So what is "gastronomy?" It is defined as the practice or art of cooking and eating good food. I would say the French are masters of this! (I'll write more about that in next week's blog.) As I have been going back through all the recipes I've "shared" on Facebook over the past two years I've noticed that I seem to be attracted to, not only the ones that sound yummy (not sure that's a gastronomic term!), but also ones that seem pretty healthy. I'm not a huge fan of using box mixes or canned soups as I find they have too many chemicals, preservatives and additives that are not healthy. Canned soups get their flavor from sodium for the most part. And I prefer adding my own salt as needed in recipes. And I love using herbs and spices for flavoring.
I have also been rereading "French Women Don't Get Fat." The author, Mireille Guiliano, is a French woman married to an American and divides her time between homes in France (near Paris) and New York. Her gastronomic journey began after being an exchange student in America as a high school student and acquiring some really bad eating habits. She wasn't really aware of them (since she was just eating what everyone else around her was) until she returned home and her parents were worried about her weight gain and apparent bad health.
Her book has great insight into the eating habits of the Americans and the French and I find it very informative. One of the things she writes about is how to eat "seasonally." The French, even with modern supermarkets (some of the largest I've ever seen!) still love to shop at the weekly village open markets to buy their fresh fruits and vegetables. Of course, the vendors only sell what's growing that season so it all changes every four months or so. As does the selection of seafoods.
As I am looking over the recipes I have printed from Facebook (and some I've saved from magazines), I am organizing them according to season. We should be eating heavy, thick soups in the colder months and lighter ones in the warm months. We should choose fruits and vegetables that are grown in that season as they will be more "natural", if you will. And should eat them at the peak of their ripeness. That's when they have the most flavor and also the most nutritional benefit.
As for my own gastronomic journey I have a few anecdotes to share. The first time I ever had a significant weight gain was my first semester of college. I know what you're thinking, that I am someone who has never had a problem with my weight, and you'd be right. I am aware that many people in the US have significant issues with weight and that my "freshman fifteen" is not a huge deal for you.
But it's more about how well you feel than how many pounds overweight you may be. The French have a saying, "to feel well in your skin." And what I noticed is that my clothes didn't fit, my face looked bloated and I just didn't look right when I looked in the mirror. I wasn't happy with what I saw. It was a gradual gain. As I look back I know exactly what caused it. I loved the frozen snickers and Dr Pepper that they sold in the Student Union and I had to have one every time I went in there. I seldom ate sweets or drank sodas at home! My body was rebelling against these "foreign" substances! I lost the weight once I went home for Christmas break and the weight stayed off, until . . . .
The next time I noticed a weight gain (other than my pregnancy) was when I moved to Liberal, Kansas to help care for my mom. I was there for two years and I went back to that bad habit of having a Dr Pepper and an afternoon snack every day. (Yes, I love DP!) Again it was a gradual thing, but by the time I realized what was happening, those empty sugar calories were building up. I knew it was the DP so I cut it out completely, I found a nutrition plan that helped to cut down on sugar and carbs and I eventually lost those extra ten pounds.
Weight gain number three came when I lived in France. I hate to admit this as the French eat pretty healthy, especially compared to Americans. But what got me was the bread! How could I live in France and not enjoy a croissant with butter and jam every morning? And then since I had croissants already I would make a ham and cheese sandwich with them. I also realized I could buy Dr Pepper at the local supermarket, so now I was back into my bad habit of a DP a day. And I continued that habit after returning to Colorado.
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| That lovely French breakfast |
Since I know that carbs and sugar are the triggers for my extra weight I avoid them (for the most part!) at home. I will enjoy them when I eat out as eating out should be a pleasurable experience. But I avoid sodas and sweets (which never was an issue with me anyway - except at college!) and I try to limit carbs. If you're interested in how to do this I recommend Jorge Cruise's menu plan called "The 100". It really works! You can drop five pounds a week if you follow it closely. I suppose it's similar to Atkins, but with Jorge's plan you don't have to buy any special foods or supplements. You just eat healthier.
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| I have this on my Kindle and refer to it when needed |
Next week I want to tell you more about the difference in attitudes between the French and the Americans regarding cooking and eating. I think you'll find it pretty interesting. In the meantime, I'm still organizing the recipes and hope to prepare one this week so I can tell you about that experience also. By the way, I don't have any fancy kitchen equipment. I figure if my grandmothers could bake bread and make noodles and prepare all the other dishes they were great at without any special gadgets, then I can do it, too!
So let the gastronomic journey begin! (And I have requests to continue with the zoo photos and to tell about my newest venture of volunteering at the National Mill Dog Rescue organization which I begin this week.)
Thank you for joining me on this new kind of journey. I look forward to your comments, suggestions and recommendations. Merci!
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