Bonjour mes amies,
I think we will start off this post having just another little word about wine and food.
For starters, the French girl thinks a great deal differently about her food that the average North American does. In essence, she has a love affair with her food. In France, food is a topic on everyone's lips. The French love to eat their food, talk about their food and be totally immersed in their food. And pourquoi pas? It is certainly some of the best food in the world.
I can attest to that having spent a never to be forgotten month eating my way around the country. And the best part, I lost weight while I was there! Imagine that.
So you would think then that the French should be a nation of overweight people with numerous health issues. After all, they tuck into cheese, cream, pastry, butter and chocolate all the time. But they are not, most especially the French girls. Now why is that?
The very fact that the French appreciate their food as much as they do means that they respect it. And while we are on the topic of food, let's talk about what their food is. Or, perhaps I should tell you what it is not.
It is not processed food, junk food, pre-packaged chemicals that have the life span of granite. Oh no my friends. What the French eat is real food. Glorious, delicious real food. My favourite way to describe what food should be is to say that if it did not grow from the ground or have a mommy and a daddy, then it is not food.
We eat real food in our house, just like the French girl does. The only types of "pre-made" food you will find in my house are possibly a can of Habitant soup (read the label - it is all real food), cans of low sodium beans and tomatoes and I sometimes buy salad dressing but only Renees, again, read the label. We do not eat chemicals, we eat food. This is a huge pet peeve of mine.
I want to explore in much greater depth not only what the French eat but HOW they eat it. That is a huge part of how they manage to eat what they do and be as healthy as they are.
For example. I was alone for dinner tonight. I decided that I wanted something fresh and light, yet substantial enough to be considered supper. Perhaps une salade.
I used fresh romaine lettuce, English cucumber, hot house tomatoes, black olives, goat cheese, dried cranberries, hard-boiled egg and sunflower seeds. The dressing was from Renee's - Mediterranean. I arranged my salad on the plate to be as attractive as possible. After all, we eat with our eyes first, no? I have a friend called Donna who makes some of the best salads I have eaten. She always chooses wonderful ingredients, taking her time to be sure everything is just right.
Although I was eating alone, I still set the table in the dining room with a napkin, cutlery, a nice (small) glass of red wine and my companion for the evening, a wonderful book on Virginia Woolf's garden. It was not fancy but it did show that I was serious and respectful about spending time enjoying my food.
It took me 40 minutes to eat that plate of salad. The whole while I sipped slowly at my small glass of wine and enjoyed my book. At the end I had a small piece of Brie cheese and then a square of chocolate. I was feeling very comfortable, not stuffed or over-full at all. Just right.
This is the type of chocolate that I eat, twice a day, after lunch and dinner. Just one square. I just let it slowly melt in my mouth and it signals to me that my meal is over.
We should also perhaps address the question of wine once again. The French consume vast quantities of wine, often with both lunch and dinner. However, they do not abuse it. They savour it. I very much enjoy a glass of wine with my meals but I certainly do not have wine every time I eat. Only once in a while. Whether you decide to have a small glass of wine with your meals is a personal decision for each of you. Remember another very key principle of French eating ... moderation in all things, wine included.
So that is how the French eat. You want to savour each and every bit of your food and taste how delicious it is. You want to allow it to linger in your mouth and chew it slowly.
We are going to talk a lot more about this in the coming posts.
But for now, I will say au revoir, à demain. Goodbye, see you tomorrow.
I think we will start off this post having just another little word about wine and food.
For starters, the French girl thinks a great deal differently about her food that the average North American does. In essence, she has a love affair with her food. In France, food is a topic on everyone's lips. The French love to eat their food, talk about their food and be totally immersed in their food. And pourquoi pas? It is certainly some of the best food in the world.
I can attest to that having spent a never to be forgotten month eating my way around the country. And the best part, I lost weight while I was there! Imagine that.
So you would think then that the French should be a nation of overweight people with numerous health issues. After all, they tuck into cheese, cream, pastry, butter and chocolate all the time. But they are not, most especially the French girls. Now why is that?
The very fact that the French appreciate their food as much as they do means that they respect it. And while we are on the topic of food, let's talk about what their food is. Or, perhaps I should tell you what it is not.
It is not processed food, junk food, pre-packaged chemicals that have the life span of granite. Oh no my friends. What the French eat is real food. Glorious, delicious real food. My favourite way to describe what food should be is to say that if it did not grow from the ground or have a mommy and a daddy, then it is not food.
We eat real food in our house, just like the French girl does. The only types of "pre-made" food you will find in my house are possibly a can of Habitant soup (read the label - it is all real food), cans of low sodium beans and tomatoes and I sometimes buy salad dressing but only Renees, again, read the label. We do not eat chemicals, we eat food. This is a huge pet peeve of mine.
I want to explore in much greater depth not only what the French eat but HOW they eat it. That is a huge part of how they manage to eat what they do and be as healthy as they are.
For example. I was alone for dinner tonight. I decided that I wanted something fresh and light, yet substantial enough to be considered supper. Perhaps une salade.
I used fresh romaine lettuce, English cucumber, hot house tomatoes, black olives, goat cheese, dried cranberries, hard-boiled egg and sunflower seeds. The dressing was from Renee's - Mediterranean. I arranged my salad on the plate to be as attractive as possible. After all, we eat with our eyes first, no? I have a friend called Donna who makes some of the best salads I have eaten. She always chooses wonderful ingredients, taking her time to be sure everything is just right.
Although I was eating alone, I still set the table in the dining room with a napkin, cutlery, a nice (small) glass of red wine and my companion for the evening, a wonderful book on Virginia Woolf's garden. It was not fancy but it did show that I was serious and respectful about spending time enjoying my food.
It took me 40 minutes to eat that plate of salad. The whole while I sipped slowly at my small glass of wine and enjoyed my book. At the end I had a small piece of Brie cheese and then a square of chocolate. I was feeling very comfortable, not stuffed or over-full at all. Just right.
This is the type of chocolate that I eat, twice a day, after lunch and dinner. Just one square. I just let it slowly melt in my mouth and it signals to me that my meal is over.
We should also perhaps address the question of wine once again. The French consume vast quantities of wine, often with both lunch and dinner. However, they do not abuse it. They savour it. I very much enjoy a glass of wine with my meals but I certainly do not have wine every time I eat. Only once in a while. Whether you decide to have a small glass of wine with your meals is a personal decision for each of you. Remember another very key principle of French eating ... moderation in all things, wine included.
So that is how the French eat. You want to savour each and every bit of your food and taste how delicious it is. You want to allow it to linger in your mouth and chew it slowly.
We are going to talk a lot more about this in the coming posts.
But for now, I will say au revoir, à demain. Goodbye, see you tomorrow.
Bonjour mon ami... What a great new blog and I am salivating reading about the preparation of your wonderful food - even though I just ate dinner!!. Thank you for your kind compliments on my salads.... always a pleasure to prepare food for someone who appreciates it!! I count myself so very fortunate to have had some cooking lessons from you!! You are very skilled at the culinary arts!!! Hugs and best wishes!!! Donna S.
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