Bon Appetit for the French Lifestyle

The French, they are not afraid of food.

Americans, of course, are terrified and suspicious of everything we eat.

The English are indifferent to their own cuisine. And why wouldn’t they be?

But the French, they are not afraid.

Butter, cheese, more bread than you could shake a baguette at.

Every evening before dinnertime, there’s a line outside the local boulangerie. A bread line! But it’s not like any bread line I’ve ever seen.

In fact, I’ve never known anyone to take such delight in anything as much as the French do in food.

When I lived in this village eight years ago, I belonged to a local hiking group. I was hoping to improve my French conversational skills. Instead, I got really good at reading menus and navigating the markets. Because all my French companions talked about was food.

What they were going to eat. What they had eaten. What they wish they could eat next. We hiked for hours at a time and all we ever talked about was la cuisine!

I always came home ravenous.

It’s a stark contrast to Americans, who speak of food in terms of virtue or vice. “I should eat more kale.” “I shouldn’t have had the potatoes.”

When people speak about the French Paradox, I pay attention, because it’s true. These people graze their way through all of our lists of forbidden food yet they live slim lives into a ripe old age.

I have noticed one thing; they may be slim but they never focus on “perfect,” the way so many of us do. They don’t chase an ideal. They accept their bodies, even as they age.

Doctors claim the French Paradox has to do with the laid back lifestyle and red wine. And yes, all of that is true, but my personal theory is that it’s the huge amount of fresh produce they eat.

Shopping at village markets for fresh, local produce is a way of life. Meals aren’t designed around a thick slab of meat, but around fruit and vegetables.

Here in France, they eat several small courses at each meal rather than one big one, and each course usually includes plenty of produce.

Where we Anglos struggle to squeeze in our “5-A-Day,” our Gallic friends easily surpass that.

My theory is that it’s this, along with the walking and slower pace of life, the savoring of each meal, which accounts for the French Paradox. The wine just makes it all easier to swallow.

I enjoy conversations about food because the cultural differences intrigue me. What I’ve observed has been interesting.

When I ask a Brit about their favourite food, invariably they will respond with a cut of meat. A joint of gammon. A roast beef. Or turkey.

When I pose the same question to an American, it’s most often defined by a cultural cuisine. Mexican food. Italian. Or Thai.

But I daren’t ever ask a Frenchman his favorite, because I already know the answer.

Tout. All of it. They love all food.

And to that I say Bon Appetit!