The pot de départ, the French, and alcohol

February 03rd 2007

Yesterday I wrote about when it’s time to change jobs, which was actually a cumulation of reflexions that I’d had over the past few months. Because transfers must happen on the first day of the month, my last day in my old department and the first day at my new one both fell during the same week, which was last week. Since another coworker was also transferring, we decided to do a small pot de départ (”going away party”) together.

Warning: do not attempt this in the US because you could be fired! This is a pot de départ French style. And that means lots of alcohol! The French, and Europeans in general, and much more relaxed about alcohol than in the US. Alcohol is very much a part of the European culture. Beer was invented because the water was not safe to drink, fermentation created alcohol which killed the germs and made it safer. My Italian grandfather used to say the same thing about wine in Italy when my mom refused to let me have some at the big holiday dinners. Contrast this with alcohol in the US, which is still taboo for many people.

In Paris, life revolves around the cafés. They serve not only coffee, but beer and wine and even the hard stuff. As well as food of course. And it’s not uncommon to see people enjoying a beer at the counter, in the morning! I think it’s especially funny to see an old elderly lady having a beer at the counter. There’s nothing masculine about beer here.

Next, most big companies have a cafeteria. Here you’ll find a small selection of beers, small wine bottles, half bottles, or wine by the glass. Surprisingly not many people drink alcohol in the cafeterias. I suspect this is because they don’t want to be seen by their superiors, because many of those same people would certainly have some wine with their meal at a café. Wine at lunch makes me sleepy in the afternoon so I reserve my wine drinking for the evenings.

So all this about alcohol being commonplace sets up the stage for the pot de départ. The French going away party usually consists of a selection of small snacks both salty and sweet. Chips, nuts, dips, and candies. For drinks, there are soft drinks, orange juice, and Champagne (or Mousseux which is the same thing as Champagne but it’s made in another region in France and therefore cannot use the name Champagne). And I should also mention there one need not quit the department or company in order to faire un pot “Throw a party”. There are pot d’arrivé (”arrival party”) (if we can convince the new person that “everyone does it”), pot projet (”project party”), or just a plain old pot with any reason at all. They’re usually at 18:00 but are sometimes held during the lunch hours.

Our pot was quite simple, we invited a few of our closest friends, and it was très sympa (”very nice”).

All this is in sharp contrast to how things work in the US. First alcohol is forbidden at work and even during lunch breaks. I went to lunch at a restaurant once with a coworker once who ordered a martini and I was shocked. So it just isn’t in the American mentality to drink alcohol during the day and/or at work. So what we Americans usually do is just invite the person who is leaving to a restaurant for one final lunch. I remember for one of mine we went to Fatburger. Just thinking about it makes me laugh. How can one compare a Coke and a big greasy hamburger to a glass of Champagne and pistachios? I must admit, when it comes to les pots, the French do them right!

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Comments

2 Comments so far

  1. Fleur on February 13, 2007 14:54

    It’s “Mousseux”, instead of “Mousseaux”. It’s not really a question of region but rather the way it’s manufactured.
    You are right, French people always find a reason to have “un pot” and we enjoy it very much!

  2. Mickäel on March 6, 2007 21:20

    Thanks for the spelling correction, I have spelling problems in English so you can imagine how difficult it is in French. ;)

    I have googled “Mousseux difference champagne” but I cannot find any authorative site that describes the exact differences. If anyone has a link please post it. I was going by what the mousseux producers in Alsace told me when I was wine tasting there. They call their mousseux “Crement d’Alsace”.

    Also, while researching this just now I came across a mention of the Spanish Mousseux (I won’t call it Spanish Champagne, the Champagne cartels have got me scared now) called Cava. According to this website it is made in the traditional Champage method. It’s a pretty good value to and I’ve seen it at many pots, including my pot de départ. :)

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