I don't know how the French are not fatter than the Americans. French food is very rich, full of carbohydrates, and the serving sizes are almost American sized. And every meal here comes with appetizer and dessert. And you probably drink some wine with it.
I eat lunches out much more frequently here than I did in Seattle. Work gives me 7 euros per day to eat on, and depending on where I eat that covers 50-100% of the cost of my lunch (fast food is generally around 6 or 7 euros, and nice restaurants are between 12 and 15). Plus, I am required to take an hour and a half for lunch, so might as well take that lunch with some coworkers and relax over too much food and wine.
When you order food at a French restaurant, you either get it to-go, or you take a seat and eat it at the restaurant. You do not change your mind later and ask for a to-go box or something if you cannot finish it, so instead you just finish it. Plus you have a long lunch break to fill, so just eat it slow and enjoy.
Most restaurants here have a daily special, which is usually an appetizer, a main dish, and a dessert. You can order something other than the special, but it probably costs the same amount, and who wants to pass up dessert? French people generally don't eat much for breakfast—just a croissant and a coffee or something, so maybe that allows them to enjoy this big lunch without packing on the pounds. I am hungry when I wake up, so I almost always eat breakfast. A bowl of cereal, some pancakes or eggs or something—definitely more than a croissant and coffee. I also eat a big dinner, but I think everyone else does too, so that's okay.
I try to convince myself that it is okay for me to eat this much because I walk or skateboard 3 miles to work everyday (round trip) instead of taking the subway, and I am still very active on the weekends, going snowboarding or trekking thru the parks or the city, but my growing gut is making it harder for me to keep believing my lies.
Oh, and did I mention my daily afternoon snack?
Today's picture is a picture of Île Flottante, which is what I had for dessert today.
(image comes from bostonchomps.blogspot.com).
1 comment:
Man that makes me jealous.
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