Communal meal for over 72s

Small Talk
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I’ve received and accepted with thanks an invitation to our town’s annual meal for Sourdevalais(es) over 72, who are indeed nombreux/nombreuses.

I’ve no prior experience of such events and, although looking forward to it keenly, I wonder if anyone can clue me in to what’s generally involved. My next door neighbour who isn’t going himself says they last up to four hours, which suggests a lot of eating, and a lot of conversation, which will give me an opportunity to practice my rather limited conversational French.

I have boned up on table etiquette so I don’t attract attention from neighbouring guests aghast at my manners or lack thereof, and I shall go very easy in the booze. Unless that attracts critical attention.

I don’t know how many elderly Brits will be there, and I hope I don’t attract the Maire’s attention or be expected to introduce myself. I did write a congratulatory letter to the Mairie about the extrarordinarily lavish attention given by municipal staff to the floral displays, massifs and park areas, which was published in the town bulletin last year… :thinking::roll_eyes:

Anyway any words of advice will be welcome and pondered before the big day. My wife can’t attend because she didn’t want to go on the electoral list
which is an essential criterion for the nosh-up, and my plea to have her invited was primly but firmly denied by the Maire’s adjoint.

Ta very much! :yum:

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The annual "repas des aînés ", - I get invited every year as a conseiller municipaux, in our commune, it doesn’t appear that there are any/many table manners and most are out for as much free scoff and booze as they can possibly get…enjoy! :plate_with_cutlery::wine_glass::wine_glass::wine_glass::wine_glass::wine_glass::wine_glass::beer::beer::beer:

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We are a very small commune and we are expecting to have to pay for our annual seniors meal this Christmas.
The two restaurants, which are the only commerce in the commune, take it in turn to cater.
There is usually musical entertainment or a performer.
Tge tables are decorated and we have the menu with our invitation.

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I’m not yet old enough to be invited, but help with the preparation and washing up. Ours is a sit down three course meal with wine - a certain amount free but some of the old folk also buy an extra bottle. No choice of food, you get what you are given unless have said in advance that you don’t eat x or y. Table are decorated, and some form of entertainment is provided. Sometimes games, sometimes music. There’s no seating plan, so you will need to position yourself with suitable people otherwise you’ll end up sat next to the daft one (there’s always one). Maybe ask your neighbour if he knows others who are going so you can perhaps join forces. Enjoy!

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In our commune the person ‘invited’ (non paying) can bring a guest (paying).
Maybe ask the Maire’s secretary ( a powerful woman/man in terms of help etc;) if this is the case in your commune.
If it’s the Christmas meal you are invited to then it does last for some hours.
I can only speak about our commune.
First is an apero or two with nibbles. Then starters, main course, cheese course, dessert all served with wine of course. Then there is the digestive, oh and I almost forgot the ‘trou Berrichone’ .
Entertainment is provided at ours with music and dancing for those able, sometimes the local school takes part with the children coming and singing a couple of Christmas songs.
I am not old enough to take part but I know several who do attend.
For those unable to attend (like my mum) a little parcel is delivered a couple of days later by one of the councillors. It usually has a bottle of wine, some chocs, and pate and biscuits.
Do make sure that you have transport back home, all that food and wine during some hours might ‘go to your head’ :scream:
Last word, dress code is usually smart but not formal, although the ladies do generally like to show off their pretty dresses :wink:

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I have been noticing the dreaded Christmas word cropping up on SF a lot recently.
Sooooo, I have decided to be first on here with a song, do watch a bit more than just the intro, it gets better :innocent::innocent:

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Soooooo :grin:

Yes, that’s what I want for Crimbo :flushed::imp:

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After we bought our house and whilst I was doing renovations I stayed in a B&B 500metres away. (I know hardly slumming it but with no electricity, water nor heating in January I didn’t really fancy staying Chez Nous)

The owner of the B&B knowing I had bought the house offered to take me to the annual village meal as I was going to be a neighbour, I was also told it would also be an excellent opportunity to meet the non-English speaking Mayor.

I had no idea what the format would be but thought that I had better buy some smarter clothes better than my scruffy builders rags as I was going to be introduced to the Mayor.

Everything during the renovation time had to be rushed as we were limited to odd weekends here and there.

Not wanting to miss the opportunity of doing some renovation work later that day I drove myself as I though I would stay for an hour or so, then escape to more wallpaper stripping. How wrong I was…

The event opened with a formal reading of the past council meeting minutes then singing the Marsellaise… I thought oh god as my French was and still is very poor. There were probably 300 people there.

Then it was down to the serious business of eating and drinking.

The tables were round and sat 10 people, many of the chairs were curiously in a tilted forward position resting on the table - I have since learned that this meant they were reserved.

I spotted my French only speaking elderly next door neighbour and I asked if I could sit next to her - she was so happy and seemed a little proud that the English curiosity was sitting with her. We were then joined by some other neighbours.

The starter of salad and oysters was served buffet style, followed by being served roast beef and chips, then sorbet, cheese, pudding and cider. The food was excellent and plentiful.

The arrangement for wine was both unusual whilst being very sensible - it is an area of vineyards so, many vineyards bought a box of 6 bottles that was left in the entrance lobby. Then the bottles were scattered very generously around the tables.

The tasting of other vineyards wines was a very serious process and when one particular bottle was put on our table, people from other tables came to taste it as it had a very good reputation - and quite rightly so. (we have since bought many bottles of this wine!)

Finally I plucked up (Dutch) courage to be introduced to the non-English speaking Mayor. I quickly practiced my schoolboy French (my name is…, I have one brother, a dog and a cat etc… No not really!) I asked the B&B owner to introduce me. The well lubricated discussion he was engaged in was interrupted and I was introduced… I was ready “Je m’app” - I didn’t get any further before I was interrupted by the Mayor - “Oh good afternoon, how do you do?” - I was astonished and welcomed. His English accent was better than mine.

It was whilst sitting at the end of the meal 4 hours later with my new found friends (that are still good friends) that I decided no longer was this just a holiday home project and instead we were going to be moving there permenantly.

I absolutely loved the afternoon of the meal and I am sure you will also @Peter_Goble.

Sadly no wallpaper was stripped that afternoon!

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Yes, we always make sure with whom we will be sitting.
We ring our friends to see if they are going and put our jackets over the chairs as, in common with most thi gs french, there is a lot of chatter before it actually starts.

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Thanks for posting this Mat, I love these kind of stories.

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Yes, thank you Mat, for a very lively and enjoyable walk-through (or wobble-through) your own baptisme en repas, gives me a nice feeling of occasion and giving in to the flow of good-natured togetherness. I’m not sure whether to go when the doors open and take pot luck with seating arrangements, or wait until I spot any neighbours I recognise and ‘muscle in’, but I don’t want to impose myself on people who I know, and who may feel under a duty to ‘look after me’ at the expense of their own companions.

Maybe I’m taking it too seriously?

As far as clothes go, at any formal events I’ve attended here in Sourdeval, older men seem to wear well-pressed but highly assorted and un-matched items, only the Maire seems to wear a suit, it’s his uniform, it seems, he’s always in it. He’s been Maire for yonks and lives down the avenue from us, but gives the impression of being serious, a man of few words, very industrious, omnipresent, and possibly shy. He’s always in the local newpapers, standing in his suit and spectacles, unsmiling besides committee members, lycée students, newly built public toilets or electric vehicle charging stations etc. But by all accounts a skilful and enterprising public servant. No bumptious and extravert BoJo he! :confused::grin:

Thanks to all others for encouraging inputs, tips and reminiscences. I’ll write up an account when it’s all over (it’s on 17th October doors open at 12 midi) :blush:

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Good one, but having lived in NY, this is still my favourite ultimate XS song :smile:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j9jbdgZidu8

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Quick update on the Repas Cheveux Blancs.

Arrived ten minutes after 1200 so as not to wait alone in an empty room. Big mistake. Huge hall heaving with over 300 elderly people like me, had to search for an enpty seat. Found one at the end of a long table for about 40, very reluctant to impose on gathered guests who gave me a sceptical once-over, but big bluff chap with hearing aid smiled “it’s free” so i did the polite thing and shook eight hands (to go the length of the table would have meant about 24 hands, so common sense prevailed) .

My frendly neighbour asked if lived in town, and I told him yes and he told me he had moved here six years ago from Paris, but was born in Calais. I said “Chti”? and he gave me a huge grin, and announced we were neighbours, “manche droite and manche gauche”. A retired miner in Pas de Calais, he had moved to Paris to drive RER trains.

The meal was a five course treat, excellent cuisine served at a very leisurely pace. We had a Muscadet apero at 1230 and the entree at 1300, Pinot gris with the fish, Armagnac on the sorbet, Bordeaux with the veal, and Calva with the coffee. Lots of refills! I passed on the Calva as I was going to drive home.

The whole meal stretched over 6 hours, with dessert at 1700 and coffee with calva at 1730. We left at 1800 hours. My bum was numb, the chairs were very hard. But no-one complaned (much).

There was an absolutely brilliant accordéoniste who kept up the entertainment more or less non-stop and her gaieté never waned. She was suoported by a young man who sang songs from all epoques in living memory. I recognised some of the songs, especially “J’attendrai”, played at the end. That has to be one of my Café de Paris favourite weepies, I know all the lyrics and sing along blearily, “en battant, tristement, dans mon coeur si lourd”… :disappointed_relieved:

The mayor presented an assemblage of proud grannies and grandads with bouquets and spoke of what they represented as doyens and doyennes of everything French society and culture stood for. He kissed and nuzzled them all to applause, before they were helped home by their carers.

It was a very nice event, and I’m glad I overcame the jitters I had about how I could keep up conversation in French for several hours, but all my concerns dissolved in the convivial atmosphere, and the support I experienced at the hands of strangers. I didn’t see any other anglais that I recognised, although there so many people there familiar faces would have been like needles in a haystack. I hope I survive for next year’s slap-up do, and that my wife can come along (and wants to). I was quizzed about being tout seule, and told them she was too young to get an invitation. She certainly looks it !

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@Peter_Goble - excellent write up of the event, I am delighted you enjoyed it.

Repas Cheveux Blancs - I love the title!

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I’m so glad that you plucked up the courage to go… and that it turned out to be such fun.

Here, 70 is the age for a free meal… but anyone can subscribe and pay for themselves if they wish to attend… the event is widely advertised… I think of it as the Old Folks’ Christmas Dinner… as it happens early January… and all the Christmas decorations are left in place until after this great event… :hugs:

Groups are seated according to their preferences as much as possible…but folk get to expect that a certain table is theirs by right and the first half hour can be a little fraught if someone is not where they reckon they should be… :roll_eyes:

As newbies, we were invited (paying)… and, like you, found everyone so welcoming and the whole thing such fun… that we have attended every year since then… In those days, we were the only English… but now there are a few more…and we encourage them to come along, as it is an experience not to be missed ! :relaxed::relaxed::relaxed:

For those eligible for a free meal…who do not attend… a bag of goodies is provided… paté, wine, chocolates, biscuits etc etc… and for those confined in hospital etc… the contents are changed according to suitability and their preferences. :hugs:

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Lucky you, your selection of wines is better than ours.
I am so glad you went, we are the only Brits at ours.

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Thanks, Jane, I did have momentary jitters the day before. It’s my impression that Brits don’t go to this event either. I think the main problem is the language. There are quite a lot of retired anglais here, most of them recent arrivals, who don’t speak or understand the language.

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Hi Peter…

You have said that the invitations are sent to folk, provided they are on the French Electoral Roll and meet the Age requirement… and, of course, this will include folk of all nationalities.

So, if your local Brits are not on the Electoral Roll… they won’t get invited… :wink::thinking::roll_eyes:

Well done, you, for getting your act together and enlisting… :hugs:

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Never thought of that as a reason, Stella, but that seems the most likely one for absence. I mainly joined the electoral list because it was explained to me by the Mairie that only people on the list get regular newsletters and other bulletins from the Maire in their post-boxes. There is an electronic notice board in the town centre with brief messages and notices, but very basic stuff.

Not currently au courant with local politics but with time will find out. There is a scurrilous rag called Sourdeval Autrement which takes the p out of municipality and asks awkward questions about who benefits from local contracts and who gets the lumber when trees are cut down to build a skate-park…hmm, better steer clear of that, don’t you think? Skating on thin ice… :snowflake::ice_skate::scream::zipper_mouth_face:

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Ha ha Peter… Re the wood: I can assure you that folk peer very closely to ensure that no-one benefits more than they should… there are law/rules to cover this…

If we want public trees felled (for whatever reason)… the lumber has to be sold and the funds put into the public purse… ie the commune benefits. If the wood was sold for less than market value… heads would roll :open_mouth: (well, this is France)

Local Contracts is another area which is closely monitored. Work is put out for Tender. The Tenders will be closely examined and assessed against one another. Of course, price is not the only thing to watch… no use choosing a cheap company who cannot deliver… etc etc…

There are a few occasions where local big-wigs (with influence) have swayed opinion/votes when decisions are made… this cannot be denied… but they are brought to book, more and more these days. :face_with_raised_eyebrow:

Folk are getting braver and speak out when they feel something is amiss… and this is to be applauded. Voting at local elections is one chance to sway matters… and this is an important responsibility… so I am glad you are a Voter.

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