You may have heard about or had the pleasure to have eaten delectable French cooking. A cuisine that, despite its rich and fatty factor, has maintained a population of skinny men, women and children in France.
Well, French cuisine is not what it used to be, and as a result the frogs, aka French people, are putting on some good old American plump lately. And you don’t want to hear who one culinary expert is blaming.
There I was sitting with my food writer buddy Patty Talorico at a book signing in Greenville, DE. Being a foodie myself, I’m always looking for reasons too listen to stories about food, to eat food, and to talk about food. So, I tagged along with Patty to meet author Michael Steinberger.
Steinberger is the wine columnist for Slate.com and he’s the author of the just released “Au Revoir To All That: Food, Wine and the End of France.”
I’ve just started the book, but based on his talk at the book signing, and what I could gather from the reviews, it’s basically about how French cuisine has pretty much been on a precipitous decline for years now.
During his talk, the author lamented how easy it was to get a bad meal in Paris; and how France, a former food trend setter, was now McDonald’s best market in Europe.
Why? We all wondered.
And that’s when he said it — “French working women.”
I swear, I knew he was going to say it before he even said it. Don’t ask me why. I suppose it may be because I’ve become so ready to hear people bash working moms for everything.
Steinberger told the nodding crowd that because French women, especially French mothers, are working, “an interest in the cuisine is not being nurtured.”
Turns out, working mothers are so busy following a career path that they are not helping their little French babies develop a palette for unpasteurized cheese and frog legs.
Despite the working mom bashing, I was still intrigued at the premise of the book because I spent time in Paris after college many years ago, and fell in love with the food. I bought a copy at the book signing and I stood on line to have the author sign my book but my ulterior motive was to ask him about his mommy comment.
“So, do you have a whole chapter in the book on how working mothers killed French cuisine?” I asked, a bit sarcastically.
“I merely observed in the chapter about McDonald’s that with millions of French women entering the workforce there is less time for cooking in the home,” he said, trying to convince me that he was not bashing at all.
And he added, “It’s a step forward from French women but not for French cuisine.”
Oh the heavy burden we working moms of the world bare.
We’re blamed for the rising obesity rate, falling test scores among kids, ear infections because we dump the babes in daycare, but being blamed for the downfall of one of the world’s greatest cuisines is going too far.
Time to say Au Revoir to the notion that women are screwing up the world because they dare go out into the work force.
What about French dads? Maybe if they were bed-hopping less they’d have time to whip up a little Coq au vin in the kitchen. Talk about coming home to roost!
It’s time the world’s fathers picked up some of the food “nurturing” slack, or else we face becoming a civilization unable to feed itself anything but Le Big Macs and frozen croissants.
If only you could train a rat to prepare authentic French cuisine while you’re busy punching the clock.
(Artist of the McDonald’s painting: Paul Slater)
July 2nd, 2009 at 9:48 am
Let me stick my neck out a bit and suggest that it is not working women per se, but rather a culture that values discontent more than contentment (i.e., the “I must have more” mentality) which pushes us to poorer choices regarding many things, including food.
I’m not suggesting that a lack of contentment is what drives women to the workplace. No. Many women seek education and career to have a sense of purpose and contribution that they otherwise might feel lacking. Many also want to experience the same level of financial independence that was long only available to men. I believe that this lack of contentment (in our material condition and level of income) drives both men and women to work more for gain at a cost to their personal lives. In some cases, the exchanges are obvious (e.g., 60-80 hour work weeks among some climbing the corporate ladder), but in some, like changes to our eating habits, they are less so.
July 2nd, 2009 at 10:47 am
I believe my husband and I are doing my part to develop our 8 year old son’s palette for French food. Before we went out for an adult evening to enjoy a delicious meal at a new French Bistro in Philly, my husband made our son real French Fries from scratch! The next morning we told him all about the fantastic cuisine, and he proclaimed — “I will never eat bunny!”
July 2nd, 2009 at 7:51 pm
One serious misconception about the French and French woman in particular is simply this, during the occupation of France by the Nazi’s, there existed tremendous changes in French culture forced upon the population by the Germans and the French military government. France had been an extremely liberal and well fed country prior to this. In fact, it was actually thought of as being far desireable by French men to have larger woman.
During the four year occupation, food become scarce to all residents of France. By the time the Allies freed France, a majority of men were either imprisoned or dead. By this time, the whole population were frail. And very hungry. The Fench were always sexually progressive. Many of the good servicemen who then occupied their country enjoyed the affections of their gratitude. For the severly sexually surpressed american GI, this was the best experience of their adult life. The slender, mal-nourished woman become more of a ‘turn-on’ for the especially the Americans.
If you do not believe me, go ahead and do an internet search for pornography especially in the early 20th century up ubtil after WWII. You will find almost all the models are gigantic by comparison to today’s slender, mal-nourished model.
I am not comparing todays current health craze that is more driven by an inability to process the foods we like to eat more tha anything else. However, show me an octgenarian who who says that they have never struggled with maintaining weight. you might be surprised to find out everyone does.
July 3rd, 2009 at 1:25 pm
hey MB,
i love that you’re taking your son to french bistros. exposure is how you get kids interested in good food…that’s the job of both parents!
and there is something to us working too much so we can attain material goods. we not only miss out on great food, but everything that’s so precious in life.
and yes, almost everyone struggles with their weight. but good, natural foods are usually better for us and keep us thinner than processed foods, no?
July 3rd, 2009 at 8:05 pm
I have to interject a colossal battle of those who are ancient and are living amongst us to tell us WE, the eat right with good food crap that has been shoved down our throats for so long we are like robots. If you go into a supermarket, or that natural food store, I dare, I double dare, in fact I’d make a wager that that if it comes from the ground, it is most assuredly ORGANIC. It is all the same. Yet some absolutely absurd and senseless consumers will pay more for ORGANICALLY grown produce. I will be the very best parent in the world and I will feed and have fed my children, all six of them, good food and quite a bit of it grown from the earth. I’ll use a stick of butter, a whole cabbage cut up and two good onions and some green pepper and fry it all up with EGG noodles. My kids love it,it is HALUSKI. I know for a fact it is in heaven, it has to be..or I won’t go. The same can be said of perogies and stuffed cabbage. Does anyone have the balls to call the ‘Correct’ Police to take away my well fed children? Not in America you won’t.
And my children may be just like I hope to be, just like my grandparents were who lived to be 86 and 95, smoking two packs of cigarettes a day and breathing in all the bad air of prosperity from the mills aroung Pittsburgh. You could say that they were a fluke. WEll there are millions of flukes out there who will tell you to your face, you might outlive your children because the abuse starts with feeding them RIGHT food.
Billy Mays came from Mckees Rocks. A mill town 5 miles from Pittsburgh. He used to be a fat man. St. Mary’s on McKees Rocks was filled with his relatives. Every relative, including his 70+ year old mother is as nice as i can put it,,FAT. He dies at 50 from HEART DISEASE after a group of television people decided he had to be fit and trim. How many funerals of fat pepole have you actually attended? He is gone, dead and buried and he was buried by a bunch of fat people.
We are perfect machines. God made us that way. We are designed to eat and work. You have to move your whole body to burn off calories. If you or your children are too tired from malnutrition, what good is it?
The Pittsburgh Steelers are Super Bowl Champions. THey train at St. Vincents College in LaTrobe Pa., about 40 miles SW of Pittsburgh. I once engaged a cook who feeds the Steelers. I asked him hw many eggs do they eat for breakfast, He said he was not sure and that the team as a limit of 10 eggs at a time. I asked him who eats ten eggs?. He said All of them.
July 6th, 2009 at 9:57 am
Roberts, were you to ever start your own blog, I’d add you to my daily reading list. I must admit that I will, on occasion, get lost in some of your longer posts, but I believe that’s one of the aspects that make them so enjoyable. I can envision naming it “Robert’s Rabbit Trails” or something similar. Post here if you decide to give it a try.
July 7th, 2009 at 12:08 am
@HikingStick and other good reader’s of Eve’s wonderful blog,
My perspective comes from being a man. When my eyes finally heal from my cataract surgeries, perhaps my incoherent , run on choo-choo train of thought might not become so derailed. In fact, in September, I should be able to get my ‘cheaters’ on. Then maybe my entire point of view will suddenly become clearer to anyone who courageously endeavors to engage my cognitive, meaningless perspectives.
I can only ask if perhaps you have a blog?
In all fairness, and with respect to my favorite jounalist, Eve, my time is precious just as I am sure yours is. Eve is just as I have declared her to be, laudatory. Her articles are very precise and to the point. The responses from good folks suchas yourself is an even more precise testament to the pertinent content of her perspective.
The battle of the sexes rages on regardless of everything we are supposed to have evolved into. Unlike so many columnist, Eve does not hide this.
In fact, she is just as critical of woman. Her view of the family is from actual experience and not conjecture. She is remarkable. Her, her husband and her family are exactly the ‘people’ I wish my family knew in real life. So this blog speaks volumes to me.
robertgraham61@ hotmail.com is my email if Eve so allows such a display. I realize my email is quite cryptic. I’ve been using the same name for almost 20 years. It is to be quite anonymous I assure you.
Peace and Harmony