Things got busy this week, and I haven’t had a chance to write for a few days! But I’m back with another bit of feminine inspiration for your weekend.
A few years ago I read the (somewhat controversially named) book French Women Don’t Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano, and I fell in love with the idea of Euro-style eating. Now, that isn’t to say all Europeans eat exactly as described in the book… but having visited Europe several times myself, there’s definitely truth to the idea that eating across the Atlantic is an elevated experience compared to American dining.
In 2012, my dad and stepmom married in northern Italy and I (and my sister and a couple of friends) spent two and half weeks with our new stepfamily in a rural-ish town there. Something I remember so clearly was that eating was about much more than the food there.
It was about the preparation, which we all helped with at least a little. It was about the company–every meal was taken sitting down with family, never hurriedly eaten out of a Tupperware alone at the computer. It was about the location: most breakfasts were taken in the garden outside, fresh juice, coffee, meat and fruit, these amazing homemade yogurt-and-fruit breakfast cakes. And it was about the fresh, simple flavors and the pleasurable sensory experience of eating, not just shoveling down calories and nutrients and then getting on with the day. Americans do tend to take a very reductionist and functional view of food.
Anyways, those values are exactly what Guiliano writes about in her book: how important it is to elevate the everyday experience of eating, and the weight will come off naturally. Not that I was trying to lose weight at the time, the title just piqued my interest at the library.
And while the US will never have the storied culinary history or strong cultural values surrounding food as France, I do feel it would be both healthy and bring us joy to adopt European food values, here. To be honest I can’t imagine a more feminine approach to eating: delighting in the preparation of simple, fresh ingredients; taking the time to enjoy a home-cooked meal, whether you eat with others or alone; and indulging daily in rituals like brewing a pot of coffee, eating a square of dark chocolate, or sipping a glass of wine over dinner.
And whilst that may not be realistic for every meal, every day, most of us could certainly improve on their food preparation and eating rituals somehow. I know I could!
With little kids, I’m constantly hopping up to grab something I forgot or put another serving on someone’s plate. I think it’s high time I get down my serving dishes, order one of those wipe-clean tablecloths (so I don’t need to hover with a rag for spills), and enjoy my meals with a little less interruption.
How could you slow down and turn the tasks of cooking and eating into something more beautiful today?
I highly recommend French Women Don’t Get Fat, the accompanying cookbook, and French Women for All Seasons (her lifestyle book) for further reading.
xx Claire