Saqib the French Waiter: Student by day, French Waiter by night

Thats right, I've been working as a waiter at a fancy french restaurant called "Le Bistro Latin." During the day I go to classes at the language institute and in the evenings, I stroll through tables carrying dishes of delicious french cuisine, talking to customers and learning about french culture. I wear all black, comb my hair and (i thought this part would be impossible) remain clean shaven for weeks at a time! I've been working there 5 nights a week, for nearly 2 months now and I really enjoy it.

upstairs

Downstairs

The restaurant is small, 20 tables spread across 2 floors, with just 2 of us working as serveurs (waiters). Monday through Wednesday it can be a bit quiet (thankfully) but thursdays through the weekend are usually completely packed. Each table is filled by people from around the world, speaking a myriad of languages all coming to eat at the place their guidebooks laude as being "one of the best restaurants in the South of France." Candles placed around the restaurant and soft lights on the tables give the place a cozy and relaxing glow. In the background I'm usually playing mixes of Miles Davis, Coltrane, Nina Simone, Herbie Hancock, Ray Charles or other favorites. There is always a wonderful aroma coming from the kitchen where the Chef (who is part of the hip couple that own/run the restaurant) creates traditional and modern provencal French dishes. Each dish is a work of art in itself with the Chef paying just as much attention to the presentation of the dish as he does to it's taste. Also in the cuisine (kitchen) is a 17 year old who is apprenticing as a Sous Chef (what an awesome job to have at 17!)

Guillaume et moi.

The other serveur: Guillaume, a 2o-something graphic artist, who has been slowly teaching me everything i need to know about French cuisinary culture and correcting my grammar when i make mistakes. On the slow nights, we get into long discussions on topics ranging from art styles to racism in France. He's patient when i get lost speaking french and our conversations are usually half filled with us asking the definitions and translations of certain words in our respective languages. Between the waves of clients, we often will draw behind the bar, filling up sketch pads with our doodles.

The patrons (owners of the restaurant): They took it over a couple years ago after working there for quite a few years. The husband is the chef and the wife (also a chef) manages the front of the house and also is a serveur on the weekends when it gets really rushed. They're fairly young, speak fluent english (they did their studies in the UK, where they met) and are hip. The husband wears Chucks and the wife wears Birkenstocks. Looking through their cd collection and picking something to play is one of my favorite things to do between clients. They kite surf and take boxing lessons. They took me wine tasting at a local vineyard (who's wines we serve) to try their new wines. They're definitely strict, but only when they need to be and they don't go overboard. They definitely keep me on my feet.

Le Chef!

sauces being made

delicious desserts!- Entremet Chocolats from one of the best chocolatiers in France.

The clients: 60% french, 40% tourists/travellers. The majority of the clients are regulars and those that aren't will atleast visit a handful of times. Most of the tourists read about the restaurant in their travel guides and come in for a taste of traditonal french cuisine. It's the tourists that i like the most as clients because they are eager to share their travel stories with me while i take their orders and they leave tips. French people don't leave tips. it's not part of the culture. Sometimes they'll leave a euro or two but that's more a gesture than anything else. I love watching the couples from around the world that eat at the restaurant. The italian and french couples are the most romantic. They lean close over the tables talking in a way that their words will only reach the ears of their lover across from them. They hold each other's hands near the candle on top of the table and rarely pull their eyes away from each other. They kiss across the tables romantically and i always feel like im interrupting (i usually am, it's impossible not to be) when i try to give them their menus or dishes. Old couples eat at the restaurant and they speak less, usually because they don't need to say much to each other. They usually have the most expensive fixed menu and will sit with their wine enjoying each other's company. A few days ago an older french couple came in that was celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary. They must have been in their late 50's and they were writing love notes to each other on the napkins and kissing each other over the candle just like their younger counterparts. It was really nice. When the husband left for the bathroom, the wife leaned to me while i cleared the plates and said "Doesnt he look handsome? i love it when he wears that hat." Other interesting clients have included boxing champs, barons/baronesses, old Portuguese poets, and militant Israelies (with heavy NY accents).

The food is the part i love most about the restaurant. The carte (menu) is made up of 3 fixed menues, each with 3 or four courses. Each fixed menu is crafted by the chef so that each course compliments the course before and after it. Each course is relatively small (compared to American standards), but once people make it through their marathon meals to the dessert they are rarely hungry. The cuisine leaves you satisfied and not overly stuffed like american food sometimes does. The chef is a real artist in the kitchen, and each dish is whimsically decorated with a variety of vegetables and tapenades to compliment the dish. The desserts are magnificent. They range from Lavender and Green tea infused Creme Brulee to Molten Chocolate cake baked with a caramel in the center. Everything served in the restaurant is local. Our goat cheese comes from one of Aix's premier fromagieres (cheese producer). It is delivered each week by the producer, Guy Blanc, who is one of the few people seen around Aix with a pony tail and flannel shirts. He always has an old leather messenger bag on him and a couple earings in each ear. Our bread is made by the chef each morning and the type of bread changes each day to compliment the new dishes. All produce is bought direct from local farmers and meat is bought direct from local butchers. The wines are all from local vineyards, chosen by the owners to compliment the dishes. The Chef has been giving me cooking lessons, teaching me recipes and explaining to me the many different dishes he cooks. Lately i've been coming up with recipes of my own and sharing them with him and the sous chef.

Some of the local reds we serve

I've learned that one of the main differences between French dining and american dining is that in the US when we eat out, what happens on our table is completely under our control, because we are the clients. In french dining, almost everything that happens on the table (ie- the food served, the order which it is all eaten, the tastes experienced by the client, etc.) is controlled by the serveurs and, more importantly, the Chef. The Chef puts a lot of time and effort into creating each dining experience for the clients and the clients are completely glad to sit back and experience that which the Chef creates for them.

Working nearly every night has been tiring (especially with classes) but at the same time it's given me something constructive to do with my time here. Once again, i feel productive and am actually actively learning. I am forced to speak French for hours each night while i am completely immersed in one of the most wonderful pinnacles of France's culture: it's cuisine.