After the jet lag partly wore off, we jumped in the car and headed to one of my favorite Portland destinations: Saint Cupcake. I was eager for Fabrice to taste the Red Velvet, carrot cake, and toasted coconut flavors that so often appear in my daydreams. Since we couldn’t settle on just one flavor, we bought a box of dots – miniature versions of each cupcake. And because I was bubbling over with excitement – I just knew he’d love them as much as me – we sat down and tried a few before leaving the bakery. Long story short, he wasn’t all that impressed. He enjoyed them, but not with the same gusto as me.

“Okay,” I thought to myself. “This is only a minor setback.” Tomorrow he’ll try his first donut and to make the event truly special, I’ll take him to Krispy Kreme, home to the best donuts on the planet, especially when warm. Unfortunately for him, when we arrived they weren’t warm and right out of the fryer. That’s when the glaze is ever so crispy and the dough melts to nothingness on your tongue. Again, he liked them, but didn’t have the same sugar-induced moment of glory that I do when savoring my first bite.

Numerous other food items followed in the coming weeks: bagels, beef jerky, Pirate’s Booty, cheddar cheese fries, corn dogs, and S’mores. I’d watch with trepidation and pent up excitement as he diligently tried each one. The response was always the same – he just wasn’t that impressed. Finally he stopped me from pushing him to try new things (thankfully right before the Twinkies).

“You Americans have way too much sugar, salt, and fat in your food,” he said. “Why does everything have to be fried, overloaded with sugar, or dredged in salt to taste good to you?” He was right. We are a nation of the overly sweet, highly salted, and hydrogenated fat. Anyone for a deep-fried Snickers bar?

I was also quite excited to take him food shopping. As we meandered down aisle after aisle at New Seasons, Fabrice stared in amazement. Bending down in the condiments section, he hefted up a bottle of catsup and looked at me quizzically. “Why would anyone need a 1 ½ liter of catsup?” he questioned. “How do you fit something like this in your fridge?” I attempted to explain, but it was useless. He just shook his head in amazement. He’s lucky I didn’t take him to Costco.

I can understand his perplexity. In Paris, no one is fat – really. The Parisians can easily spot us coming, especially when we’re sporting a few extra pounds and blindingly white tennis shoes. I always feel out of place in the City of Light being overweight. Trying to find clothes large enough to fit my American frame is a bit of a challenge.

The French learn eating in moderation at an early age from parents, school, and advertising. Most people eat a light breakfast of coffee, juice, baguette, butter, and jam. Lunch is the largest meal of the day while dinners are light and for the most part, healthy. Portions are smaller and instead of wolfing down huge quantities of food, they enjoy each bite slowly. As a general rule, The French don’t snack during meals, but if they do, they don’t eat a whole bag of potato chips in one sitting.

While we were cooking dinners in people’s homes, I think our guests were a bit surprised to see Fabrice use lots of butter. Yes, it’s true. The French do use an unusually large amount of butter when cooking, but the thing is, the butter is used to flavor and cook an item, but a majority stays behind in the pan.

The French approach food differently than Americans. Food is to be enjoyed slowly, in smaller quantities over a long period of time. The idea of grabbing a quick meal and eating it in the car is foreign to them. Although it is changing, the French often take two leisurely hours for lunch. It’s not unheard of for dinners to last four hours or more. Eating is an event – one to be enjoyed but with moderation.

With the introduction of McDonald's and other fast food chains, France is concerned about obesity in the younger generation. If a company wants to advertise a food product with added sugar, salt or artificial sweetener, by law, the advertisement must be accompanied by one of the following messages:

• For your health, eat five fruits and vegetables per day
• For your health, partake in regular physical activity
• For your health, avoid eating too much fat, sugar, and salt
• For your health, avoid snacking between meals

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