with Nutella and banana?
