Pamela Druckerman talks with Claude Fischler and Guillemette Faure about the unspoken rules of French dinner parties, the nature of eating in each country, and why French and Americans have so many misunderstandings at the table.

AFJ members are invited to this free online session hosted by Pamela Druckerman via Zoom from Paris, as part of her popular Pandemonium U series of educational sessions on Zoom. The session is sponsored by the Federation of Alliances Françaises.

Pamela and her guests will discuss topics such as: What’s wrong with telling your French host you’re a vegetarian? What shocks the French about Thanksgiving? How is it that Americans have far shorter mealtimes, but are more likely to be overweight? Why do the French think that having a sandwich for lunch isn’t eating?

Claude Fischler is a French sociologist and anthropologist specializing in food, and the author of books including Manger: French, Europeans and Americans Confront Food and l’Homnivore. He was one of the first social scientists to look at food as a major interdisciplinary research topic, and has studied cross-cultural approaches and the social dimension of meals.

Guillemette Faure is a columnist for M, the weekend magazine of Le Monde. She’s the author of nine books including Dinner Parties: A How-To and La France made in USA. She spent 12 years as a journalist in New York for Le Figaro and other publications.

Pamela Druckerman has lived in the City of Lights since 2004 and is the author of four books including Bringing Up Bébé: One American mother discovers the wisdom of French parenting. She’s been a contributing opinion writer at The New York Times since 2013 and a columnist for 1843/the Economist since last year.

Please register for this session with the form below. You will be sent a link to the Zoom session on Friday morning.