Fussy Foodie in France

If you’re called a fussy eater, it can be quite annoying! Pourquoi ? Why? Because we all have preferences and the need to avoid certain foods. 

When eating in France, this is not always taken into account, although lately people and restaurants are getting much more aware that this is more than just a food fad, a trend! So, to be clear about your eating preferences and feel 100%, you must be crystal clear! 

You’ll learn:

• How to say you’re not a fussy eater
• How to express your preferences with clarity
• How to make sure you don’t forget the right words!

3 Essential French structures to talk about your food preferences.

When it comes to describing your food preference or explaining why you don’t eat certain food items, there are 3 main structures to help you just do this.

First, you can share your preferences:

• J’ai des préférences >>> I have preferences.

Then, you can expand and describe what you prefer with the same verb. Here’s the conjugation:

• je préfère
• tu préfères
• il / elle préfère

• nous préférons
• vous préférez
• ils / elles préfèrent 

After the verb, be sure to use le / la / l’ or les since the food item(s) is/ are precise. 

Let’s have a look at some examples:

• Je préfère le vin rouge >>> I prefer red wine.
• Je préfère la viande >>> I prefer meat.
• Je préfère l’ail que les oignons >>> I prefer garlic than onions.
• Je préfère les fruits rouges >>> I prefer red fruits.

Of course, you can also use the verbs aimer (to like) with its degrees:

• Elle aime un peu le chocolat >>> She likes chocolate a little.
• Elle aime beaucoup le chocolat >>> She likes chocolate a lot.
• Elle aime le chocolat passionnément >>> She likes chocolate passionately.

Another verb to express more love for something is the verb adorer (to adore).

On the contrary, if you don’t like something, suffice to choose the negative form of the 2 verbs you have just seen:

• Elle n’aime pas le chocolat >>> She doesn’t like chocolate.
• Elle n’adore pas le chocolat >>> She doesn’t adore chocolate.

Ultimately if you can’t stand something, the French verb is détester (to hate) following the same structure of préférer, aimer and adorer with the articles le / la / l’ or les. 

• Elle déteste le chocolat >>> She hates chocolate.

Secondly, it’s vital to mention your allergies without any shame. How do you say it in French? To be general, apply this sentence:

• J’ai des allergies >>> I have allergies.

We will get deeper into this topic in the last section of this mini-lesson.

Equally important, if your body can’t digest certain food items, please do say it like this:

• Je suis intolérant(e) >>> I am intolerant.

To summarise, at this stage, you have 3 main sentences to describe your food preferences in a general way. In the following sections, you will give details.

How to say you are a vegetarian in French.

Are you a vegetarian? In French, you would say it like this:

• Je suis végétarien (ne) >>> I am vegetarian.

Do you want to explain what it entails in French? Pas de problème ! Here’s the way:

• Je ne mange ni la viande, ni le poisson, ni les fruits de mer. >>> I eat neither meat, fish nor seafood.

Here we express the negative form with various elements. That is why you need “ni” in French which substitutes “pas”.

Explain that you like fish and seafood in French.

Do you like fish and seafood but don’t eat meat? Therefore you are a pescatarian:

• Je suis pescatarien (ne) >>> I am pescatarian.

Not everyone is familiar with this word. In needed, elaborate like the following:

• Je suis comme un végétarien mais je mange le poisson et les fruits de mer. >>> I am like a vegetarian but I eat fish and seafood.

Note that in French, fish can be plural: un poisson, des poissons.

How do you say you are a vegan in French?

More and more people are vegan and if it’s your case, express it in French: 

• Je suis végétalien (ne) >>> I am vegan.

And if someone can’t differentiate a vegetarian from a vegan, say this:

• Je ne mange pas de produits dérivés d’animaux et je n’utilise pas d’autres produits d’origine animale. >>> I don’t eat products with animal content in them and I don’t usually use animal based products in my cooking.

Express your food preferences in French.

Maybe you take extra care in order to eat very healthily? It is your right to demand healthy meals with less or no sugar, salt, fat, and so on.

Should you wish to say it in French, here is an example: 

• Je préfère manger moins de sel, de graisse et de sucre >>> I prefer eating less salt, fat and sugar.

When you don’t eat certain things because of your religion.

There may be some food items you don’t eat for religious purposes. Never feel shy about it.

The basic French structure is this one: 

• Je préfère ne pas manger … >>> I prefer NOT eating …

To start with, there are 5 main religions in the world:

• Le catholicisme >>> Catholicisme.
• Le judaïsme >>> Judaism.
• L’islam >>> Islam.
• Le bouddhisme >>> Buddhism.
• L’hindouisme >>> Hinduism. 

If you practice one of these religions, you could say:

• je suis catholique >>> I’m catholic.
• je suis  juif / juive >>> I am jewish.
• je suis musulman(e) >>> I am a muslim.
• je suis  bouddhiste >>> I am a buddhist.
• je suis hindou(e) >>> I am a Hindu. 

Based on these 5 main religions, let’s see what you shouldn’t eat:

If you are a catholic, you shouldn’t eat meat during Lent or on Fridays.

• Je préfère ne pas manger de viande le vendredi ou pendant le Carême.  >>> I prefer NOT eating meat on Fridays nor during Lent.

If you are Jewish, you should eat only kosher food.

• Je préfère manger des produits kasher  >>> I prefer eating kosher food.

If you are a Muslim, you can’t eat pork nor drink alcohol.

• Je préfère ne pas manger de porc ni boire d’alcool. >>> I prefer NOT eating pork nor drink alcohol.

Never pronounce the “c” in “porc” in French.

Now, if you are a Buddhist, you should be a vegetarian. Therefore you would explain:

• Je préfère ne pas manger de viande ni boire d’alcool. >>> I prefer NOT eating meat nor drink alcohol.

Finally, if you are a Hindu, you should not be a vegetarian but shouldn’t eat beef at any cost.

• Je préfère ne pas manger de boeuf. >>> I prefer NOT eating beef.

Note that you do say the “f” in “boeuf”.

Learn how to talk about your allergies in French.

Time to avoid cases of emergency and talk about your allergies before it’s too late.

You may be allergic or intolerant to certain food items. You must know the French words for your allergies at all costs.

We already saw the basic structure which is:

• Je suis allergique / intolérant(e) à… >>> I am allergic / intolerant to…

Then, you will specify the food item(s) that caused you this allergy in the first place. You’ll have to take the gender and number into account because of the preposition of “à”.

• Je suis allergique / intolérant(e) à la… >>> (feminine singular)
• Je suis allergique / intolérant(e) au… >>> (masculine singular)
• Je suis allergique / intolérant(e) à l’… >>> (word starting with a vowel or h)
• Je suis allergique / intolérant(e) aux… >>> (plural)

WIth concrete examples, it would be like this:

• Je suis allergique / intolérant(e) à la moutarde >>> I am allergic / intolerant to mustard.
• Je suis allergique / intolérant(e) au lait >>> I am allergic / intolerant to milk.
• Je suis allergique / intolérant(e) à l’arachide >>> I am allergic / intolerant to peanuts.
• Je suis allergique / intolérant(e) aux fruits de mer >>> I am allergic / intolerant to seafood.

If you feel sick after eating something, don’t be afraid and use these useful sentences from this article:

How to say you are sick when in France 

And if you have an allergic reaction or someone is having it, make the correct moves like you can read them in this article:

Be ready for a medical emergency in France

What if you can’t eat products with gluten?

Unfortunately, each day more people have to stop eating gluten products. And if it’s you, explain it:

• J’ai la maladie coeliaque >>> I am celiac.

Instead, use the following definition:

• Mon alimentation est strictement sans gluten >>> My food is strictly gluten-free.
• Je ne dois jamais manger de gluten >>> I must never eat gluten.

In conclusion, you should never be ashamed of your food preference. Besides, it’s not your fault if you are allergic or intolerant to certain food items. Each of you has the right to choose what you want for your body.

Expressing your preferences is something but mentioning your allergies or/and religious beliefs regarding food is crucial.

Indeed, you don’t want to eat something against your religion or end up at the hospital because you were afraid to say it or you didn’t know how to say it in French. 

If there’s one thing you can memorise is the food item(s) you can’t eat at all.

If there’s a certain food item I didn’t mention in this mini-lesson and you have to know before going to a French-speaking country, contact me with all the confidence in the world. I want the best for you! And if you decide to experience an immersive homestay with me, rest assured that I respect your food preference and will adapt all your meals during your stay.