Buy Walking VideosFrench Food and French Women
The Accidental Hedonist brings to mind the thoughts that have been plaguing me for years: why do people think French Food is so good?
Escargo? Tastes like gritty butter. Lobster bisque? Tastes like fishy cream. Smelly cheese? Well, it tastes like smelly cheese.
It has been even worse for me since the release of French Women Don’t Get Fat. Not only was French Food touted as the height of culinary cuisine, it was supposed to be more healthy for you too.
Maybe my palate is too undiscerning for French Food. I like mac n’ cheese. I like ramen noodles. Neither are very healthy for me, but if I’m going to splurge, I think I spend the evening with Kraft instead of Pierre.
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August 3rd, 2006 at 2:29 am
French food is not healthyer it’s smaller. Smaller portions are less caloeries. You can do the same “French” way of eating by making the mac and cheese a 1/2 cup instead of 1 or three.
I use 1/3 cup mac and cheese annd add it to a salad. I am a volume eater.
August 3rd, 2006 at 6:15 am
I thought (I haven’t read the book) that the point wasn’t so much that French food was healthier, but that the French way of eating was healthier. The way I understood it, the French make a production of food and eating. They eat carefully prepared food, and they eat it carefully. You don’t eat and watch tv, or read, or do anything but enjoy your food and the company that you’re with. If you’re eating alone, you savor the food and really enjoy it. So the unhealthiness of the French food doesn’t matter because they eat it more mindfully, enjoy it more, and therefore don’t need to eat as much to feel satisfied.
That is, of course, what I got from other people talking about the book, since I haven’t read it. (I need to do that.)
If I’m right, though, the worst thing you could do to eat like a French person is to try to eat French food. You should eat food that you love, slowly and with great attention.
I’m sticking to my interpretation as long as possible, because I’m a picky eater, and I doubt I’d like french food either. grins
August 4th, 2006 at 3:23 pm
I think French way of eating is a little blown out of proportion. I do think that French kitchen is one of the most enjoyable in the world and I love it. But in other countries women seem to be just as healthy, yet they don’t get nearly as much attention.
August 5th, 2006 at 7:35 am
Ramen noodles? I love those noodles but my wife pointed out to me that they are high in fat which I was suprised at but they are in fact deep fried.
I had escargot only once and that was years ago when I was in a restaurant and trying to impress the girl that I was with. We both spit them into our fancy cloth napkins and I refuse to order them again.