Why do I need to know c'est fade?

Because it will elevate your food critiquing abilities to Top Chef France levels.

Plus, it will be of use if you're one of the unlucky coronavirus victims who has lost their sense of taste and smell.

What does it mean?

Fade is a French expression people use to say that something is 'tasteless', 'bland', 'boring'.

C'est fade, ça manque de saveur. – 'It's bland, it lacks flavour.'

It’s commonly used for food, and if you’ve watched Top Chef France, you might have heard something like:

Je trouve ce plat très fade, il n’y a ni de goût ni de couleurs ! – ‘I find this dish very bland, there’s no taste or colour!’

Like this Twitter user did with a Parisian pizzeria:

“A ruined attempt on a Neapolitan pizza: dough too thin, crust not high enough, bland tomato sauce and, average cheese. Pity.”