Much has been made of the fact that many French women are not only
très chic, but above all: Slim. Articles in the American MSM give all kinds of reasons that French women, in general, do not seem to gain weight and manage to maintain great figures. This in spite of, or, maybe because of the manner that French women pay much attention to their diets, to what they eat and to how much they eat.
This in addition to the fact that French women, certainly Parisian women, which after all is what most of us think of when we think about French women, have ignored the physical exercises that so many women here in this country practice, which would seem to indicate that something else is at work here.
French women eating habits seek to establish a balance that not only gives them the nutrition that is necessary but also keeps them from gaining those extra pounds that so many American women seem to accumulate. And French food as so many of us have heard of or know about is very, very rich. And yet, lots of French women remain slim!
And it is not only their eating habits that have a bearing upon the slimness, but also on a certain attitude about food. There is a certain discipline about food, its preparation, its freshness, its presentation that seeks to balance who they are and how to pursue what they want to get out of life. Many have argued that food for the French is also a very sensual and spiritual fact in their lives. The French just don’t eat to nourish the body, but also to enrich the soul and to feel good about who they are.
The French have invented
croissants, soup a l’ognon, and
Champagne, among the many pleasures for the table, but they have also have given birth to great writers, painters, musicians. Maybe the whole thing has to do with the French language. Though, things are changing a lot regarding how modern life is presently intruding upon their traditions.
French women seem to follow a logical attitude about what they eat and how they eat. For a French person, let alone a woman, the notion of grabbing a sandwich on the run, or to snack on sweets, or to plop themselves in front of the TV set and eat potato chips has not been part of who they are. It is not very chic.
However, a couple of days ago there was an article in the WP site that talks specifically about the changes taking place in France, or at least in Paris regarding the tradition of having a traditional long lunch; how lunch-stands have become more ubiquitous where sandwiches are dispensed to the crowds that are picking up the habit of eating at their desks and taking less time to spend around this midday meal. Something many French people still find difficult to deal with.
The “couch-potato” syndrome has not quite yet made heavy inroads in French culture. The French may eventually embrace it, though I would venture to suggest that at the moment it is not something that seems to have appetizing
attraction in French life.
A meal at home is a ritual that the French consider important in terms of who they are and also in terms of their healthy eating habits. Part of their savoir-faire. For the French, the pleasure of sitting around a table, discussing, eating and sharing the whole experience with friends and family are crucial to their ideas of well-being.
This is not to say that with all of the pressures of modern life that such traditions are not being challenged. But, in general, wanting to eat a well-balanced meal and in not excessive quantities, in a social setting, is also part of how they believe will enrich their way of life, and perhaps that is one element that helps French women remain slim.
