It’s almost noon, quick, get out of the store! The French love affair with lunch.

If ever in France, particularly anywhere outside of Paris, never try going to a store at lunchtime because it will be closed.  Lunch is sacred here, so every store closes up between noon and 2 pm so all its employees can go home, eat lunch, and maybe squeeze in a nap.  This is a great idea, but is something that still gets under my skin when I want to go shopping and find that noontime is fast approaching.  So, I was thrilled to read the news that our local grocery store will stay open “non-stop” on Saturdays; that is, they will not close for the traditional two hour lunch.  (All of France closes down on Sunday, except for the bakeries, so the extra hours make up for the difference.)  I thought people would embrace this change because it meant not cutting the day in half.  Chores could get done and grocery unpacked by 12:30 or 1pm and everyone would happily get on with the day. I was wrong; customers rush out of the grocery store minutes before noon in a mad panic, as if Cinderella leaving the ball at the stroke midnight.  Perhaps it’s because everyone wants to get home for their lunch and nap, but this phenomenon of noon – 2pm is something I don’t get.  I like a good lunch, but it is liberating to get what I need to do without a forced pause in the middle of my day.  One the plus side, I’ve found the checkout lines shorter and the aisles much less crowded when I aim to do my shopping just after the mass exodus.  The few people who do remain also seem much calmer, and there is always a polite nod, as if in recognition of the cultural regulation broken.  I’ll take it; it’s our own little secret club: “the noontime shoppers”.  We shop at noon, and we’re proud of it.