Literal translation
who relies on others' dinner dines late and badly
Meaning
he who relies on others' meals dines late and poorly
Explanation
This saying warns against depending on others for one's essential needs. Fiso comes from fiso (trust), and si fiso means to rely on, to count on ; dino, from the verb dina (to have the midday meal, called dinner or lunch depending on the region), is used twice here, first as a noun (others' dinner) then as a conjugated verb (he dines). Deis autre (of others) makes clear that the wait rests on someone else's generosity or initiative, never guaranteed. The closing words, tard emai mau (late and even badly, or late and also badly), stress a double disappointment : the wait not only delays the meal but the result also disappoints in quality. The saying belongs to a wisdom of self-reliance strongly present in Provençal culture, where counting on oneself is valued over the uncertainty of another's charity or promise. It is used to comment on a poorly chosen situation of dependency, whether professional or domestic, with a sententious and mildly mocking tone toward whoever trusted wrongly.