Cross-cultural communication （10）　

12）Cross-cultural communication in everyday life in Paris, Part 2
　 Food is also an important part of French culture. Many chefs, including the famous Paul Bocuse, have been awarded decorations by the French government.

I also love French food, so I enjoyed French cuisine to the full during my time in Paris. In France, there are also institutional measures in place to protect food culture. To eat high-quality French food, you have to be prepared to spend a certain amount of money. For this reason, people who are self-employed and can afford to spend relatively freely are allowed to eat out at restaurants up to twice a week as a form of tax-free entertainment. I was not an employee at an American hospital, but a self-employed doctor in private practice. So, of course I was able to take advantage of this. In reality, as a private practitioner, I didn't have to entertain anyone twice a week, nor did I have the opportunity to do so. However, according to the explanation given by my tax accountant, eating out twice a week for any reason is recognized as a business expense. Of course, you have to write a plausible reason on the receipt. Needless to say, I took full advantage of this privilege.

I was able to conquer quite a few starred restaurants, including three-starred ones, and I felt a sense of satisfaction. Perhaps you are thinking that you would get a bill that would make your eyes pop out if you went to a three-starred restaurant in Paris. However, compared to the top-class French restaurants in Tokyo and Osaka, it is quite reasonable. To put it roughly, if you spend 100 US dollars per person, you can get a minimum of an appetizer and a main dish, but you can still get a decent meal. What you need to be careful of here is that the price does not include wine. The price of wine is unlimited. It can be many times the price of the food. At starred restaurants, there is always a sommelier, so the best thing to do is to be honest about your budget and ask them to choose a wine that goes well with the food and is within your budget. If you are not good with alcohol, there is no problem at all even if you ask for mineral water at a starred French restaurant.

There was a middle-aged man I met at the American Hospital who worked as a specialist in repairing the hospital's equipment. He was a typical Frenchman, a gourmet and a wine lover. However, his salary didn't allow him to eat at high-class restaurants very often. Nevertheless, he saved up his money to enjoy eating at starred restaurants once every few months. When I heard this story, I was impressed that France really is a country with a genuine food culture.

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