Lunchtime ritual in Nice
Lazily sipping morning’s second café au lait, Riviera blue-washed sky sprinkling sunshine through my apartment’s turquoise-framed windows, I contentedly tap away on my laptop while listening to the morning’s ebb and flow play out on cobbled streets three floors below. As lunchtime draws near and neighborhood sounds crescendo, I start to get ready to join the town for another delicious eat like a local in Nice experience.
The balcony-perched cat across the way closely monitors my laptop clicking tempo. We both know that the 12 noon lunchtime alert fast approaches. From cafes in the plaza, tempting smells of savory bouillabaisse, roast chicken and creamy garlic sauces start drifting upwards as the daily “boom!” sounds at last, triggering an abrupt laptop shut down and a sprint for the stairway.
When you eat like a local in Nice, you understand that the mid-day meal is much more than just lunch. It’s social, about traditions, the largest meal of the day and the locals’ favorite.
After a couple weeks into my three month extended stay as a digital nomad in Nice, I learned that the mysterious “boom!” heard each day – resulting in hundreds of squealing seagulls and pigeons catapulting off terra cotta roofs – was a centuries-old tradition dating back to 1860 when Nice’s Fortress Commander fired a canon at 12 noon alerting his wife that he was on his way home for lunch. (A jumbo firecracker is used now instead of the canon).
Still today, the canon ceremony sets the tone for the rest of the day – streets explode with motorcyclists zooming, bicyclists kick-starting and last-minute shoppers scurrying for fresh food and wine to prepare a home-cooked meal for lunch guests. Meanwhile, unleashed school children gleefully spill out onto cobbled streets heading home and office workers flee buildings for home or a favorite cafe to rendezvous with family and friends. It’s time for lunch, when locals eat their favorite meal of the day.
Nice’s unusual lunchtime ritual is an example of the many remaining traditions that are part of the bedrock of French culture. Like the rest of France, many offices in Nice actually close for 90 minutes or more, encouraging a leisurely lunch time for eating well, walking in the park, gazing at the Mediterranean Sea, visiting with family or just relaxing.
From baguette to bouillabaisse, lunch-break choices abound
With so many tantalizing food choices, long lunches (1 ½ to 2 hours) made total sense to me. And, the menu usually offered “specials of the day” with generous portions at a lunchtime discount.
If looking for a Mediterranean view, I headed to a beachside café or to an eclectic sea-view café across from the Promenade des Anglais to enjoy a freshly made Grande Salade Nicoise ($8) or a bowl of fresh-catch bouillabaisse ($10).
If looking for something quick and cheap for a picnic lunch, I grabbed a jambon-beurre baguette (ham and butter sandwich, $1.50) at a take-out in old town to enjoy while lounging on one the Promenade’s comfy benches, gazing at the azure Mediterranean just feet away.
If I wanted to be part of the day’s vibrant, chatty lunch scene, I chose one of the restaurants ringing the Cours Saleya outdoor market, just 1 block from the beach, offering their plat du jour (today’s special) or other traditional fare on today’s fixed price menu. With two or more courses included, that’s usually the best deal of the day ($12-$15).
If I was setting out to explore an unfamiliar part of town, I walked somewhere new – at the bustling sea port, along the coastline or in major shopping areas – to mingle there for lunch.
For dessert, I tended to delay my sugar craving (a craving I only experience in France) until after lunch when I was out and about discovering hidden gem curiosities along the way. Although convinced that having a patisserie on every block is a “conspiracy” to lure me into their shop, I always fell for it and was glad I did. After all, I was eating like the locals and they certainly liked a lot of pastries.
If staying in the apartment for lunch, I either made a light meal in my kitchen, enjoyed a slice of homemade quiche ($2.50) from the take-out restaurant across the street, or splurged on a spit-roasted chicken ($5) from the neighborhood butcher just three doors down from my apartment.
Throughout Europe, many areas hold on to their own die-hard customs which can be of either a serious nature like stopping work at lunchtime in France or more whimsical ones like celebrating traditional holidays and festivals.
Lunchtime in Nice is one of my favorite eat like a local stories because the canon tradition is unique and strongly encourages a work-life balance – take time for a leisurely lunch break, enjoy a nice meal and socialize with friends and family.
As a digital nomad living like a local in Nice for three months, I took long lunches just like the locals did. Following their lead, I “unplugged” and treated myself daily to a good meal with friends or solo, and thoroughly enjoyed unscripted lunchtime wanderings that always landed me somewhere new to discover.
After all, when you eat like a local in Nice at lunchtime, it’s never just about lunch!
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