I live to eat

I haven’t talked too much about my routine on an average day, and most people (hi, Mom) are most curious to hear what good food I’ve been eating (or for you Mom, it’s rather that I’m eating enough). And oh have I been eating well (and plenty; but don’t worry, not Camino plenty–I’m not coming back from Europe with an extra 10 pounds this time!)

*Note: The following description is not representative of every French family, but I’m sure glad to live with a family that eats like this.

Breakfast: Big difference from America! The French don’t eat much for breakfast; usually just a slice or two of bread with butter and jam and some tea to wash it down. It’s not much, but it helps that the bread is home-made (sometimes by me!) and the fruit for the jam is from their garden. Not a ton of protein either, but lunch and dinner make up for it.

Lunch: My favorite time of the day. We eat earlier than I’m used to, usually noon, but I’m always hungry by then (see breakfast). Lunch tends to be the biggest meal in the day. Most offices and businesses (even the town hall or the office of tourism) are closed from 12-2 for lunch. The children also get 1-2 hours for lunch, where many return home to eat with their family. Usually Zoé and Célestin only come back for lunch 1 day per week, while Laurette comes back 2-3 days per week.

Before we get to the good stuff, what we eat, I think it will help to explain a little bit how the French eat. That is to say, slowly. And with lots of different tastes and multiple courses. There is always an entrée (not to be confused with what we call the entrée, or the main meal, in America) which is just a small, light appetizer (or entrance into a meal, as the word entrée implies). This can simply be fruit (we eat a lot of kiwis or grapefruit), a salad with crumbled cheese and light vinaigrette, or one time after Catherine and I went crazy on a market day we started with oysters. The plat principal, or the main dish, follows and consists of a meat and a serving of vegetables. For example, yesterday we had beef tenderloin and a ratatouille. Starting with the first course, there’s also always bread at the table to accompany a dish or clean your plate between courses. And then, there’s always dessert! Usually, it’s a fruit compote (my favorite is the rhubarb) with a cookie or two, but lately we’ve eaten a lot of mine and Zoé’s creations: macarons, charlotte aux pommes, chocolate cake. To finish, Catherine and I always have a café and a piece of dark chocolate. She’s so cute–she knows I love this part of the day so when we go hiking and have a picnic, she lugs a thermos of hot water and instant espresso so I can still get my fix. And yes, espresso– no frappucinos or vanilla lattes with whipped cream or even plain black coffee. Just a perfect little shot of espresso.

Le Goûter: Snack time! The French don’t snack between meals except for children (and me) in the afternoon before dinner. They take le goûter at 4 or 5 in the afternoon, close to the time that we often eat dinner in America. Since lunch was at noon, and dinner isn’t usually until 8, that can feel like quite a long gap. Le goûter is usually apple sauce or a banana, with a biscuit or two and a piece of chocolate.

Dinner: This is also a coursed meal, but tends to be lighter than lunch. Since we eat protein at lunch, we don’t usually eat meat at dinner. Our entrée is sometimes another salad, but it’s usually a soup. The plat principal is usually a carbohydrate like quinoa, pasta, or another grain, eaten with sautéed vegetables on the side or mixed in. Dessert is usually cheese and then an apple.

You might be wondering how I’m not going to come back from in a few weeks with at least 10 more pounds? Well, like I said, the French eat slowly. They savor, they enjoy, they take their time. What does that mean for me? I don’t overeat. Portion sizes are significantly different. Instead of eating a huge bowl of pasta for dinner or an entire steak, the French assuage their hunger with the first course, and only have a little bit of food at a time. I’ve heard it takes about 20 or 30 minutes for your body to recognize it’s no longer hungry, so when we eat too quickly it’s very easy to eat too much. Especially easy to do in America when lunch is only 30 minutes long. When you have two hours, and an average lunch takes at least an hour to get through, you can not only eat slowly, but savor everything you’re eating. And when it’s more conscious, it’s easier to eat a lot less. I never feel “full” or like I overate after a meal. The French don’t even use the expression Je suis pleine or I’m full. In fact, Célestin keeled over with laughter when he learned that being full is an expression we use. It just sounds so bizarre to his little French ears (now he jokes after meals that he is pleine). The French simply say Je n’ai plus faim or I am no longer hungry. It’s not, I’m stuffed or I need to loosen a belt buckle as in America, it’s rather: I’m satisfied, I’m content, I’ve had enough. They don’t overdo it! And so, they can eat a wider range of delicious foods. And eat dessert and bread everyday.

It’s also easier to eat less when the quality is there. Instead of needing to eat a whole bar of milk chocolate with all the added extras, I’d simply prefer one or two pieces of rich dark chocolate. Instead of multiple slices of low quality cheese, I prefer a small slice of a strong chèvre. The taste is stronger and better, so it takes less to feel satisfied.

But, like I said, this is just my experience in France. Catherine makes it sound like eating this way, with fresh foods and balance, is becoming less common. With her and Lionel’s work schedules (he works in the day, she works in the evenings), they are able to cook each meal everyday. They don’t buy prepared foods or instant meals, and they rarely go out to eat. They keep it simple, but delicious, which allows them to prep their own food. It takes a lot more planning and foresight, but it makes for a healthier, tastier life.

Oh and what about the wine? I haven’t really had any. Which is ok with me! I’d prefer to eat more and just drink water. But when we do drink wine, the same principals apply: we savor, we take our time. The wine is there to make the food test better and vice versa, not to feel a buzz or get drunk.

France is a good country for people like me, people who don’t eat to live but rather live to eat.

My favorite time of day!

Cathedral in Voiron

For one of her English lessons, Zoé and I made chicken pot pie using a Fine Cooking magazine I brought from home. So fun and so yum! Except cooking vocabulary is so specific (when it doesn’t already have a French origin) and especially in Fine Cooking: the recipe described the dough as amoeba-shaped at one point. What?! Amoeba-shaped? Is that a necessary description? I prefer the French recipes I’ve seen: short, to the point, simple. One paragraph on how to make macarons, instead of three pages.

Les muguets (lily of the valley) that bloomed on the 1st of May! The 1st of May is a holiday in France (like our Labor Day).

Since the children had the day off for the holiday, we went to explore les grottes de Choranche in the Vercors mountain range near Voreppe. It was a cloudy, rainy day that made me feel like we were in a rainforest.

The cave had these really cool threadlike stalactites. They grow drop by drop (the water deposits calcium) at a rate of 5 mm/year.

In one of the big cave openings, they had an entire light production accompanied with music. It was totally touristy, but I still loved it.

Driving after the caves in the Vercors. I love the Vercors. We’re going back today for a hike so hopefully we can have better views with less rain! (And so I can show better pictures)

The trails around the house are all like this (well, usually more straight-up; I don’t think they believe in switchbacks here).

Jardin de ville in Grenoble. Another fun day walking around the city!