AUTHOR: Mireille Guiliano
STARTED: September 1, 2009
FINISHED: September 5, 2009
PAGES: 263
GENRE: Food
FIRST SENTENCE: Whatever the state of Franco-American relations - admittedly a bit frayed from time to time - we should not lose sight of the singular achievements of French civilization.
SUMMARY: [From barnesandnoble.com] Stylish, convincing, wise, funny–and just in time: the ultimate non-diet book, which could radically change the way you think and live.
French women don’t get fat, but they do eat bread and pastry, drink wine, and regularly enjoy three-course meals. In her delightful tale, Mireille Guiliano unlocks the simple secrets of this “French paradox”–how to enjoy food and stay slim and healthy. Hers is a charming, sensible, and powerfully life-affirming view of health and eating for our times.
As a typically slender French girl, Mireille (Meer-ray) went to America as an exchange student and came back fat. That shock sent her into an adolescent tailspin, until her kindly family physician, “Dr. Miracle,” came to the rescue. Reintroducing her to classic principles of French gastronomy plus time-honored secrets of the local women, he helped her restore her shape and gave her a whole new understanding of food, drink, and life. The key? Not guilt or deprivation but learning to get the most from the things you most enjoy. Following her own version of this traditional wisdom, she has ever since relished a life of indulgence without bulge, satisfying yen without yo-yo on three meals a day.
Now in simple but potent strategies and dozens of recipes you’d swear were fattening, Mireille reveals the ingredients for a lifetime of weight control–from the emergency weekend remedy of Magical Leek Soup to everyday tricks like fooling yourself into contentment and painless new physical exertions to save you from the StairMaster. Emphasizing the virtues of freshness, variety, balance, and always pleasure, Mireille showshow virtually anyone can learn to eat, drink, and move like a French woman.
A natural raconteur, Mireille illustrates her philosophy through the experiences that have shaped her life–a six-year-old’s first taste of Champagne, treks in search of tiny blueberries (called myrtilles) in the woods near her grandmother’s house, a near-spiritual rendezvous with oysters at a seaside restaurant in Brittany, to name but a few. She also shows us other women discovering the wonders of “French in action,” drawing examples from dozens of friends and associates she has advised over the years to eat and drink smarter and more joyfully.
Here are a culture’s most cherished and time-honored secrets recast for the twenty-first century. For anyone who has slipped out of her zone, missed the flight to South Beach, or accidentally let a carb pass her lips, here is a buoyant, positive way to stay trim. A life of wine, bread–even chocolate–without girth or guilt? Pourquoi pas?
THOUGHTS: I did not know that this was a diet book until I started reading. If I had known that, I probably would not have read this. (Note: Blogger bragging about to ensue.) I recently lost a lot of weight (and have kept it off, woot!) and find the premise of most diet books to be sketchy. Thus, I eschew them. Boy am I glad I read this one. French Women Don't Get Fat is not so much a diet book but more a book on how to few and interact with food. All Guiliano's tips (save for the leek soup kick-off) I agree with, for they are common sense. Even if I did not agree with the book, I think I would still have enjoyed it. Guiliano's writing is thoughtful, friendly, and, most of all, realistic.
I'm not going to rehash Guiliano's tips, that's for her to do. What I will say is that every reader should walk away from this book with a new understanding of how a culture of women interacts with cuisine. This is a food book and it's a lifestyle book. In many ways, Guiliano comes across more like an anthropologist than a dietitian. It is incredibly interesting to see how a culture is born and raised to interact with food, walking, cooking, family, etc.
As for Guiliano's writing, it's friendly with a bit of sass thrown in. I want to sit down to dinner with Giuliano and just chat with her - she comes across as down to earth, intuitive, and respectful. It also helps that her descriptions of food cause me to smack my lips and desire croissants. I will certainly be trying several of the recipes she includes.
I highly recommend this book for anyone who has always wondered why French women don't get fat. Sure you can follow the diet tips, but it's the interplay of culture and cuisine that makes this book soar.
RATING: 9/10 [Excellent]
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