I saved the persecuted British in France.
(French) So now, we are in Saint-Émilion. And the name of this restaurant is... 'L'Envers du Décor.' - We tried to come here last year, but we failed. - That's right. I didn't say it at the time, but it was disappointing. Why was it disappointing? Lol Thank you.
And please give us a bottle of tap water. Kir Royal! The pre-meal drink I always have when I come to France. You really like this. - But this is something women can't dislike. - Really? Why? It's slightly sweet with a strong fruit flavor. (French) This is a 2014 Blanc de Blancs Champagne.
Look at you hugging the bag... - Like this? - Yes. It's uncomfortable, but we have no choice. (English) In France, you always have to hold your bag.
It's for the best safety. You should never hang your bag behind your chair or put it beside you. Cheers! Mmm, this is good. It's been aging for quite some time...
- 10 years already, right? - Then let me have some too. I was worried. The 'dégorgement' must have been done recently. What's dégorgement? It's the process of removing the sediment from the bottle then the final bottling. Wow, it tastes great! So this menu is only for lunch time.
There was a sharing platter. - Ah, Planches à partager? - Yes. But it seems like there are a lot of ingredients on it but actually there is nothing to eat. - Shall we share a salad? - Sounds good.
What wine should we have? I'll buy it, choose what you want to drink. Should we have Pessac-Léognan or Graves? - I'm still thinking. - Choose something good. Since it's your treat, I feel guilty having something too fancy. - It's quite... it's $56. - Just go for it.
- It's $56... - I'll pay for it. Graves is... 4x3=12, so... Graves is $34. (Church bells ringing) Oh, it feels so good..
- Do you like it? - Yes. You really like it! :) - Let's have the Graves. - Sure. Because the food itself isn't that delicate, - it's better to have a moderate wine. - Okay. There's no need to overdo it. - We can have a better wine when we're enjoying better food. - That's right.
Graves is 32 euros, and Pessac-Léognan is 53 euros. - If the food was delicate, I would've ordered Pessac-Léognan. - I see. Are you ready to order? Yes, we've decided.
I'll have the Croque Monsieur. And I'll have the Tartine... Nordique? Yes, Nordique. And we'll share a Caesar salad.
And a bottle of White Graves wine, which is.. - Château Haut-Maray, right? - Yes. It seems like even French people come here for tourism. - Of course. - Oh, yeah?
- This city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. - Is it? This entire city is a UNESCO World Heritage site. - I had no idea. - Even though you've been here a few time? lol (French) Is it the 2021 vintage? Yes. - I leave this bottle here to get chilled a bit, OK? - Okay.
Why didn't you taste the white wine? Because I'm currently drinking champagne, he hesitated a bit to suggest the tasting. Because champagne is a more delicate, you know. Since we're enjoying this aperitif, he suggested, "Wouldn't it be better to have the refreshing one after you finish Champagne?" Actually, he didn't say it verbally, - but I knew what he meant. - Almost everything was done in 5 seconds... - That's true. - Well, you know it because you understand these things well. I was like, "What? He didn't want to give it to us? Why?" - So much meaning is packed into that short action. - That's right.
In fact, when we entered this restaurant's building earlier, They said, "We open at 12," and they kept an eye on us. But just hearing that can make you feel a bit uncomfortable, - Right, like they're saying, "Don't come in," you know? - Yeah. In our country, there's a culture of accommodating even if you're 20 or 30 minutes late or earlier, But even though there are only 19 minutes to 12 here, they don't care about it because it's not their concern. It's fine for them even if we go somewhere else, it's like, "If you want something, you should let us know," that kind of feeling? It's the first time we've come all the way up to the top of Saint-Emilion to eat outdoors. If you go down there, there are a lot of restaurants.
- Yeah, but down there it's a bit... too touristy. - That's right. (French) We got food. (attentively watching) Thank you. Enjoy your meal.
Excuse me. I didn't order this pizza. This is a pizza, right? Oh, it isn't the Caesar salad? That's not. Lol So, this is 'Croque Monsieur.' I've had this at Paris Baguette before. You've had it at Paris Baguette? This is Tartine Nordique, and this is Caesar salad.
- Enjoy your meal。 - You too. - I really choose the wine well! - It's delicious with food. It's tasty thanks to the quality cheese. - Actually, this... - Right. The bread is delicious too. - White wine and this go really well together. - Is it good? Actually, cheese, ham, and bread often pair better with white wine than with red.
They really grilled this chicken. This chicken in this salad is the best I've ever had. There are a lot of British people here. British English is everywhere.
You're really good at drinking wine, huh? This just feels like a refreshing drink. And I took a break from drinking before coming here. - Didn't I? - What break? You drank much yesterday. Lol Wow... the chicken in the Caesar salad is amazing. - It's delicious, right? - Yeah, it's amazingly delicious.
They put a lot of chicken breast in it. - Our restaurants should reflect on this. - Got it. There are big 5 pieces of chicken breast. Look.
It's this big. In our country, they thinly slice it and put in a few pieces, - and it's more expensive, right? - It is. - I suddenly get annoyed. - Don't get annoyed. Just eat. It's not difficult to grill cheap chicken breast and serve it. Even in this restaurant in the heart of a city filled with tourists, they still prepare the proper food like this...
There's not a single French person sitting around here. But the food, wine and service are being done properly. Only this fly...(not properly)
There were many Asian tourists back then... - Oh, there aren't now? - No. - Not a single one! - Not a single one. Just us. - Oh, really?? - It's never been like this.
- I didn't know until you said it. - Didn't you? If you come to Europe, it's natural to see many European people, right? - But I've never experienced it to this extent... - That's true. Japanese people are traveling less, and as for Chinese people... Half of them can't, and the other half won't. Koreans, some are traveling, though... - (French & English) Two glasses of white wine, right? - No.
Why do they keep trying to give us things for free? - (Server)Did you ask for Sangria? Sorry. - They constantly keep delivering things wrong. There seems to be a problem in their system. It must be a mistake...
(French) You should wait, wait. (English) Not yet. (English) 5 minutes? Ten. - 10 minutes? - Yes. - Why are they telling them to wait when there are empty tables? - They said to wait for 10 minutes. The table is totally empty though? They're sitting down for now. Lol Those people are British too.
- They're just sitting down.. - True. It seems to be related to the kitchen's capacity. Are they overwhelmed with orders right now? So, they prepare the table, but they don't seem to operate it if the other areas are full. - It's strange. - Quite unique. From our perspective, this is hard to understand. - Actually, it's the most difficult place to eat in the world... - Hold on.
(French) You'll have to wait for about 10-15 minutes. Ah, I see... Because if you order right away, they'll be overwhelmed, and they've been instructed to start taking customers again after 10-15 minutes by the kitchen! From the perspective of Koreans, this is hard to understand. It's really hard to understand. But Koreans, by nature, - live in a country where they've learned to do well by doing so... - That's right.
- We somehow manage to digest... - And we digest it. Even if it means pushing ourselves hard and achieving results. But these days, things have changed a lot. However, we haven't completely abandoned that foundation.
But I can't say one is better than the other. But this isn't necessarily a bad thing. By doing it this way, people who are already seated - can receive service relatively on time. - That's right. And, in a way, it's about the communication between those working in the hall and those in the kitchen. - It's a well-functioning system. - That's right. They close when they're told to close.
Oh, that's really funny. - Why? - If you look behind you, they're trying to sit here. The female server told them not to sit, so... - If it were Korea, we might end up fighting. lol - That's right.
There are empty seats, so why can't I sit down? They eventually left. So, this is how it is. Let's assume that I'm the only Asian here. Oh, and there are empty seats, and I can't sit. And communication isn't going well.
I came in, and all the caucasians are sitting and eating. I came a long way, and now I can't sit here. Then this restaurant is becoming racially discriminatory.
And when I speak, everyone at the other tables keeps looking at me. Since the people working in this restaurant are busy, they don't explain things slowly. - They just say, "You can't sit here." - Exactly. "Come back in 10 minutes."
Earlier, those people who couldn't sit back here, they kept asking why, - they were all British, right? - Yes, correct. And among them, there was one person who spoke French. So when that person asked in French why they couldn't sit, the server started explaining again in French while apologizing.
Huh... - So, this is difficult. - Yeah, it's hard. - It's hard to eat in France. - That's right. Even though I've visited France for almost 20 years, today is the first time I've seen something like this... - Oh? It's raining. - Yeah, it's raining.
We made the right choice not to sit over there. lol It was scorching earlier, and now it's raining. Sitting in the middle of Saint-Émilion with rain... - Is it nice? - Yeah. Isn't Saint-Émilion better than Paris? - I'm not sure. - Aren't you sure? Because I've never really had a chance to enjoy Paris since I always stay for just 2 or 3 nights.
I've been in Paris many times, but... You need to stay in Paris for at least a month to have a basis for evaluation. So, you want me to make a plan to live in Paris for a month now...!
Lol For the sake of the basis of evaluation, evaluation! - What do you mean, for the sake of evaluation? - Because the rain is pouring down on that man now... - It's chaos. - Yeah. But still, they've connected the tarps, so the rain doesn't get in between the tarps.
It flows off to the sides like this... - (gestures and comes over) Did you call? - No, no, sorry. And they've tilted it like this, The water drains to both sides. - This is so nice. It's even better because it's a shower. - Right?
People are outside wandering around in the rain, while we are lucky enough to enjoy a bottle of wine and lunch like this... That table is still empty. Isn't it? It's still not ready.
They asked them to wait for about 15 minutes. The gentleman came back. He asked them to come back in 15 minutes, and he came back.
With a very pitiful expression on his face, he seems to want to say like, "You told me to come back in 10-15 minutes, so I really came back..." - Maybe I should offer him a seat on my lap... - Don't. But he's such a gentleman, he doesn't insist.
He waits patiently. So, as we watch this, we remember when we went to a restaurant in Korea, we waited endlessly until they came to take our order. Oh, right. The first time we went back, yeah. Even before we sat down, they didn't care who arrived first, people just placed their orders first. But we wondered why they didn't come to take our order...
- So, we waited and waited... - We really waited there. But when the owner came over in the end and said, "Why haven't you placed an order yet?" in that tone, - I almost got angry... - Yeah. I got really impatient then. They have to come to take the order so we can place an order. - The cultures are so different. - Yeah. Oh? That's it. I was interested in ordering Planches à partager.
It's just a mixed appetizer, nothing special. You can buy it at the supermarket. When I was tourist, I ate that menu a lot.
- Did you? - I did. Wow... There are so many people. - Who wouldn't want to sit here during lunchtime? - Right. Right under this clock...
(English) Bill? Then come back! "Are you trying to pay? Come back!" "Do you think you can leave without paying? Come back!" Kind of feeling? - Still, responding in English is wonderful. - You're right. When I came to France with you before, and at that time, I had just started to get a little good at French, I could order without any problems. I think I told you. There was a British couple after me trying to buy sandwiches...
- It was around Paris station, right? - You weren't there that time... It was somewhere in Paris, when I was going to meet you. At that time, I was trying to buy a sandwich, and the server was incredibly kind, you know? Behind us, there was a British couple.
They said "excuse me" in French only, and they spoke like, "I'd like to get..." "I'll have..." like that. No response. I was so surprised. This couple was also so flustered, They kept saying, "Please give us this sandwich, coffee, and coke."
- So, I helped them. - With your help what did they say? - It's getting interesting. - Really? "What do you order?" I said. They kept saying something.
I understood everything. It's very basic English. It was a tuna sandwich, a cup of coffee, and a coke. So, I said, "I understand, please wait." I said it in French exactly, "They want (in French) a sandwich, a cola, and a cup of coffee." Then the server said, "(in French) Yes, of course!" There was chaos behind me.
They were like, "What's going on?" They were so thankful. - Then the British couple said something critical to me. - What? (in English) "Are you Chinese?" Lol No, but it's not out of malice, most Westerners tend to think, "Is this person Chinese?" when they see Asians. It's because there are only 50 million Koreans, - but there are 1.5 billion Chinese. - So, just smiling and saying,
"No, I'm Korean," they were very thankful. The lady said, "I'm never coming to France again." So, the amazing thing is that the French people don't care about that at all, and yet, despite that, France is flooded with tourists every year... That was an inspiring experience for me. When I was in Europe and I often felt like a victim before that ... If I hadn't learned from you... and I wouldn't have known,
- without my own experience, - That's right. You wouldn't know. And then you said, "It's not because you're Asian that you have an unpleasant experience." "There can be other reasons." They ordered in English, and the waiter completely ignored them.
That server must really hate the UK, just... Do they hate people who speak English? I think they just hated the UK. - Oh, really? - Yeah. Those people knew they were British. Because there have been issues between French people and British people, just like the problems between our country and our neighboring countries.
And when those people ordered in British English, - I also quickly realized that they were British. - That's right. So I thought, 'Westerners have this among them too.' What should I say... British people come to France and endure all kinds of discrimination and mistreatment... But ironically, French people going to Britain don't seem to be seen much...
You see a lot of French people when you go to Britain, - Do French people speak English well? - No. - They're well-treated though. - Oh, really? - But British people don't receive good treatment here? - No.
- Why is that? - It's because of cultural reverence. There are impressive things in the UK like architecture, but the food diversity is not good enough. And due to climatic conditions, except for sparkling wine, not many outstanding wine comes out. - But you said British sparkling wine is good... - Yes, it's excellent. - Will you drink it? Or will you drink champagne? - I'll drink champagne. Lol - Without a second of hesitation... - No.
When I think about drinking it in that country, it tastes good enough. But it's not worth importing and distributing it yet... They've finally arrived over there.
We're almost done with our meal. (English) It's taking too much time. Please wait. The servers keep telling clients to keep waiting. They keep saying to wait 15 more minutes. The clients keep looking at the server with expressions of incomprehension.
But still, thanks to that waiter who speaks English... - What the server said was fun. - What? - He said, "Please calm down" in English. - Oh, he did? British people might say, "What did I do!" It felt like it conveyed a message of "be patient and come back," Like the voice that comes out when paying parking fees... "(French) Be patient"? - That voice that comes out when you insert and remove your credit card.. - "Please wait", you mean.
It seemed like he was saying it, when he said "Please calm down". It's true. There are a lot of British people. In all directions, they are British people. All of these people are. You're enjoying wine by yourself over there...
They must really envy us. The lady in the orange T-shirt seems to have the quickest temper. - Right now? - Yes.
- She's a bit like your old self. - Don't. She's grabbing the menu like she's going to throw it... Ah, is she really upset now? I can tell just by looking at her side profile.
- And earlier, she came and sat alone without permission, - Did she? Striking a pose like 'Come to me quickly and take my order'... I used to do that in the past. If you say a few words here, these people will all get motivated...
If you swear in English at the French server, you might be able to make everyone friends.. How frustrating it must be... Why is the bell striking again? It's 1:02, and it's rings two minutes late! It struck once, and that's it. Is it for 1:00pm? No, earlier at 12:00, the bell only struck twice. Since it's 12:00, he probably deducted 10. lol
They have a '15-minute rule,' so they arrive 15 minutes late. They do whatever they want. - Is it fun? - Yes. - Am I eating all of this? - Yes.
- Shall we go eat dessert down there? - Okay. - We've been sitting here a lot. - Right? - It's cooler now. - The weather is so nice. "Chateau du Haut Maray." - It was delicious. - Was it?
- What grape variety is it? - Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Muscadelle... But I could hardly feel the character of Sauvignon Blanc in this. - That's the charm of Sauvignon Blanc in Graves & Pessac-Léognan. - I see. Ah, it was delicious. - It looks like it might rain? - Yes. Let me put my forks and knives back like it's not over yet, and wait for the rain to pass.
Then shall we have a cup of coffee here? - Coffee? Yes, it's a good idea. - Because it's raining. - I want to help those British people over there. - Help them. - Get up and go help them. - No, no, it's fine.
That lady in the orange T-shirt looks scary.. Lol She is so pissed off now. - Do you want to switch seats with me and help them? - No, no, it's fine. In the end, they'll all communicate. (French) Excuse me, can we have two cappuccinos, please? - It looks like it might rain a bit. - Yes. There are so many complaints everywhere now.
Starting from how long they waited for their food... Ah, these people still haven't received it. - Ah, it's been so long since they arrived. - Yes.
- It's been so long that I can't even remember when they came... - It seems like they're just leaving. (French) The meal was so delicious. You know how to talk to people nicely. Because servers must be having such a hard time now...
- Just now, among these countless complaints... - That's true. - Espresso is to be drunk quickly then we should get up, but cappuccino... - That's right. It takes time to drink. lol
- Cream needs to be added, etc. - Yep. Now that we've finished this bottle, let's turn it upside down, and they'll take care of it. As you can see here, if you put this upside down like this, they take it right away.
- But in really upscale restaurants, you shouldn't do this. - Why? Because at this level of restaurant, it's a sign, it's still somewhat upscale if we ate inside even here, so you shouldn't do this. And for Michelin Guide-listed restaurants, 1 or 2-star rated ones, you shouldn't do this. - It seems a bit less elegant. - Oh, really?
Here, because it's a place where we have a simple lunch sitting outside, so it's okay. - It's a sign. - I see. Ah, it's so nice to sit here. Wow, for over an hour, I haven't seen a single Asian person.
- I haven't seen anyone so far. - Yeah, it's strange. When I came here before, there were a lot of Chinese people. - There were a lot of Japanese people too. - Yeah. Cappuccino! Thank you. - (English) Finished the bottle? - Yes.
A mini Madeleine is served with coffee. Madeleine- Looks delicious! Cappuccino. - The elderly people next to us had a drink and they are leaving. - Yeah. Delicious.
- Yeah, the coffee is really good. - I add sugar. Me too. - In France, it's common that... - Oh, now I was going toast with coffee. lol I keep trying to toast. - It takes an enormous amount of time to eat. - Yeah.
So, even though we're just having lunch, - we booked a 3-hour parking time. - That's right. But one good thing is that, I don't know about Paris but in Bordeaux and this area, from 12 to 2pm, parking is free everywhere. In other countries, usually it's not free. Because there are more people ready to pay. But if the free parking for lunch wasn't provided, the French would go crazy.
Saying, "Do we now have to pay for parking even when we're having lunch?!?" Protest, a protest? Yeah, they might protest and set fire to cars again. - Or maybe even pluck someone's neck under a guillotine. - Don't... - How many people? - Five.
Uh... um... That female server also should learn how to explain their policy. (English) Too many people. You have to come back in 10 minutes.
- I was correct, huh? lol - Yep. The manager's back is soaked in sweat now. These people intend to wait sitting down. So, it's entirely different depending on how you handle it.
Earlier, when those people were told to come back in 15 minutes and they didn't consider waiting here. But these people are sitting while waiting. It's fun to observe.
Ah, finally their food is here. Do you see the elderly lady in the blue dress? She went to that shop over there five times. - Why? - While she was waiting. Now their food came out, the same as yours.
Actually, from my perspective, spreading guacamole and various spreads, - only adding some vegetables... - That's right. It's not like they're peeling fresh shrimp or anything, they simply boiled them. Why is it taking so long even though this dish doesn't take time. I don't really understand why. This elderly gentleman is angry. Earlier, he slammed the glass. - This elderly gentleman next to us. - He even pushed the chair roughly... he's angry.
- He's definitely in a bad mood. - Just angry. In reality... In this situation, they just need to hire one more serve. The issue isn't with the servers; it's with the kitchen. (French) Sir! (English) This table is for customers! (English) We've been waiting for this table. What's going on? (Customer) Is this for real? (Server) Yes! (Customer) Yes? (Server) Yes! (The atmosphere has really become hostile) (Server) Wait. People will leave. (Customer) I take this table anyway.
(English) Otherwise, since we're about to leave, you could wait for 2 more minutes and.. (Customer) Oh, perfect.. No problem for us. He was trying to tell me that he'd keep a table immediately. I see. Because I was leaving, so..
I live here, and I gave him a very weird look. We all have the similar experiences here. Where are you from? From South Korea. Oh, very good (Customer's Friend) We're not sitting there, no? (Explaining with gestures) (Right now, this place is pure chaos itself) (Explaining the entire situation with gestures) Thank you. No problem.
We're just going to pay the bill. (French) Could I have the bill? - Yes, I'll come back. - Okay. - These people were about to be chased away, so I told them we were leaving. - Well done.
- Sit for a minute. - Good job. The elderly lady I just met in the restroom was also so angry... (English) How long have you waited? 20 minutes. 20 minutes, yeah. Is that good, or bad? A 20-minute wait here is the minimum. Minimum...
Yes, the minimum 20 minutes. So it's a popular restaurant... Yes, it's popular.
Last year we came to this restaurant too, but we couldn't have lunch. But this year, we had lunch here. - Yes, we had lunch here... - You had lunch, unbelievable! It took a whole year..
to have lunch here! - And we even ordered a bottle of wine... - WOW, well done! - And a glass of champagne too, - Wowwww~~~ - And a cappuccino as well. - Very good! - Where are you from? - From South Korea.
- Oh, you came a long way. - Yes. We arrived in France 16 hours ago. - You must be tired. - No, not at all.
Because we had lunch here! Did you come here to see grape harvest like me? - I have a house here. - Oh, you have a house here. - I've settled the bill. - Did you pay? Alright. - (English) So we'll leave our seats to you and your friends... - I wish you good holidays. - Enjoy your lunch. - No problem. Nice meeting you.
(French) Thank you, goodbye. Have a great day, bye.
2023-10-28 21:15
