Bon appétit

Aside from the super obvious things like "Where are you from?" and "How long have you been in Barcelona?," I think the question I get asked the most here is "How do you say Que aproveche (the Spanish version of Bon appétit) in English?" They're not asking for a translation, they're asking how we in the English-speaking world or in the United States in particular wish someone a good meal. It's a question that seems to genuinely interest not just Catalans or Spaniards, but Europeans of all stripes. Southern Europeans, anyway.

It's not just that the person serving a meal always says it; everyone here wishes you a good meal when you're eating. Strangers in restaurants say Que aproveche (or sometimes Buen provecho). I've seen people walking and talking on cell phones stop themselves and their conversations to say Que aproveche to someone. On one of the rare times that I was eating dinner at home (why do my roommates have to be so goddamn gross in the kitchen?) one of my roommates was halfway out the door when I guess she realized she had forgotten to say it, and she came all the way back to the dining room, wished me Buen provecho, and then left.

The answer is that there's not really an English equivalent, which I guess is why they ask. You might say something like "Enjoy your meal," or if you're being goofy or pretentious you might say "Bon Appétit," but stopping what you're doing to go out of your way to wish a stranger a good meal is not really part of our culture. I feel like I'm doing well if I stop what I'm doing when I'm the one who's eating.