Salut!

~ Laura

The French are back! The French are back!

Yes, it seems to be safe to eat bagettes and brie again. Lucky for the French, we Americans forget things quickly, simple minded folks that we are.

A new book, French Women Don’t Get Fat, lectures American women on how to be more like French women. Be thin and stylish not lumpy bags of pomme de terres!

American women are fat and lack style. They eat large amounts of tasteless, bland foods in front of the TV. They don’t walk, though some abuse themselves at gyms. And mon Dieu, they wear scarves like Boy Scouts. Tant pis. C’est dommage.

French women are thin and stylish. They walk to the market and make meals into elaborate rituals rather than chow-fests at the all you can eat buffet. Instead of half a bag of Oreos, they nibble on delicate chocolate. They don’t need to diet, because of their walking regimen and sensible eating habits. Touche, Mon. Atkins.

Sounds good. Most women in New York City follow similar practices, and they are trimmer than the country at large.

But what the book (or at least the review in the Times) fails to mention is that most French women smoke like chimneys. Nothing takes the edge off of one’s appetite like a pack of unfiltered Camels.

Published by Laura

7 thoughts on “Salut!”

  1. Hear, hear! (And I love the fact that they’re missing a wide swathe of the French populace I’ve seen who are pleasantly plump. They’re just not “chic” Parisian women, I guess.)

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  2. I love this book! C’est incroyable! Francophiles you too will love it. So sensible. It’s an easy and enjoyable read! Bravo!

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  3. How true on the cigarettes.
    It also fails to mention that their totally bitchy personalities probably stems from the fact that they’re hungry.
    Sorry, I don’t buy it. Parisiennes and Manhattanettes are thinner than everyone because they are OBSESSED with being thin. It’s a top top priority. Which isn’t neccessarily a bad thing, but let’s just be honest about it.

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  4. Erm, I’m not sure that your smoking theory nails it. In the US and the UK, poor people are more likely to smoke – and to be obese. Smoking might help some women maintain residence in slimsville, but demographically it’s much more likely to be an indicator of fatness. The main thing re the French, I think, is that while the food is richer, portions are much smaller, so – gasp – they consume less calories. When’s the last time you saw a Frenchman sucking on a 64 oz Le Big Gulp?
    And yeah, Parisians are slimmer than the rural French, but the rural French aren’t half as fat as rural Americans. So there’s definintely something going on.

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  5. Oh gimme a break! If I’m strolling around in the 16th arrondissement I may come across one or two fashionable and slim Parisiennes. But from what I saw, after five years in Paris, Parisian women can be just as dumpy as the average American woman. In fact, I think young American women are generally more stylish and concerned with their appearance than the average Parisan woman.

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  7. I can’t really make any judgements about French women. I was only in Paris once; I was twenty and carting around a 30 pound backpack.
    But I do think that the American lifestyle is unhealthy. When I moved out to the suburbs last year, I gained five pounds. Other former New Yorkers laughed and said I got off lucky. They put on far more. New Yorkers may be more obsessed with their weight than other Americans, but they really do walk more. There are also more options for a quick, healthy meal. Great soup and salad places everywhere. There are even fastfood sushi places. How I miss Teriaki Boy. Out here, my local options are a bagel joint and Wendy’s.
    I’m too lazy to google this fact, but I’m that Americans work longer hours than the French. Which means less time to saunter down to the local market for fresh greens and a lean chunk of fish. My good friend Pam is a single mom of two boys. After a long day at the hospital (she’s a doctor), she takes her boys to a different fastfood restaurant every night. Mondays are Wendy night. Tuesday is Boston Chicken…
    I made light of this book, because I like making light. But I think the main premise, that our lifestyle is unhealthy, is valid.

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