Book Review: ‘French Women Don’t Get Fat’

SHEILA ALEXANDER
Development communications coordinator

Who better to give Americans dining advice than Mireille Guiliano, past president and CEO of Champagne Veuve Cliquot? Anyone who has to eat sumptuous meals and taste champagne all day with clients — poor baby — must have a few secrets.

In “French Women Don’t Get Fat,” Guiliano slams the American lifestyle — as well she should — and suggests that we think more like French women: Eat what you want, but in reasonable proportions. Enjoy life to its fullest and know that good food is part of it. Don’t eat fast food. Enjoy wine with your meals. Slow down your life and speed up your exercise.

Her suggestions can be a bit naïve, advising us to ride a bike to the grocery store. Has she ever visited the typical American suburb, where traffic fumes would overcome you before you reached the corner?

As Bill Bryson wrote in “A Walk in the Woods,” “America isn’t made that way.”

She writes, “Opening a bottle of wine with dinner will ensure you won’t eat in front of the television.” Is she kidding?

Guiliano admits the French don’t have the same problem: French women honor mealtime rituals and never eat standing up or on the run, or in front of the TV. French women don’t watch much TV. French women don’t have much TV to watch.

Basically, her secret is she’s French and not American. The French live a lifestyle that includes a bicycle and a distinct lack of fast-food restaurants. Try finding a corner restaurant for lunch that serves seafood, whole grain bread and good wine. Now think about getting there on a bike.

Nevertheless, this is a fun read with some great non-dieter’s recipes and suggestions that deal with the psychological side of eating. It is thought-provoking, appetite-provoking and inspires even more angst about the American lifestyle.

“French Women Don’t Get Fat” is available in paperback at the Sweet Briar Book Shop. The retail price is $12.95, but because it’s on the Best Sellers list, the book shop is offering a 20-percent discount, making the final cost $10.36 plus tax.