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Rumour has it that the French word bistro (or bistrot) originates from 1815, when Russian soldiers captured Paris and walked the streets shouting bystro (meaning ‘quickly’ in Russian) to the waiters as they entered cafés; so bistro came to mean a place where ‘fast food’ was served. Funny, that, as today ‘fast food’ tends to indicate a rather unpleasant meal cooked en masse and served in polystyrene boxes! Speak to a French person and they consider a bistro to be a place for a drink and maybe a sandwich, nothing more. I believe that it is the romantic traveller visiting France that has given further meaning to the word bistro — using it to conjure up a simple but perfectly balanced French meal, using local seasonal produce, served in a quaint environment with charm. It’s the memory that we take home from a French holiday and then, in the midst of winter, smile sweetly and dream of perfect bygone days. Today in Paris, bistros are abundant, very good and used by Parisians for lunch and early suppers. Parts of Provence have bistros, and there seems to be a current resurgence. But sometimes one feels for the tourist market, as eateries are more often than not just named for what they are rather than after the style of restaurant, be it a brasserie, auberge, domaine, bistro or even ‘Chez’ followed by the owner’s name. However, they all serve food, whether in the style of a bistro or in true French style.