September is the last month of the summer season. The fall solstice greeted us on September 22 officially announcing the arrival of fall. Food wise, this translates to the last of the nectarines, figs, and the last of the delicious tomatoes in most of France (not in the South). The start of turnips, radishes, leeks, pumpkin and winter squash (BBC).
A very insightful visit, to the chateau de Amboise showed us the importance of escargot and grapes in French culture so much so that it is embedded in the pillars of the castle. Wild game also has an important role, especially in the winter as the hunting seasons begin. It seems that every castle has its vineyard. Its house wine always ready for the King. The climate and precipitation of the entire growing season from winter to summer dictate the quality of the harvest (Jones & Davis 2000). From our studies in our Human Diet course, the trend of animals that consume higher quality foods will be smaller in size due to their rate of metabolism according to Kleiber’s Law, I cannot help but think about the tiny doorways in these castles (Wasserman 2015). There is no doubt that Renaissance people were smaller in size, could it be because their food system was not globalized to the scale it is today, calling for a greater dependence on meat during the frigid winter months?
The hunt
The chateau de Chenonceau had a mighty vegetable garden which gave a good insight into what kinds of vegetables are growing in France during late September- early October. Though it was beautiful, It made me uncomfortable to see the reality of farming. A beautifully adorned plot with a great variety of handsome looking tomatoes contrasted by a couple lame empty plots, the soil not yet suited to bear any fruit.
Something that does not go out of season in France is bread. Wheat is harvested June-August (Intl. Grains Council 2015). The French love affair with their bread runs deep. So deep they joke it is in their DNA. One of my French friends shared with me a cute thought– Our ancestors have been eating and surviving off bread for generations. When you are born, you are ready to eat bread. Watch any French person interact with bread and it is true. They might whisper soft loving words to a fresh baguette, absorb its delicious aroma, and do everything short of drooling all over it. No French person struggles to tear a piece of baguette as clumsly as I.
I have met all sorts of different people in France. None I love to eat more than with my vegetarian/vegan friends. I literally met these people over the question “How do you feel about vegetarianism”? Let me tell you, I miss my veggie life. Back home in the States, I would average my meat consumption to about 2 times a week. My life was full of green juice and chickpeas. Here in France, I cannot get a hold of a blender. I cannot find chickpeas at my local grocery store (I have yet to check the market). If my cheese consumption was out of control before, I should check into cheese rehab pretty soon.
On a more personal note, when I eat dinner with my host family, I find myself heavy and my body struggling to digest all of carbs, fat, and dairy. Breakfast consists of bread, chocolate cereal, and nutella. It’s is all too much for my little digestive track to handle, doing this three days a week is rough. A friend suggested that it might be due to overconsumption. So I tried eating less; same result just not as full. I cannot express how refreshing it is to find myself with a plate of mostly veggies. When your plates are colorful and deliciously seasoned. When you don’t feel heavy and your stomach feels out of control afterwards. Thought I do not give the French enough credit; In the midst of their delicious buttery, sweet bread they try their best to balance their meals with some fresh locally produced vegetables.
As “The Food of France” has shown every region in France starts their identity with the kind of soil conditions they have. In the past, Rose wine was only in the south of France, sparkling wine only in Champagne, and red all over France but the best hailing from Bordeaux (Root). Now, you can find a deliciously sweet Rose de Anjou, so very different from the dry bodacious traditional rose of the south.
In class, we were having a discussion on whether or not France differs in their use of pesticides on crops. The class was recalling that they noticed many French people not washing their fruit before eating them. After a trip to the market with my same vegetarian friend, I was reminded of the same talk when he asked whether or not I cared about the produce being organic or not. So very reminiscent of Austin. He said, “It’s your choice whether or not you want to eat chemicals”. Not only did he make this bold statement, he then went on to peel the skin off of his apple before consuming it because it was not organic. With that said it is not very uncommon for the French to have an such hesitations with commercially grown foods. It is part of the culture. The French have been accustomed to knowing where their food comes from for centuries as their ties to their food is sacred. Compared with a country known for their industrial power, like England, their approach to sustainable eating is much more true in the sense that the French are more likely to look past the “organic” label and covet a relationship with the farmer instead (E. Brown et al. 2009).
Vegan until you add the mustard
Having a “Bio” label does have some weight, but as with anything, individuals all have different responses to it. An interesting study shows that individual values are more important when it comes to food choice. The same study also shows that frozen food has a pretty low reputation even if it carries the “bio” label; European consumers are less likely to perceive it as healthy (CONDOR 2002). Even more interesting about this study is that it did not include France. Could it have something to do with the French’s close knit relationship with the land that runs so deep they are cautious about who they allow to mess with their food. Most French households have a garden. Ask any French person what France is most famous for and they will say, wine, cheese, bread and cuisine.
If you want to look stupid in front of a French person, drink rose with your cheese. Oh yes, French wine is the best wine and interestingly enough it could be helping the French have less deaths from coronary heart disease: a concept known as the French paradox (Ferrieres 2004). Another view of this is that it is not the wine but rather the Mediterranean diet that keeps southern French safe. This idea claims that the peoples of the Mediterranean know how to live the good life; “ olive oil, fish, alcohol and wine, onions and garlic, nuts, and dark chocolate” all help protect their hearts from coronary heart disease” (Opie 2008). It is not just the Mediterranean diet that contributes to the French Paradox, however, it is rather the French food culture that has a greater impact. How, what, when and what they eat is a greatly intricate process. They enjoy home cooked meals and meal time is a pleasurable experience as opposed to a time of stress. It is important to the French to respect their food “using fresh seasonal foods eaten with pleasure” ( Holdsworth 2008). I see something in the French, but I don’t know what it is…
“Seasonality Table.” BBC Good Food. BBC Worldwide Ltd., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2015.
Wasserman, Michael. 22 September 2015. “Ape Diets”. Human Diet class lecture, St. Edward’s University, Angers, France. Personal communication.
International Grains Council. “Wheat Harvesting Calendar and Statistical Crop Years, World.” Montana Wheat and Barley Committee. International Grains Council, n.d. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
Jones, Gregory and Davis, Robert. “Climate influences on grapevine phenology, grape composition, and wine production and quality, for Bourdoux, France”. Am. J. Enol. Vitic., Vol 51. No. 3, 2000. Web. 27 Oct. 2015.
Root, Waverley. The Food of France. New York: Vintage, 1966. Print.
Brown, Elizabeth, Sandrine Dury, and Michelle Holdsworth. “Motivations of Consumers That Use Local, Organic Fruit and Vegetable Box Schemes in Central England and Southern France.” Appetite 53 (2009): 183-88. Research Gate. Web. 28 Oct. 2015.
CONDOR-Consumers Decision Making on Organic Products. (2002). Project number QLK1-2002-02446. 27 October 2015.
Opie, Lionel H. “The French Paradox: Are ‘they’ Really so Different?” Dialogues in Cardiovascular Medicine 13.3 (2008): 155-58. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
Ferrieres, Jean. “The French Paradox: Lessons for Other Countries.” Heart 90.1 (2004): 107-11. NCBI. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.
Holdsworth, Michelle. “ How important are differences in national eating habits in France?” Dialogues in Cardiovascular Medicine 13.3 (2008): 200-207. Web. 29 Oct. 2015.