On being served canapès while attending a vernissage

October 11, that would still be 9 days more from today. After being away for almost 3 months, I am slowly re-integrating into the routines of a foreigner living in a city whose culture is totally different from what it used to be back home. So back to the French culture which so pervades the life in this city where Calvin started his brand of Protestantism. Allan, my ever-patient guru of things more urbane and culturally-tuned to the nuances of the French culture suggested that we attend a vernissage on that Saturday. Well I couldnt remember Claire, my first ever teacher of French mentioning to our class something about this French word. Upon hearing the word I automatically think of varnish - since this is the closest word I know that at least in my limited knowledge of the English to the sound of vernissage. And loo and behold, when I consulted my ever dependable Larousse English-French dictionary the word vernissage is indeed the French word for varnishing. But used in another sense, it means a preview, or private viewing, or simply opening of an art exhibition. For a truly French vernissage, guests are served with canapès and wine. A cursory look at my Larousse said that a canapè is a small, usually decorative food held in the fingers often eaten in one bite, usually salty or spicy so that guests are encouraged to drink more. While having the canapès and wine, guests can also talk with the artists about the work on exhibit. Well, since my French is still not that sophisticated I might end up mostly having the canapès and the wine and will surely just concentrate on the exhibits. Mais si l'artiste parlera en Anglais, je vais parler chez il.