Lyon (AFP)

Ten o'clock in the morning, no croissants, but an andouillette or parsley ham!

Deprived of customers in the evening by the curfew, the Bouchons Lyonnais are reviving the tradition of "mâchon", a meal of well-watered pork to enjoy in the morning.

At the "Poêlon d'Or", in the heart of Lyon, the atmosphere is very joyful on this rainy morning.

On the table of this larger-than-life cork, good bottles sit alongside dishes of poached sausage in red wine, tasty bites of andouillette and mash or the brains of the canuts (a fresh cheese with herbs), devoured with gusto by the guests of this "brunch" Lyon version ...

"Even if we have a smile, the situation is complicated. We adapt to the schedules that are imposed on us. We try, especially with the chew, to find solutions and keep morale," said AFP his boss Yann Lalle.

"The restaurant is the last space of freedom and conviviality these days. We can no longer travel, go out ...".

Black and white checkered tiling, parquet, woodwork, copper decoration and old mirrors, here everything exudes tradition, except for the "special Covid" plexiglass walls installed between each table.

"It's heartwarming to be there. This type of meeting can be successful", adds Benoît Josserand, owner of another stopper, "Le Café du Jura", and president of the association Les Bouchons lyonnais , at the origin of this "revival" of the mâchon to try at the end of the week to counter (a little) the absence of dinners.

About ten restaurant owners from the association are bringing this Lyon tradition up to date, at unusual customer reception times, to re-instill conviviality despite the health crisis and the difficult economic situation for them.

Some were already perpetuating this gastronomic institution, such as Mr. Lalle, before the Covid, Mr. Josserand, on order, or the "4G" cap.

"It's 10:40, perfect. It allows you to forget the context of the Covid a little, to have a good time, have a drink, eat ... It's out of step with usual, but it's going very well ! ”exclaims Benoît Quiblier, tripe producer and partner of the association, raising his glass.

- "We are sacrificed in the evening" -

Forgetting for a few moments his natural joviality, Yann Lalle deplores the restrictions imposed by the health crisis.

"We were just starting to straighten the bar and there, patatras, the curfew. The cold shower!"

"We are sacrificed in the evening. For restaurateurs, it is the most interesting service in terms of margin and profit," he notes.

"But, well, we adapt to the schedules that we are granted".

For now, he offers the mâchon on Friday and Saturday morning.

For 25 euros.

"It's a big breakfast or it replaces lunch. At six per table and twenty place settings maximum," explains the boss.

For Mr. Lalle and his colleagues, "the first wave was hard to overcome, the second, it could be catastrophic".

Yet, he notes, no cluster has ever been detected in a restaurant.

"We strictly respect barrier gestures."

The custom of mâchon comes from the canuts, these silk weavers from Croix-Rousse, on the heights of Lyon, who shared these meals at dawn, after hours of labor.

Before the epidemic, at the "Poêlon d'Or", "we served mats in the pure tradition, with winemakers who came to show their wines. It was, admits the owner, much more agitated and festive, we spent table after table, dishes were exchanged. With sanitary measures, this is no longer possible ".

So, to keep a smile, "let's cultivate our traditions, stopper and chew together!" Yann Lalle says in the form of a greedy war cry.

© 2020 AFP