Living in France definitely influenced my views on food and eating. The French love food! Preparing it is an art and enjoying it together is a major part of the culture. Everyone knows that, but the things that I was unprepared for were the very cautious attitudes that the French have toward things like genetically engineered food, pesticides, and processed foods. These things had really not been on my radar screen before living in France. I was concerned about the growth hormones that end up in our meat and dairy products since I had just had a baby, but I really wasn't into the whole organic or whole foods thing. I was surprised to learn that many mothers in France make their own baby food and their older children's snack foods- so they can be sure of just "what is in it". Soup came in boxes instead of in cans which was new to me, but those boxes became a staple for us, and then I found out that many French women make a soup every day! What?! "Why can't we just trust Gerber and Campbell's?" I thought. Anyway, I came around to their way of thinking a bit, though I still do buy Little Debbies on occasion. Shocking, I know!
D is always teasing me that I need to just whip up a soup "a la francaise" for dinner, as if I know how to just whip anything up- I'll need a recipe, thank you very much. I wish I had a familial culinary heritage like most of my French friends, but I don't, so I have to rely on cookbooks and recipes. I will say that I have come a long way though- from making babyfood and homemade jam to adding a few French recipes to my repertoire, but I still have lots to learn as well. I am pleased that now that I can read French, I can actually use some of the cookbooks that I have bought or been given over the years.
I haven't read the famous Why French Women Don't Get Fat book yet, but I plan to. I love that the subtitle of the book is "The Secret of Eating for Pleasure", and the author touts this as a French woman's manifesto. I have been doing my own research, and though I am still stumped, I am beginning to wonder if the secret of French thinness lies in the quality of the food. Why are Americans so much bigger than French people? And why is it so hard to lose weight here in America? That we don't walk as much is an obvious explanation, but I have been to the gym and or running for several hours each week lately, and I am seeing nowhere near the results that I had imagined. And lately I have noticed that a lot of people around me seem to be fighting the same battle. French women here say that they have all gained weight too since coming to this country and attribute it to our food. When I asked one friend what French expats do to remedy this weight gain phenomenon, she said they don't lose the weight they gained either until they go back to France!
When we came back to the States, I tried to shop for organic produce, dairy and meat for awhile, and after it became too expensive, I gave up. Lately I have been having the worst time trying to lose the weight I have gained since being back here, and I am wondering if going organic would help. Jillian Michaels, author of Mastering Your Metabolism seems to think so and a number of people I have been reading lately agree. I think I'm going to give it another try and then hopefully plant a garden for the summer. At least if I don't lose weight, I should be healthier, right? The good news is, that I love food and so do the French, so my love of food can't be the problem. And what I love about the French culture is that the preparation of the food is an expression of love for those who partake of the food. Anyone who has truly labored to prepare a meal knows and understand this, but in American culture, I think this labor of love often goes underappreciated due to the vast amount of fast/ convenience food that is available to us. In addition, the enjoyment of food with others is also something that is not taken lightly in French culture. Meals are much more of an event than they are for us in the US, and eating out is way more expensive so that casual acquaintances are not often found having dinner together. Eating out at a restaurant is something that close friends do together on special occasions. I absolutely LOVE the recent movie, Julie and Julia because I can SO relate to Julia Childs as a "large" American expat living in France learning French and how to cook but also because the movie portrays marriage in a positive light and cooking as a way of loving our families well. It is a must see!
Link to Notes on End Times Series 2023
2 years ago
6 comments:
I have pondered myself on the very same thing and have also come to the conclusion that it must be something we add into our foods - preservatives, maybe? It isn't fat because, goodness knows, that is a key ingredient in the pain au chocolats and truffade that is eaten almost daily here and it certainly can't be carbs - hello baguettes! People do walk here more but not enough to stay this thin on a consistent basis. Interesting.. I do wish someone would do a real study and figure it out. Maybe it is, like you said, the manner in which we eat and view food? Eating 1000 calories in 15 minutes vs 2 hours.. maybe that somehow changes the way your body metabolizes the fat and calories? I don't know.. a mystery, for sure!
I know what you mean. It is very expensive to eat healthy here. I am looking forward to that aspect of the farm-fresh meat, eggs, and produce! I am having a hard time losing weight, too. I've had to surrender the fact that the 20 pounds I want to lose might just have to come off slowly-like 2 or 3 pounds a month. I'm just trying to press on. I LOVED Julie and Julia-loved it! And surprisingly, so did Andy. We both love food, love to cook, and we adored the relationships in the move, too. Thanks for the post-praying for you now. LOVE YOU!!
PS...You look beautiful. As always.
I've enjoyed catching up on your blog, and I appreciated this post. Breaking bread should be an event! Was it from you or someone else that I heard that the French don't eat "on the run?" If they can't sit down and enjoy, they wait. If this is true, no wonder! When we were honeymooning in St. Martin (on the French side), we had this elaborate, delicious multi-course meal. We ate every bite and were satisfied but not stuffed. It was so enjoyable, and it sums up the name of the game for me (if I'd just stick to it!!): PORTION CONTROL.
There was a good article re: this in Modern Reformation a few months ago--very insightful and convicting for me.
So impressed with your running! I'm getting back into it as well; I wish we could run together!
Thank you for the comments and the prayers! It's encouraging to at least be in touch through the blog world. Wish you all were here though. :)
Hey friend, I loved this post and hearing your thoughts about food. I think the French trick is portion control and quality over quantity. I have that book (french women don't get fat) and while I loved her thoughts I just couldn't do the weekend of only leek soup that was prescribed at the very beginning! :-P
I just finished reading "The School of Essential Ingredients" - a short novel filled with loosely joined short stories about the students of a cooking class. I really enjoyed it, truly a celebration of relationships and story and food. I was hungry when I read it, but for GOOD food things - not fast food.
And I too am proud of your running. I'm getting back to the gym now (finally! more than once a week!) and while the results aren't as dramatic as I like, I do feel better. Good luck to you for those last few pounds!
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