After reading Newby's blog I've decided to completely swagger jack his intro and reiterate how thankful I'm for the weekend. So- TGIF! In this edition of "The Forest" I'd like to take some time and talk about culture differences. One of my wife's close friends (Claire) from France is spending three weeks with us and there's been a variety of differences I've picked up on. For one, it has become apparent that string cheese is very comical among our friends in the EU. Another one that might be a little more obvious than the previous is that they literally use a knife in almost every meal which I used to find silly but it's a productive way to get more on your spoon! And lastly, they don't nearly eat as much as we do. Not saying the average American family will sit down and go through three or four dinner plates but it's been pretty common for her to eat an appetizer, salad, and have a class of water. After looking into French culture I can see that the culture itself promotes health and portion control much more effectively than here. I also don't think that having access to a plethora of fast food "restaurants" helps either. GMO's anyone? ;)
(Candid always makes for the best pictures. This photo was taken at the tail end of winter last year at Mt. Si in North Bend, WA)
I have German family that uses Knives at EVERY meal. I have tried to adjust. They keep it on their hand at all times, ready, waiting. Now, I can honestly say that put down some food. At least as much as we normally do. I would think carbs were a big deal in France. I wonder, is it all crepes and croissants.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing the insight on French culture. I didn't know they used a fork at EVERY meal nor did I realize they did not have a plethora of fast food restaurants. I find it interesting to learn and hear about other cultures ways of living. Having our differences is what makes us human anyways!
ReplyDeleteDean,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading about our differences. I never thought about using a knife at every meal. I would think that might make you eat less because you can take smaller bites and get fuller faster. That would definitely cut down on portion size. I think they are on to something :) I could easily be done after appetizers and a salad but I always continue on to the mail course. I think we could take notes from the French.
Lynn