Glaçons

n. – ice cubes
Glace
n. – ice cream
Verre
n. – glass
Vert
adj. - green
I sometimes confuse the first two words and get strange looks when ordering a cocktail with ice cream in it! I get strange looks even if I get it right because it’s not really a cocktail culture here. Don’t get me wrong, the French enjoy their “apero,” but it’s usually something along the lines of a kir or a vin cuit (sweet wine) served in a small delicate glass.

Stronger drinks like Ricard or Pastis, both licorice based, are more for the boys (at 45% proof, they’re served with water). Whisky is also acceptable for a man and is acceptable to be served neat, but vodka has a very strange place in the bar menu as something only to be mixed with something else.

I like vodka. My favorite drink is a dry vodka martini up with a twist. They don’t make those here. I’ve learned not to ask for them because what I end up with is an Italian brand of vermouth that’s quite sweet and has nothing to do with vodka. It comes in either a pale yellowish color or red. Of course with the red one, I knew something was wrong before even tasting it.

So I’ve learned to ask for vodka over ice with a twist. After the confused look, it’s brought to me with sometimes a giant wedge of lemon, sometimes lime and always with a spoon in it like they bring with your cokes. I’ve never understood the spoon in the drink. Why would you want to stir a soft drink? Nobody has ever been able to explain it to me. It’s just the way it is.

Cutlery is used more often than we might be used to. For example most people will use their forks and knives when eating pizza, hamburgers and even fries. I use my hands for all of the above and now realize I must look quite savage when doing so.

Straws aren’t quite as popular here and getting back to ice, that’s not either. In both the places we’ve lived in so far, there have been no ice trays in the freezer. I’m sure they exist, but we’ve discovered another ice making method. They’re little quilted plastic bags that you fill up with water then turn upside down which creates a seal before popping them in the freezer.

I’ve gotten quite used to them actually although they do make your fingers quite cold as you wrestle with the plastic to get the ice cubes out. They’re not very green either given that they’re not reusable at all. So now that we have to buy a fridge since our new apartment doesn’t have one, I think we’ll splurge on some ice trays, too.