What Is Used As A "Birthday Cake" In France

I was drinking my coffee this forenoon in a cogitating mood remembering this day sixteen years agone when I hoped my showtime baby would be born; the date was 9.9.99 and I liked it equally a birth date. Baby had other ideas notwithstanding and finally made it into the world a couple of hours into the 10th. While ruminating on this momentous event and kickoff to get all nostalgic I noticed a call out for posts nearly children's birthday parties around the globe from a blogging group I belong to. And and so blogging inspiration struck, the nostalgia became constructive and I decided to write about children's birthday parties in French republic – and what not to practise.

Tomorrow volition be the 26th birthday nosotros've celebrated with our children (10 + 16) and while the teen hasn't had a "birthday party" as such for a few years now, nosotros've organised, held and attended plenty since the starting time one in September 2000.

First birthdays are obviously for the parents, the infant doesn't understand; it'due south an opportunity to gather some friends and celebrate the first twelvemonth of life, merely from two onwards our boys have had parties with their friends. They've all taken identify in France, in the Paris region and and then the Côte d'Azur. My observations about children's birthday parties in France therefore come from these experiences and I realise I tin't categorically say "this is how it is in France", but rather how I've seen it in France.

I retrieve the first proper party I organised (for the 2d birthday); I went mad. I baked and so many cakes, decorating similar crazy, fun frog cupcakes, a smiley face cake and plenty of savoury snacks. I made cheese straws, pretty canapés with tarama, classically British cucumber sandwiches and sausage rolls. My French friends said "c'est spéciale" "oh dis donc, du salé pour le goûter…." in slightly mocking/disapproving and bewildered tones. Even the homemade cakes were complimented in the way you lot might praise a particularly hopeless child's drawing. It was articulate something was amiss.

It turned out savoury is never, not ever, for tea-time: le goûter is 100% sweet. Sausage rolls, slices of pizza or raw vegetable sticks just don't feature. That was the first *cultural difference*. Then in that location'south the whole abode-made thing. Conversely for a nation so into its pâtisserie I've constitute that in full general French parents don't broil birthday cakes. And they certainly never ice them…with fun childish decorations! Nearly birthday parties I've been to have involved a bought tart of some sort (apple tree most oftentimes) and possibly a simple plain yogurt cake ormoelleux au chocolat (a rich, thin semi-baked chocolate cake without icing). The amateur cake made into the shape of the child's latest craze (Thomas the Tank Engine, Minions, football whatever) and smothered with thick brightly coloured butter icing just doesn't cut it here. [In the photo above you tin can see some of my madness plus 2 cakes brought past local friends at the back, both plain and un-iced].

I cottoned on pretty quickly simply defiantly served savoury snacks for many years, despite no one eating them. You lot could call me stubborn. I also persisted with my amateurly iced cakes every bit my boys love them. But over the years I've reduced the quantities of food and every bit far as savoury goes, I now put out a pocket-sized bowl of crisps and occasionally some cocktail sausages equally my culturally mixed kids like them, but long gone are the sandwiches, canapés and dips. I've assimilated and now the tea part of the tea party tends to be a piece of cake (defiantly withal bootleg and iced I might add) and a handfull of sweets…

And then having got to grips with the food etiquette of a French children'due south birthday political party, I started to observe some other cultural deviation: games (though it may be wishful thinking on my part that parents still organise games in other parts of the world, I'k non sure). Even this year when my fiddling one turned ten I organised party games. Less at present he'south older but we used to play pass-the-parcel, musical chairs, dead lions, pin the tail on the donkey, egg & spoon race etc. Nowadays it's more likely to exist Twister and games in the pool. But I've institute over the years that at kids' parties in France, unless at that place's an entertainer, there are not a lot of organised activities, just regular free play. The children are left to boot a football around, practice some colouring, wearing apparel-up in costumes, play with lego etc, just like an ordinary play engagement. The only difference is they sing "joyeux anniversaire" (to the same tune as happy birthday) and give presents to the birthday child.

In my experience it'due south not the norm to invite the whole class (which I must say I'm happy about) just a smallish number of friends. My boys always want to invite lots of people and we've had up to 18 but usually around 10-12. However, the parties they go to tend to have more than similar 8 children. A much more manageable number especially if nothing is organised. I know my nieces and nephews in England feel pressure to invite the whole class and therefore get invited back by the whole form and seem to go to altogether parties every weekend. That isn't the case in France.

My boys are a multi-cultural mix with friends from all over the world and then different traditions and community work their mode into all aspects of their and their friends' lives. Manifestly there's no such matter as a standard "French" political party, but in French republic unless the party is 100% expat I recollect it'south safe to say it'll exist like to what I've described hither. I relish being unlike, I brand sure my boys know about their British and Australian heritage but they are French too and like to exist the same every bit their friends. In this respect I feel it's merely fair to adopt a more French arroyo to birthday parties, when in Rome and all that….So birthday parties for us have get less structured and more relaxed over the years and we all seem happy with that.