2017. June
Ë Quality over Quantity
French woman stay slim by eating well, and never leave the table feeling stuffed and guilty. Satisfying psychological hunger sometimes makes us overconsume, and it is upon realizing that your satisfaction from food comes from “quality over quantity” do we sustain our desires-both mentally and physically.
Ë Ritual Eating:
Eat with all 5 senses, savor and cherish food with pace:
French women know that the pleasure in most foods is in the first few bites, thus by eating slowly, chewing properly, and developing your own terms of description enhances the dining experience. Associations and memory trigger a gamut of emotions through little experiences, and I found that cherishing each bite/moment really heightened your gratefulness to even the simplest of all foods!
Ë Setting the right pace and ambience:
By emphasizing the importance of cherishing your meal, get rid of distractions. Eat only at the table, sitting down. Never multitask while eating, such as doing unfinished work or watching television. Emphasis in the seriousness of the eating activity such as setting up the table, adding a bit of wine, dining out on occasions can set up the right ambience in different eating activities.
Ë French Meals
French meals are greater in courses and smaller in size. The changing of plates slows the meal down, enhancing formalities and contentment of quality dining, stimulating more conversation in front of food with family, and makes eating less more meaningful.
Ë Selection and preparation of your own food:
Shopping for food and preparing our own food leads to a lifetime of healthy eating. We get the full experience from shopping at traditional markets as we handpick local goods in season. Seasonality, the interplay of color, texture, and flavor of huge varieties of good foods can turn unlock our sensory delights, as the freshness and flavors can be discovered in food presentation and variety. In addition eating a huge variety of fruits and vegetables are also important, as gastronomic boredom leads to unhealthy eating and overconsumption, so giving extra thought in what you buy and planning menus un advance comes handy.
Ë Physical Movements
French Women strive to diversify physical movements, whether it’s walking the extra mile to work or taking a walk after meals. Calories consumed in moderation on walks can be wonderfully meditative, clearing your head and letting your thoughts flow freely.
Ë Drinking Wine and Champagne
Wine is part of the French’s lifestyle, it is accompanied with a meal and in small doses. “We drink wine not to dull our senses, but to awaken them. It creates a complex interplay of tastes that stimulates the and also elevates the meal’s ritual.” For the author, champagne never fails to set the mood, as it’s honey color, scents, and yeasty aftertaste celebrates festivity and life affirming joy.
Book Review
Despite the substantial difference in culinary culture between East and West, I feel that the mindset in appreciating food, the wisdom in ritual eating, and the enjoyment of food preparation is universal. After going to university in Hong Kong and being responsible of the lifestyle I lead every day-including food selection, physical movement, and balancing work and play, the insights in the art of French living was entertaining and helpful.
From the author’s anecdote of gaining weight from exchange studies in the U.S., her experience of adapting in a new environment struck a chord. When I started my freshman year, the stress of adapting to a new environment, building new habits of exercising, and being exposed to unhealthy cuisines made me gain weight. This happens in different life stages, no matter if it’s starting a career, moving to a new city, or starting a family, the tensions and responsibilities multiply and we have to proactively combat it with a change of a healthy lifestyle and balance it with physical activities to find our own equilibrium. For me, it was exercising every day and being responsible for my food intake, cutting down meal portions and sometimes preparing my own food. I remember distinctively that one day while I was eating breakfast, revelation that “quality over quantity” jumped into my mind, and this refreshing thought came back to me when I read this book. As the author says, late teens and early twenties are a tough transaction, and the lifestyle you lead will set the stage for the rest of your life.
Practicing “less is more” by preparing our own foods, cherishing each bite by slowing down and enjoying the food quality is important. I initially felt that simple and similar meals can satisfy my diet, but found that enjoying new menus and tweaking food presentation can be a delight. I practiced enjoying food with attention to last week, and I found that it really slowed the meal down, and smaller and healthier portions are consumed as well. As I would be responsible of preparing more of my own meals in the future, I guess the wisdom of planning, preparation, and enjoyment should be practiced from a young age, and the mindset the author offers helped a lot.
In the end of the book, the author also gave advice in lifestyle of the middle ages in addition of paying attention to food. For instance, finding new interests and cherishing the little moments of joy in life are extremely important. “Curiosity, no less than openness to pleasure, is not the exclusive property of the young.” Life is fuller with interests and novelties, and having meaningful relationships is an important building block as well. In the last stages of life, “peace of the mind comes from tolerance, patience, and less resentment from the world.”, but I feel that this should be practiced from a young age, when the fast pace of life should be countered by inner peace in the heart.
