法國人吃不胖的祕密
Mes amis let us take a moment and go francophile. But first let me preface this by acknowledging that there was in fact a time when my love affair with France hit a dark spot.
Mes amis (譯註：法語“我的朋友”），讓我們花點時間，來哈哈法國吧。不過在此之前，我要聲明一下，曾經有一段時間，我的法蘭西之戀中斷過。
A longtime francophile — "Anna do you really have to always pronounce croissant with a French accent?" — I did what any person in love would do: I moved. But somewhere along the line France stopped being the romantic place it once had been. My newfound relationship with the place once seductive and alluring turned commonplace and in the midst of dealing with French bureaucracy I was no longer intrigued by the je ne sais quoi.
我愛了她那麼久——“安娜，你非得用法國口音來說‘羊角麪包’嗎？” ——而和所有戀愛中的人一樣，我想和所愛長相廝守，於是，我搬到了法國。但是某年某月的某一天，法國突然不再是我心目中那個浪漫的所在了。這個地方曾讓我心馳嚮往、目眩神迷，但如今，我們的關係卻變得平庸乏味。而在見識了這個國家的官僚主義後，她對我也失去了那種"妙不可言“的魔力。
But like any good relationship distance did it some good and now France and I are back to where we once were with me constantly craving a taste of French culture. Which brings me back to food.
不過也和所有的愛情一樣，距離會產生美。現在我和法國又回到了最初的狀況：我又開始對法國文化如飢似渴。因此也就有了今天的話題：法國飲食。
As a culture we have long been intrigued by the idea that French women don't get fat. But that concept stretches across an entire nation giving us the French paradox. How does one consume cream butter and ample amounts of cheese and still manage to be perfectly in shape? Our Anglo minds have a hard time grappling with this question but really it all comes down to how we think about food and in France it's all about having a respect for what's on the plate in front of you. A way of life instead of a lifestyle choice.
爲什麼法國女人吃不胖，我們對這個話題着迷已久。而後話題進一步擴大，成爲了“法國悖論”。我們這些英國人冥思苦想，就是搞不懂爲什麼同樣是吃奶油、黃油和奶酪，法國人卻能保持好身材？但其實真相只有一個，就是我們對待食物的態度不同。對於餐桌上的東西，法國人都懷着一種崇高的敬意。對他們來說，吃不單是一種生活方式，吃就是生活。
Ultimately the French Paradox isn't a paradox at all it's just about a few simple values that we could easily start incorporating into our own lives no matter where we live.
歸根結底，“法國悖論”根本不是悖論，相反，它只是一些簡單的信條。無論我們身處何方，都可以很容易地把它們融入生活。
Food Is Culture
信條1：吃要吃出文化
Although local love for the national cuisine may be failing an appreciation for good food in France has never diminished and the commitment to keeping the tie between eating and feeling good is alive and strong. Take Le Fooding for example. Deemed "A taste of the times " it's a restaurant guide/food festival/food news site and one that's committed more to putting the "feeling" back into food.
對於民族飲食，法國人的熱度可能是有所下降，但對於好食物，他們的欣賞卻是從未減少的。而且，時至今日，法國人仍舊是堅定地維護着好食物和好心情之間的聯繫。以“吃在法國”（Le Fooding)爲例。這是一個網站，以“品味時光”爲口號，提供酒店、美食節、食物等方面的信息，並致力於一項事業：找回食物的“感覺”。
"We are about having food with fun and with a smile " Le Fooding's founder Alexandre Cammas told the Los Angeles Times. And herein lies the French paradox: food is directly tied to emotional well being. French people don't eat because they have to they eat because it's a valued part of their day and their culture.
“我們追求的是吃得有趣，吃得開心。”網站創始人亞歷山大·堪馬斯（Alexandre Cammas）在接受洛杉磯時報採訪時說道。這也就是“法國悖論”的答案：食物和心情直接掛鉤。法國人吃東西不是爲了吃而吃，而是因爲這是他們生活中、文化中的一個重要部分。
Food Is Food
信條2：吃要吃出真滋味
As Maurice Edmond Sailland (pen-name Curnonsky) once said "Fine cooking is when the things you have cooked taste as they are." A roasted chicken with a rich sauce may sound decadent to our American-trained stomachs but as it turns out real food is not only healthier it's also cheaper than the fast food high caloric alternatives.
正如莫里斯·愛德蒙·薩揚（Maurice Edmond Sailland，筆名肯農斯基Curnonsky）所說：“所謂好廚藝，就是做出來的東西是原汁原味的。”我們的胃習慣了美國式快餐，一隻沾滿醬料的烤雞就能大快朵頤。但事實是，相比這些高熱量的快餐，真正的食物不僅更加健康，也更加廉價。
Real food isn't processed and it certainly doesn't come vacuum packed and wrapped in styrofoam and hitting up the market every day for a basket of vegetables instead of potato chips quickly leads to a healthier society.
真正的食物不應經過任何加工，更不應是真空或者塑料包裝的。如果人人都能堅持天天上市場，買一籃子新鮮蔬菜而不是一堆薯條，我們的社會會更健康。
Food Is Quality
信條3：吃要吃出質量
When kids aren't allowed to eat ketchup in the cafeteria anymore — unless it's for the once a week burger — you know a country is doing something right. Meanwhile we're sitting back and only barely touching the surface of the issue with all kinds of ridiculous backlash including the likes of Sarah Palin touting the benefits of sweets.
吃自助餐時，當小孩子不再被允許吃番茄醬——除非是在一週一次的漢堡餐中——你就該知道，這個國家正在做一些正確的事。與此同時，我們卻還在大喇喇地觀望，堪堪涉及一些表面的問題。更甚者，還出現了各種各樣荒唐可笑的狡辯，包括薩拉·佩林（Sarah Palin）的支持者們大力鼓吹糖果有益健康。
But the French know that when it comes to children they have to set an example. "France must be an example to the world in the quality of its food starting with its children " said Bruno Le Maire French Minister for Agriculture and Food.
但是法國人深諳，一旦涉及到小孩子，他們就必須做好榜樣。法國農業食物部部長布魯諾·瑪麗（Bruno Le Maire)也說：“在食物質量方面，法國應該成爲全世界的榜樣，而這也該從孩子抓起。”
Food is Tradition
信條4：吃要吃出傳統
Although you'll certainly find a few cupcakes in France food fads don't hit like they do on our side of the Atlantic. Deep down the French know what they are supposed to eat: whole grains fruits and vegetables dairy and protein. Sure the supermarket has over 100 kinds of yogurt but 100 kinds of yogurt is much better than 100 kinds of sugary breakfast cereal.
在法國，雖然你也會看到紙杯蛋糕，但是流行食物在法國遠沒有在英國這麼風靡。應該吃什麼，法國人心裏都明白：全麥食品、水果、蔬菜、奶製品和蛋白質。確實，法國超市裏酸奶也有上百種，但是100種酸奶總比100種含糖穀類早餐好得多吧。
Because food is tradition there are certain classic staples that remain part of the culture. You'd be hard pressed to find a French person who doesn't know a thing or two about cheese and wherever you are in the country if you just take time to ask it won't take long to learn what the regional specialty is and who in town makes it.
因爲這一信條，在法國的飲食文化裏，有幾種經典主食至今仍佔重要地位。法國人裏面，很少有人對奶酪一無所知；而不管你在法國的哪個小鎮，只要你願意花時間去問，費不着你多少功夫就能知道當地的特色菜是什麼，以及鎮裏面誰會做這道菜。
Food Isn't Treated as Unlimited
信條5：吃要吃得有度
Most of us even broke 20-somethings have the ability to buy way more food than we need. Compare this to places where almost entire household incomes go to sustaining a family and you begin to see the disparity. Unfortunately because it's hard to resist a good thing even though we don't need everything that we're able to purchase we still have a tendency to consume it and that means larger portions and more of them. French people eat until they are full and then stop. Those French women consuming all that heavy cream and butter? They do it in moderation knowing their personal limits.
我們中很多人，就算都過了20歲了，買食物時還老是能買一堆吃不上的。如果你和那些只有能力滿足溫飽的家庭比比，你就知道差距何在了。有些東西雖然我們有能力買，卻根本不需要。不幸的是，好東西總是難以抗拒的。因此，我們總是忍不住無節制消費。法國人吃東西，卻是吃到飽就不吃了。你看那些法國女人也是大口大口吃奶油、黃油？人家那是有節制地吃呢，人家知道自己的度在哪裏。
Food is Joie de Vivre
信條6：吃要吃出情趣
Everyone has to eat so why not enjoy the moment preferably with friends? Eating with others has not only emotional benefits but also means you're not sitting in front of the television alone mindlessly moving your hand from chip bag to mouth. Food is meant to be enjoyed; given the time it took to get from the earth to your plate it deserves to be enjoyed.
既然每個人都得吃東西，那何不好好享受這一時刻，和朋友們一塊吃呢？和別人一起吃不僅有益心情，還意味着你不會是一個人對着電視、無意識地把薯條塞到嘴裏。食物就該是拿來好好享用的，就憑着它歷時長久才從地裏面到達你的盤中這一點，它就值得被好好對待。
Want to be more French? Don't just whip up a coq au vin or grab a croissant with your coffee for breakfast tomorrow. Eating French isn't about the specific dishes it's about the entire process. Think about what you eat where it comes from and enjoy the process of consuming it and who you're eating it with. In fact c'est simple.
想要更像法國人嗎？別以爲會做酒悶仔雞、或者早餐吃羊角麪包配咖啡就很法啦。法國式飲食講究的不僅是吃什麼，還在於整個吃的過程。好好想想，你吃的是什麼，它從哪裏來，你和誰一起吃，再好好享受消化的過程。實際上，C'est simple（譯註：法語“這很簡單”）。
