FoodBanter.com - View Single Post - Throw me in the briar patch

PG

"Paul Grieg" > a écrit dans le message de news:
...
On Jun 5, 7:47 pm, "PG" > wrote:
> "Steve Y" > a écrit dans le message de news:
> ...
>>
>>> Diet. I think this depends on income. Those on limited incomes will
>>> exist on whatever their local "Hard Discount" has to offer when they go
>>> once a week, not everyone will have the opportunity to get to the local
>>> markets (that thankfully still exist). There are plenty of companies
>>> offering frozen food delivered to the door for those that don't have
>>> time to go shopping
>> Sure it plays a role, but there (ime) is a distinct difference between the
>> fare
>> offered by poorer families in France and the UK. Maybe it's the 'Brits eat to
>> live, French live to eat', thing. A question of pride. As for delivery
>> services,
>> perhaps it's the greater distances involved, but one of the major groceries
>> distribution services in France stopped covering my part of the Vaucluse a
>> year
>> or so back because it simply wasn't viable. People aren't so interested in
>> convenience as in quality, especially away from the main urban areas.
>
> Is this a good thing? The great philosophers were seldom gourmets.
>
> Making too much fuss about food distracts from more important
> matters, and often means devoting too much time and money to
> a basically trivial pursuit.
>
Definitely, but I think there's a little more to it. The French are more
family-oriented (although that is gradually changing with people travelling
farther to seek employment etc), and mealtimes are part of the glue that
reinforces a sense of togetherness and continuity. The quality, pride taken in
preparation, taking time to appreciate the meal, the ritualistic element, all
contribute to maintaining the structure of family life, and respect for the
older generations in particular.

> Even Epicurus had little interest in food! He didn't have much money
> and lived happily on the most basic bread cheese because it fill you
> up as well as any other food. So conveninence is a priority for me,
> then I don't have to fuss around trying to satisy such a basic, and
> trivial, need.
>
> Then again, I would get Sainsbury's 'Taste the Difference' bread + M&S
> soft cheese spread rather than Lidl's basic white bread and cheese
> slices. But I wouldn't cycle fifteen miles to the local county town
> for goat cheese, or spend hours baking my own bread. There is always a
> middle way!

The distances are greater in France, and bear in mind that until very recently
it was always a lot more time-consuming to get to the big stores - closer at
hand are all the local shops. Even in a small village such as mine, with a
population of 2,500, there are 3 bakers, 1 butcher (2 up to a couple of years
back), a small DIY shop, a clothes shop, couple of hairdressers, maybe half a
dozen restaurants, a photographers, a greengrocers, street vendors selling fruit
and veg throughout the season, a weekly market, a PO and a couple of banks, a
tobacconists, etc. Plus the inevitable small supermarket (the nearest superstore
is a good 30 minutes' drive away). There's a sense of community that even when I
was in the UK had long disappeared from most equivalent-sized villages.

Urban areas are another issue, but there are still marked differences between
the two countries.

>>> Healthy Stuff. Here in the Beaujolais we don't have crisps (chips in
>>> colonialspeak) but we do have and are offered "saucisse", "jesus" and
>>> grattons, all of which have slightly raised levels of fat that my Doctor
>>> regulalrly warns me against.
>
> Ask why he's issuing these warnings when France has the lowest heart
> attack rate in Europe and all the locals eat that kind of thing.

Overprescribing has long been a problem (especially for the relevant state
budget), and it seems to be part of the GP psyche, checking for every possible
ailment. Reassuring to an extent, but there are inherent dangers too.

..../...

>> Still, the younger generations are gradually being seduced by the high octane
>> packaged fast-food lifestyle, and in maybe a decade or two, we'll catch up
>> with
>> the UK of today I reckon. Sad to say.
>
> Is it the fast eating, rather that quickly prepared food, that's the
> problem? Relax, and eat your muesli slowly.

Helps if you have a two hour lunch break, of course!