The French love saying bon appétit. Just not when everyone's sitting around the table. In fact, it's considered pretty gauche to say anything at all--once the maîtress de maison begins, everyone's just supposed to dig in.So when do the French say bon appétit? At 10:00 o'clock in the morning when they spy you eating a banana at your desk. "Bon appétit!" they'll chime as they walk past your office, smug at having caught you in the act. Or in the afternoon as you munch hungrily on a baguette sandwich in the park. Elderly couples won't resist acknowledging your newfangled conception of a meal with an amused "Bon appétit!" as they pass by your bench.
If you dare eat in public in France, then you're asking for feedback.
Meryl Streep as Julia Child. [Online image] 2009.
