by Mireille Guiliano
There’s definitely a feel-good factor about this book. It’s full of recipes for dishes typically enjoyed by the author from the Alsace Region of France, with no nutrient breakdown or calorie counting. Preparation instructions – complicated enough, bear no real clue as to the alchemy performed in the cuisine Français.
No matter, it’s still consoling to believe how fantastic life can be, how full, how varied. As for the food it’s plentiful, fresh and filling. Use the eyes and the nose to double the apparent, but not actual consumption (small plates s’il vous plaît).
Mentally carry around a balance sheet of up to seven-day blocks of time, keeping it real and make sure not to overdo it. No secret scarfing or guilty scoffing in the middle of the night. Make sure the food hits the sides, and taste everything correctly. Make water your preferred drink. Walk everywhere. Leek soup is prescribed for the two-day fast and cleanse.
Get the two things that every French woman needs: a black polo neck and a decent bloke. Never lose sight of pleasure and don’t dream about entering a gym. Only Anglo-Saxon women bent on suffering do that. For one, they can never keep it up. Neither can they stand tall or move gracefully from all the self-defeat. Question de confiance!
The most les femmes Francais will do is swim or cycle, and again, walk. Does this all sound smug and self-satisfied? Superieure, non? This is just normal standards for the author. Champagne is recommended before meals taken out. This comes naturally so long as you’ve been raised that way.
The good news is that you can lose a few pounds just by contemplating this stuff.
And with all the recipes, it’s highly practical, but hardly an actual diet book now, is it?
Reviewed by Nessa Jennings
