Food Rules #41: Eat more like the French. Or the Japanese. Or the Italians. Or the Greeks.

I like this rule. I love all types of cuisine so this rule is easy for me to follow. Pollan's point? That compared to many other food cultures, the Western diet is heavy on processed foods and low on nutritional diversity. We also tend to eat a heck of a lot more often in our cars! Not just that what the bulk of Americans eat is different from other societies (though I am betting the percentage of people eating more processed food in other countries gets larger each year) but that how we eat is very different from other cultures. We always hear how the French and Italian mealtimes are lengthy and slow paced...compare that with the picture many of our commercials paint with mom or dad rushing home from work to put dinner on the table for the family, namely the kids who are rushing in from various activities...it kinda makes me stressed just watching it!

I remember as a kid eating dinner with my family - nothing ever overly-elaborate (Kraft Macaroni & Cheese, anyone?) almost every night (and both my parents always worked). I remember even more fondly going to my grandparents' house in rural Ohio and our big extended family dinners with numerous aunts & uncles and cousins (I remember peeling lots of potatoes, that's for sure!). Dinner was usually prepared for close to 20, including kids and after each meal the adults (& 'big kids') got to sit around afterwards and talk while the younger kids washed dishes. I loved the relaxed feeling those mealtimes - kind of like the long, lingering holiday mealtimes - brought. I enjoy taking my time, especially if I've cooked or helped to cook a meal. I wish I could find a happy medium with some Chicago restaurants with regards to the length of the meal. I want to be able to sit for a few minutes before being bombarded with drink/appetizer/dinner requests. I want the luxury of sitting for a while between courses and not having the server snatch up my plate while there is still food on it, even though I may still be eating. But I also don't want to wait for an hour after the meal to get my check. As usual, I digress...

But to get back to Pollan's point about paying attention to how other cultures eat: mealtimes may take a lot longer but portions are smaller, eating more slowly helps minimize over eating. And I would argue that eating real, whole foods leaves us more satisfied than merely the dinner from a bucket or plastic bag. I am certain the #1 retort to this from many of you would be "But who has time?" I don't have children to get washed and ready for bed at a reasonable hour. I know how to cook with a few simple ingredients and I'm not overwhelmed or intimidated by cooking. But I would argue that a little pre-planning, creativity and sense of humor does wonders! I think the idea should be to just see what things we can easily change with a little planning, with incorporating others into the meal prep and making a point to add conversation and calm into our meal time. That has to be worth something, I'm sure!