The French are famous throughout the world as true gourmets. Who, like them, knows a real sense in the kitchen and understands the subtle combination of products and the variety of tastes. Later in the article we will tell you not only what the French like to eat, but also provide information about the food that they most likely would not eat.
True gourmets
Food is an integral part of the life of this people, a kind of ritual, of course, food is necessary for all people, but... with the French everything is different. They, first of all, look at it from an aesthetic point of view - for them it is a kind of creative object. Moreover, everything should be beautiful - both the internal taste content and the external beauty of the presentation of the food.
Understanding what the French like to eat, first of all, it is worth mentioning that they do not have ordinary dishes - even the simplest ones have their own zest. This is the standard of delicate taste and a special, unique sophistication. So, what do the French like and don’t like to eat?
Russian dishes they wouldn't try
Each nation has its own preferences in food: what is good for one may be beyond all reasonable limits for another, or at best, will not be something tasty. Russian and French cuisine, of course, differ from each other, and they have certain dishes that our people will not understand or accept, and similarly on their part.
For example, the French do not like herring, but in our country it is a very common product that is in good demand. And the residents of France call it nothing more than “rotten fish.”
The next product is jellied meat, however, it is not only incomprehensible to foreigners, but even not all Russians find it appetizing. Its strange consistency, smell and color are confusing. Buckwheat with milk is also beyond their understanding. Many French people have never tried this cereal at all, and even more so in combination with milk.
Lard is also a controversial product. They eat it, but not in its pure form - most often it is bacon, with a small layer of fat. The French also did not like jelly - its consistency resembles the same jellied meat, for the same reasons it was rejected from the list of taste preferences.
Now it will be interesting to consider what the French eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner.
How does the morning start?
It is customary for Russians to eat a hearty meal in the morning, but the French do not have this habit. Their breakfast is as light as possible. In the classical sense, it looks like this: orange juice, croissants, and also... coffee. Also on this list may be dried bread, honey, confiture, and butter. Naturally, not everyone eats this way, but this is, so to speak, breakfast in its classic version.
Let's see what's for lunch
A standard French lunch consists of three parts:
- entrance (first) dish;
- basic;
- dessert.
Many people deviate from this rule and can order just one thing: a sandwich, salad, some dish or soup. The latter, it should be noted, began to lose its popularity. However, it is still used as an entrée dish. The most popular of them are onion and white cabbage. Puree soups are in greatest demand:
- vegetable;
- leeks with potatoes;
- from young peas;
- gazpacho soup, originally from Italy.
Aperitif
A traditional home dinner begins with an aperitif (it can be whiskey, etc., or just juice). The aperitif is delivered to the table with the so-called des amuse-gueule. Their role is played by salted cookies, canapes, and salted nuts.
First things first
And now it’s the turn of the entrance dish, which is often some kind of salad. The list of the most popular looks like this:
- "Niçoise" (it includes green beans, tuna, olives, lettuce, boiled eggs, tomatoes);
- tomato salad;
- green salad (mixed greens);
- grated carrots with dressing;
- eggs with mayonnaise;
- beet salad.
Next, different types of pate (pate), charcutry (sausages, servelat) are served along with gherkins. Open pies are also popular here, for example, with cheese, leeks, jambon, as well as those made according to an individual recipe.
Another dish that is valued by the French is snails (Burgundy) with garlic; for us this is definitely an unusual dish. Of course, it is worth noting seafood - oysters, scallops, mussels, shrimp, crabs.
A favorite of the French table is the dish "Fruy de mayor" - a salad with shrimp, mussels and salmon, dressed with yogurt. Sardines with olive oil and lemon juice are also popular.
By the way, for the curious, the recipe for Niçoise salad is as follows: 140 g tuna (canned), 10 olives, 200 g green beans, 8 anchovies, 4 tomatoes, 2 eggs, 1 head onions, 2 cloves of garlic, salad - to taste, 1.5 tbsp. l. wine vinegar.
- First you need to prepare the sauce using olive oil, wine vinegar, freshly ground pepper, garlic, basil leaves, and salt. All this must be mixed thoroughly and set aside for now.
- Now you need to boil the beans in salted water over low heat. Rinse it cold water. To make it more tasty, you can lightly fry it for 1-2 minutes with olive oil and garlic.
- Tomatoes and boiled eggs you need to cut it, preferably in the same way - it will look more beautiful. Olives, if they are small, do not need to be chopped.
- Let's move on to the final part. Place the torn lettuce leaves on the bottom of the plate. Next, go with thin onion feathers and pour a little sauce over them. Distribute the beans over the dish and add a little more dressing on top. Place the tuna in a mound in the center. Place slices of eggs and tomatoes, as well as anchovies, around. You can add freshly ground pepper and prepared sauce to taste.
Main course
We have looked at the entree options, and now we move on to the main course, which must certainly contain protein and carbohydrates. It could be a piece of meat or fish with a side dish. Beef cutlets, fried chicken steak, baked veal, tartare, salmon fillet, flounder, duck breasts - in general, there can be many options here.
French fries are traditionally served as a side dish. cauliflower, beans, artichokes, lentils, pasta, rice, steamed vegetables. As a seasoning - sauce, sour cream, butter or olive oil, spices.
After the second course, the cheese platter will be used, and as you know, this product is simply extremely popular in the country. Here they are produced in a wide variety of forms and for every taste.
Dessert
And finally, if you go to a French lunch, you will be treated to coffee and dessert with cream, pastries and fruit. What can fruits have to do with in different forms, for example, flambéed in cognac, rum or strong wine.
Let's now consider what the French prefer for dessert. In the lead - melting chocolate dessert(fondant au chocolat). Also on this list are chocolate mousse and pancakes - again with chocolate, banana and even cognac.
Simple to make, but no less delicious, the “Floating Islands” dessert is made from whipped egg whites, milk, vanilla sugar and caramel; in addition, you can add the famous tiramisu, yogurt with sugar or jam and “strawberry”.
What does u look like? gin?
What do the French like to eat for dinner? The French prefer to have dinner at home, as well as lunch, but as an exception they can go to a bistro or restaurant. Unlike lunch, which they pay a lot of attention to, in the evening they eat light meals.
This could be some kind of vegetables for the first time; in the cold season they can be replaced by hot soups, and they can also be added to the main course, followed by dessert or cheese.
Differences in French cuisine depending on region
There are differences in the same recipe in different areas of the country. However, regardless of the region, there are common features that are inherent in French dishes. Typically, a lot of vegetables and root vegetables are used, and there is generally very little use of dairy products (the exception being cheeses). So what do the French like to eat in different parts of the country?
For example, Lyon cuisine is famous for its delicious onion soup - gratine; in Lorraine, a popular dish is open pies with slices of smoked lard and ham with melted cheese, as well as stewed cabbage with pork and smoked breast.
In Burgundy, wine is used in many dishes - it is added to sauces and gravies. Snails marinated in wine are served without shells with onions and parsley.
Various vegetables, garlic and all kinds of seasonings are widespread in Provencal cuisine. Meat consumption is limited here. Vegetable dishes The food here is very hearty. They often eat fish - halibut, pike, carp. They love seafood - mussels and oysters.
Desserts are in particular demand here: chocolate, nuts, nougat, creme brulee, cookies and cakes are always on the table.
What do the French like to eat in Normandy? Here they use dairy products in cooking - butter, cream and Camembert cheese. Even meat and fish are always cooked with cream.
We now know what the French like to eat, but still, each part of the country has its own characteristics, and this is why they differ from each other.
Some of the most famous dishes
What other dishes are worth trying when you find yourself in the country of true connoisseurs of gourmet cuisine? Reviews from gourmets about French cuisine indicate that the dishes here have a unique combination of flavors; in addition, they look very aesthetically pleasing. Only fresh ingredients are used for cooking, and attention to detail and design is paid.
The French favorite dish is foie gras. It is a very popular delicacy that can be prepared at home. There are many recipes for it, and we will look at the most common one. It is easy to prepare and requires a minimum of ingredients.
For fried foie gras, you need 500 g of duck or goose liver, green salad leaves, pepper and salt.
- First, the liver must be carefully washed and divided into parts.
- Place the pieces in the refrigerator for a while.
- Then add pepper and salt, place in a frying pan and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side.
- After a golden crust appears, you need to remove the liver from the pan. In this case, there is no need to add oil, because it itself is very fatty.
- Roasted foie gras must be placed in a baking dish and cooked in the oven.
- The delicacy is placed on a plate, which is decorated with lettuce leaves, and served immediately to the table.
Naturally, besides this dish, there are many others in the national cuisine that will answer the question of what the French actually eat and what else they prefer:
- “bloody steak” - the meat is fried on the outside, but the inside remains half-raw. Served with potatoes and vegetables;
- roti - beef roast;
- kok-o-ven - rooster in wine;
- Frog legs are a famous French delicacy. The legs of these amphibians are fried in breadcrumbs or deep-fried. However, not everyone dares to try them;
- Escargot is a delicious dish made from snails.
And here is another popular dish - ratatouille. Let's take a closer look at this vegetable dish, simple, but very tasty.
To prepare ratatouille, you need to take one piece each of eggplant and zucchini, 4 tomatoes, a third of red pepper, 3-4 cloves of garlic, half a head of onion, vegetable oil, ground black pepper, salt, bay leaf, herbs.
- Next, cut the zucchini, eggplant and three tomatoes into thin slices.
- Place the vegetables in a greased form. At the same time, they should alternate in color. Add bay leaf, pepper, sprinkle with oil.
- Cut the onion and pepper into small cubes, which then need to be fried in oil.
- The remaining tomato must be peeled, finely chopped and mixed with pepper and onion. Pour in half a glass of water. Cook the sauce for 5 minutes. Add chopped garlic and herbs, as well as salt and pepper to taste.
- Pour this sauce over the vegetables and bake them in the oven for an hour at 180°C.
- Now you need to place it beautifully in the center of the dish and pour the sauce over it. Bon appetit!
It should be noted that this feature national cuisine: Almost all dishes are served with sauce. There are thousands of sauce recipes here, and for the French this is not just a gravy for a dish, but a very complex recipe and a certain sacrament. However, here it is customary to treat the preparation of any dish this way, putting your soul into creating incredible combinations of flavors that conquer the world.
French cuisine can rightfully be called the most exquisite in the world, and the process of cooking itself is a real art. Knowing this, you will understand that the French love to eat.
Crispy pastries, rich soups, mouth-watering stews, mind-blowing meat dishes and unbearably tempting desserts - yes, french cuisine- a paradise in which you can dissolve and forget! Understanding French cooking, you wonder: how, with all this gastronomic splendor, do the French themselves manage to remain in normal dimensions?
It is wrong to say that French women are all slender, slender girls. Among the country's 60 million population there are people who are overweight and even obese. But their percentage is negligible, proof of this is France’s penultimate place in the ranking of countries in terms of the share of the obese population. By the way, the USA is in the lead on this list.
They feast on pastries, always washed down with wine, and dine for hours. Crispy baguette with slices hard cheese(fatty varieties) and dried ham - a holy cause! Phenomenal, so let's find out.
The secret to slim French women
In the art of living, which does not allow them to go to extremes. They have eating habits, but lack the concept of “stress eating.” They eat a lot, but also walk a lot.
Slimness is in the ability to live in pleasure, in eating, and not absorbing, in accepting your body, and not destroying it.
A Harris Interactive study found that men are more likely to be with French women in their sexual fantasies than with girls of other nationalities. French women are elegant, young and full of life even in mature age; they can sit in a cafe for hours, eat croissants, without worrying about their figure. At the same time, they look so calm and relaxed that we can only enviously ask: what is the secret of French women, what do these women do differently from us?
We admire the French style and want to know: what is it really like, this relaxed, harmonious life à la française? Find out about the eating habits of French women, personal care, clothing style and the secrets of good manners.
59-year-old French model, style icon Inès de la Fressange, author of the book “French Chic”
Nutrition secrets of French women
1. A glass of water before breakfast. French women start a new day with a glass drinking water, which is consumed half an hour before. Thus, they not only benefit the stomach, but also moisturize the skin from the inside.
2. Eat small portions. French women pay attention to the quality of their food and eat a lot of fruits, vegetables and soups. Since only healthy food is served at the table, there is no reason for bad thoughts and feelings of guilt. Therefore, relaxed French women can indulge in several dishes, including dessert, without gaining weight. Balance and small portions are key when enjoying food. If you know that a delicious dessert awaits you, then it will not be difficult for you to put the piece of bread aside. There is no need to control calories, as is common among Americans. Instead, always place half a portion on your plate.
3. Limit sugar and flour.“I’ve stopped eating carbohydrates since April,” this is something you’ll never hear from a French woman. If their jeans start to feel tight, French women react immediately before they actually start to lose their shape. Hint: sweets and starchy foods add weight the fastest. Limit these figure-damaging foods to prevent the problem before it becomes a big deal. The word “diet” is not known in the land of croissants.
Emmanuelle Alt (49 years old), editor-in-chief of French Vogue and a typical French woman
Secrets of beauty and self-care
4. Don't look young - be beautiful at any age. While American women strive to look as young as possible and resort to facelifts to achieve this, French women consider themselves attractive and far beyond... How do they do it? They accept aging and understand that they can please and seduce at any age.
The main thing is posture and style, French women believe. At 50, it is impossible to look like a twenty-year-old. And if, despite this, you constantly strive to look younger, you will end up with nothing but torment. It’s better to find what you consider beautiful in yourself and emphasize it, rather than imitate your daughter’s style.
5. Invest in self-care - but wisely! Many women are willing to spend large sums on beauty. And often for the wrong things. Instead of using outrageously expensive face creams, it is better to visit the dentist more often and whiten your teeth. Because with a radiant smile you can forget about everything else. The truth is that affordable cosmetics from good manufacturer no worse than dear! For example, argan oil after washing can work wonders.
Léa Seydoux, French actress and model
6. Botox? No way! In the US, visiting a beauty doctor has long been considered good form. In France, they prefer other means of combating aging. Many French women use moisturizing masks and move a lot. Daily walking, good sleep and proper nutrition are much better than injections.
7. Wear light makeup. A little blush, natural eye shadow, mascara and beautiful lip gloss will add sophistication and completeness to your look.
8. Try to always be perfect. Heading to the nearest store? Make an effort to look chic. You may meet the man of your life when you least expect it.
9. Think about yourself. More often than not, women have to sacrifice a lot in order to better care for their family. But in France it is believed that only a woman who is in harmony with herself can be a good mother. Of course, women here also love their children, but they do not feel guilty when they combine motherhood with other activities, such as love relationship or cosmetic procedures.
French women's style secrets
10. Dress smartly. French women do not like excesses. If you wear short skirts, choose discreet styles. Wear a sheer blouse and pair it with skinny black trousers. Experiment with sex appeal, but don't be too overt.
11. Use accessories. But moderation is important - do not hang yourself with trinkets from head to toe. Include only one statement accent to your look - for example, a cute silk scarf or a beautiful brooch.
12. Buy timeless classics. You may be tempted to buy an extravagant item. A true Parisian will only buy what matches the rest of her wardrobe. Without a doubt, you should be aware of fashion trends. But that doesn't mean you have to spend a fortune on them. For example, style from (small black dress or suit) is suitable for any occasion. And since such things will last you a long time, you can buy something more expensive.
Gabrielle Chanel, an orphan girl who gave the world the little black dress and jackets of a special elegant cut, and also defended the right of women to wear trousers
13. Mix styles! If an image is too perfect, it may seem boring. The Parisian always breaks the usual standards: she wears sandals instead of sneakers with regular jeans, and sneakers pair with a tuxedo. She never follows the rules of typical girls and does not repeat looks from the catwalks. The one who knows how to combine high fashion with cheap clothes from sale, creates his own style.
14. Don't become hostage to fashion. When a French woman looks at women in uncomfortable high-heeled shoes, she imagines how much pain these shoes bring. She has no desire to wear them. As well as uncomfortable trousers, a miniskirt that needs to be constantly adjusted. The motto of French women is: only those clothes look good in which you feel comfortable.
15. Wear nice lingerie. You will immediately feel sexier if you know that your image is completely flawless.
16. Less is always better. This applies to makeup, as well as accessories and perfume - otherwise your friends will have a headache. For women who think they need to hide the signs of aging, be warned: black pencil highlights crow's feet, while glitter accentuates the finest lines. It is better not to wear too much makeup. Our advice: remove all unnecessary cosmetics from your dressing table!
Secrets of French education
17. Respect yourself and others. French women are sweet, welcoming and friendly. They do not conflict in public places; they greet the saleswoman in a store or the cashier in the subway before asking them for a request.
18. Smile. In fact, the French tend to restrain their emotions and smile quite rarely. But there is nothing more beautiful and sexier than a smile on the face of a well-dressed, confident woman.
19. Stay mysterious. Americans have a bad habit of telling their life story even to complete strangers. The French are very reserved - they guard their privacy like a precious pearl! Nothing excites men more than a mystery that they will strive to unravel.
20. Build self-confidence. It is easy to see that this quality is inherent in all Frenchmen, both men and women.
Top photo: Ines de la Fressange
The question is asked, I answer: because they eat differently. Not better or worse, just different. How? That's what we'll talk about.
No, how unfair! French cuisine contains both fats and carbohydrates in abundance. In addition, the French treat bread with reverence, and French cinema is densely “stuffed” with scenes of lunches and dinners, where no one denies themselves anything. And how, pray tell, do French women manage to maintain lightness and attractiveness? This question interests not only us, but also women all over the world.
First of all, who said that the French, having three meals a day, eat 3 courses at breakfast, lunch and dinner? Don't believe it!
Here is the usual diet of a modern average French woman leading an active lifestyle.
Breakfast:
- Freshly squeezed orange juice
- 1 hot crispy toast with jam (preferably homemade or low sugar). On Sundays - jam + butter.
- Tea (a lot, most often without sugar) or coffee (not a lot).
- 1 croissant instead of toast
- natural yogurt, preferably without additives. Then the jam (or honey) will go not on toast, but in yogurt, and the toast will be spread with a thin layer of butter (low-fat, natural, which French women choose very carefully), and crunched without jam
- cereal with milk (optional, which is most often children)
- fruit (but juice is preferable)
The exception is the holidays, when the mere sight of a hotel buffet makes your eyes widen. Then the French woman simply “closes” them and allows herself scrambled eggs (even with bacon, but rarely, they don’t like this product) and toast (with butter And jam), and a croissant (usually a mini), and fruit (in addition to juice). But then she will most likely simply refuse lunch or eat a light green salad and drink a cup of coffee.
No sandwiches with cheese, ham, hot sausages, cereals and other products familiar to us, Germans or Americans.
The most important thing is that the French do not suffer from such gastronomic “restraint” at all, because they are used to having breakfast this way. From time immemorial, their parents had breakfast this way (with the exception of residents of the “harsh” provinces - Alsace or Auvergne, for example, where winters are cold and long). This is how they are taught to eat breakfast from early childhood. A special delight is a baguette with a crispy crust and a minimum of crumb in the middle, a croissant - fresh and airy, preferably still warm, and homemade jam. And juice is sacred. There is an electric juicer in every home.
On Sunday - formula: breakfast + lunch = brunch (from two English words breakfast and lunch) i.e. late breakfast, flowing into lunch, with scrambled eggs and ham and other “lunch” delights and a full dinner, or a good family lunch at the grandparents’ place, and then a light dinner at home (cheese, baguette, wine).
Dinner:
- Mineral water
- In the warm season, a salad composée (or grande (large) salade) is a green salad with something: warm goat cheese, seafood, fish, chicken, etc.
- In cold weather - one hot dish (meat, fish) with a side dish (most often vegetables) or a small (petite) salad instead.
- Espresso coffee with a piece of dark chocolate (or a tiny cookie). Of course, you can eat ice cream, but that’s not the French way.
- A glass of wine is permissible even in working hours(no one has ever gotten drunk from such an amount of alcohol, and the permissible level of alcohol in the blood to be able to get behind the wheel in France is 0.3 ppm - that’s more than one glass).
Indeed, it turns out to be a 3-course meal and wine to boot!
Dinner:
This is the main meal, so here the French give themselves free rein.
- Aperitif. What do the French drink as an aperitif?
- Entrée(antre) or hors-d"?uvre (or d'evre) - appetizer (hot/cold) or soup. Dinner is often called souper (supe) - precisely from the word “soup”.
- Basics hot dish. About traditional and favorite dishes of the French, as well as French specialties -
- Cheese or/and dessert. “Or” is for women, “and” is for men. What do French women like to treat themselves to for dessert? .
- Coffee, tisane - herbal tea and/or digestif (strong drinks).
- Water and wine throughout the dinner, and the wine may vary depending on the dishes and the initial choice (the first bottle/glass was a hit or miss)
Ref O Wait, how can you eat all this or where does all this fit into skinny French women? Yes, it’s just that the portions are often small. The more expensive the restaurant, the smaller the portion. In addition, before ordering “first, second and compote,” the French woman will definitely find out exactly what size of the dish is in this restaurant and if suddenly the hot dish is too copieux - i.e. the portion is large, she will do without appetizers and dessert, or she will eat entrée, cheese, dessert, but refuse the main course.
If we have dinner at home, then everything is quite simple: a piece of meat, fried in 3 minutes, a light side dish (rice, vegetables), green salad and cheese (precisely together and after the main course, the French “finish off cheese” if they are not full), fruit or light dessert (yogurt with honey, for example). “Restaurant style” is prepared on Sunday or for guests.
The art of living with pleasure
I must admit that the French, in principle, are not inclined to be overweight. According to statistics, only 11% are overweight. Obesity statistics in France generally show extremely modest figures, in England they are twice as high, in the USA - three times.
However, it’s not just a matter of genetic predisposition.
“If we followed all the restrictions and diets that are so popular in the world today,” the French women say, “we would have recovered long ago. We find no contradiction in the fact that you can eat bread, chocolate and other tasty things, drink wine and at the same time remain slim and healthy. But if we want to eat chocolate and not gain weight, we will have to use our brains».
What does it mean? Here's what:
Don't deny yourself a daily dose of little pleasures. If you want chocolate, eat the candy, taste it, enjoy it, be happy. But you don’t have to eat the whole box at once! You need to know the difference between promiscuity and the desire to pamper yourself. If you make any restrictions, it is for the sole purpose of enjoying everything else, observing moderation. The main thing is not to lose your mind and get up from the table without feeling overeated or guilty.
« Five minutes in the mouth - five years on the hips“- said Pierre’s grandmother (the same one, one of the first professional models, remember?), coquettishly slapping her elastic buttock. French women never forget about this, and therefore try to follow fairly simple rules that are the norm of life.
I tried to analyze the situation and came up with these rules, first of all, for myself, but today I am sharing them with you.
13 secrets of French women's slimness:
1. Eat Can everything, but little by little. And this is the main thing.
2. Everyone meal- a whole event, leisurely ritual and pleasure every piece. A French woman will not chew while running - it’s not much fun! Table conversation is an integral part of the meal.
3. Additive is evil. This, by the way, is the exclusive rule of ballerinas all over the world.
4. Don't snack. An apple in the afternoon. This is all.
5. Mineral water throughout the day.
6. Fresh products always preferable. Semi-finished products - only in the most extreme cases.
7. No concentrates, additives, chemical dyes and other nonsense. French women are simply obsessed with naturalness of products. Even slightly dented, with “barrels”, even slightly chewed by a worm, but only those that were grown in natural conditions. A tomato should smell like a tomato, and the cheese and butter should come from a farm (and it’s better to know the farmer by sight). But low-fat, sugar-free products are unnecessary. They're tasteless!
8. Nutrition must be très varié - very diverse. And very a lot of vegetables(often those that Russian women are not used to at all). Fennel, celery, green beans, asparagus, broccoli are side dishes preferred by French women. And no salads with sour cream or mayonnaise. These products are generally alien to the French.
9. No sweet sodas. Cola, Fanta, soda, lemonade, etc. excluded. This is pure chemistry! Even the juices are as natural as possible.
10. During meals - only water(or wine). “Zapivochek” - fruit drinks, kvass, jelly, compotes, so beloved by Russian people, simply do not exist in nature, and no one will drink it with juice.
11. Regularity of meals(literally by the hour). In this situation, you may not follow the popular dietary rule - do not eat after 18.00. And how can it be observed if the French eat dinner late - after 20.00 - 20.30 hours? Many restaurants offer two evening services - at 20.00 and at 22.00.
12. Wine - only with food and no more than a couple of glasses a day (but more often on holidays, on weekends, on vacation. A French woman will not drink alone at lunch, she is a normal woman). Strong drinks Women almost never drink; this is the prerogative of men.
13. Chewing gum? For what? It also triggers the mechanism of the stomach, gastric juice begins to be produced and a feeling of hunger appears. Where is the logic? Besides, chewing in public places is simply indecent. I know, I know, ask, what about fresh breath? Should I brush my teeth after lunch? Believe it or not, most French women carry toothbrushes in cases and cute mini-cans of anti-bad breath spray in their purses. And there’s no point in talking about toothpicks on the tables: picking around in front of everyone is simply unthinkable.
And finally, two words about diets.
French women rarely step on the scale. For what? They have eyes, clothes and a mirror.
They will go crazy with boredom if they have to calculate calories, read about fats, proteins, lipids and others chemicals, not to mention applying all this to the sacred part of their lives - food. That's why:
If you want to be in a state of balance, you do not need to follow a diet, but gradually, over a certain time change gastronomic habits. So when you reset overweight, your efforts will not only be painless, but will also lead to more lasting results.
Three months of a strict diet can break the spirit of any woman. And three months of discoveries and more in-depth acquaintance with the behavior and reaction of your own body to small and quite gentle dietary restrictions - this is a good attitude towards yourself, the benefits of which you will reap for many years to come.
If you manage to perceive even a small fraction of the French attitude towards food and life, the problem of weight will cease to be a terrible obsession for you, constant but fruitless attempts to curb your appetite, and you will see that maintaining weight is part of a program called “ the art of living fully and with pleasure».
Next week in the “Let's talk about beauty” section: Secrets of French makeup or beauty wisely
Text: Arina Kaledina
Illustrations: Natalia Bolotskikh
Banner photo:
So, French women...
It's easy to skip breakfast
In the morning, a French woman would rather spend time choosing a jacket to match her jeans than preparing a full breakfast. “All the charm of a new day will come to naught if you hang around the stove before work,” says the Parisian Juliette Mercier. - My family has always had a morning ritual. Dad put on his robe, opened the windows in the dining room and brewed great black coffee. He poured some cream on us schoolgirls and gave us cookies. There was never a cult of sharing breakfast in the family; it was much more important to get together and sip a hot drink. Since then, coffee and bread in the morning have been my habit, which I have been following for 20 years.”
At work, the coffee ritual is repeated several times. Before lunch, French women regularly have 2-3 coffee breaks, and they never buy sandwiches or buns to go with it.
For lunch choose salads and vegetables
Most often, working French people have lunch in cafes. In this case, women usually order salad or grilled vegetables. A little chicken or fish, a square goat cheese and pieces of fried olive oil the bread gets lost in a heap of lettuce leaves with basil and arugula. “Sometimes I think I look like a big sheep,” says the stylist Véronique Aboué. - Every day I eat a bush of lettuce. But this has its own charm: I prefer to be a slender sheep than a ponderous puma.”
You might think that French women eat a lot of flour, because in every restaurant, before ordering, the waiter brings a free basket of fresh white bread, butter and a carafe of water. But this is only an appearance: before dinner, a French woman will actually cut off a piece of bread, spread it with butter, but only take 1-2 bites. During lunch, she will take, twirl in her hands, crumble bread, but just not eat. But he will happily drink 2-3 glasses of water.
They spend a strictly defined amount on food
“Madam, we have a fresh leg of lamb. Would you like it?" - “Oh, I would love to, but I only have money for ratatouille and some fish.” This kind of dialogue can often be heard in a restaurant surrounded by offices. It doesn’t matter that her income allows her to take out a full dining card at the best restaurant in the area. When leaving for a break, a French woman will not take her wallet, but will take a certain amount, usually not very large. If salads and hot dishes are more expensive, she will order an appetizer. The main thing is not to go beyond the allotted budget.
“Work off” the calories eaten
“It seems like the roast and mash was unnecessary yesterday. I hope it cost me no more than 600 kcal. Well, today and tomorrow - no dinner” - such thoughts out loud can often be heard in the workplace. Some people keep special notebooks where they write down the calorie content of their daily menu. If in the corporate canteen a French woman languidly touches her vegetables with a fork and refuses a night party, everyone nods understandingly: what to do, Madeleine is working off yesterday’s pork.
Choose seasonal fruits for snacks
“Colleagues, my aunt Amel sent nectarines from Spain. Who wants to try? Usually such a proposal is met with shouts of approval and a break in work for 15 minutes. Everyone drops what they’re doing and eats everything they had in a matter of minutes. The next day everyone will still eat apples from Provence and pears from the Loire. At the end of an impromptu break, someone will definitely ask: “Friends, does anyone have an aunt with vineyards in Bordeaux? It seems that the season of new wine will begin soon.”
They eat little at parties
A French party looks like this: dim lights, open balconies and a few boxes of wine. No food. “We come to socialize, have fun, and not fill our bellies” is a generally accepted attitude. Each glass of wine is usually washed down with several sips of water. It is not customary to drink alcohol.
Don't eat desserts
“The Napoleon cake was invented for tourists and foreigners. Real French women are cool about sweets after the main course. If I still order dessert, I’ll just try a few spoons,” says Véronique Aboué, whom we already know. That is why in Parisian restaurants the dessert menu is brought only upon the client’s request.
They talk a lot at the table
One of the unspoken rules of a French woman is to eat slowly, prolonging the pleasure. Each bite into your mouth will be followed by questions about the weather, the health of your mutual friend Luke, or a discussion of the upcoming elections. Sometimes food is just an excuse to discuss things that really matter, such as a wealthy relative's will or a promotion.
They walk a lot
French women believe that you need to know all the streets of your hometown impeccably. Using ground transport is the lot of tourists or those who cannot walk from home to work due to illness. Many are ready to go out an hour and a half to two hours before the start of the working day to walk around their area and say hello to their neighbors. Many Parisians only go down to the metro when it rains. It is known that to keep fit, you need to take about 10 thousand steps a day. Well, French women certainly score that much!
