In France, the tradition of "apéritif" (or "apéro" for short) is very popular. Before starting the meal, we have wine, beer or any kind of beverage, with snacks, olives or saucisson (kind of sausage) for instance. I guess the main purpose is to stimulate the appetite before the meal. This can be done on special occasions or just on normal days, to relax. In ELSI, the same kind of tradition takes place every Friday evening (we call it Izakaya ELSI), after Christine Houser and John Hernlund initiated it about a year ago.

Since ELSI is a very international institute, it is a good place for members to share some aspects of their culture and to discover new ones. In some occasions, either to celebrate a particular event or to share food and drinks from different countries, Izakaya ELSI takes on a particular theme. As a French guy, it was unthinkable not to share French cheese and wine with ELSI members, as a part of these special events

I remember the first time we had a cheese and wine party at ELSI. At that time, ELSI was much smaller and we were only 3-4 people sharing this moment (it was very unofficial, actually). A few months later, -last May if I remember correctly- the visit of French researchers was a good opportunity to share our culinary tradition with colleagues. This time was the first "official" Wine and Cheese party at ELSI. It was such a success that we decided to organize another one that was held a couple of weeks ago. Actually, the formula is nothing very sophisticated: some wine, some cheese and some people. But the nice atmosphere and communication space make those events very special. When I looked at the table that night, I realized that I was not only happy to have good food with good people, but also that I liked the beauty of the table, with all the cheese and wine bottles spread on it. I think this is something Japanese and French people share: a meal must not only be good for the palate but also for the eyes.

With the growth of ELSI this year, there are now several French-speaking people (about half of them being non-native!) They all make part of what we call unofficially the Wine and Cheese Committee. Hopefully, thanks to this committee, this kind of party could become a semester-based event. ELSI is a place where many researchers from different disciplines coexist. It is sometimes difficult to interact with people whose research field is far from ours, but I believe the work of our WCC leads to better connections between people.

As the latin locution says: in vino veritas ("in wine there is truth"). For the time being, I have not yet found the truth about the origins of life or the Earth, but I'm still seeking.