法国人吃不胖的秘密
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 (译注：法语“我的朋友”），让我们花点时间，来哈哈法国吧。不过在此之前，我要声明一下，曾经有一段时间，我的法兰西之恋中断过。
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.
我爱了她那么久——“安娜，你非得用法国口音来说‘羊角面包’吗？” ——而和所有恋爱中的人一样，我想和所爱长相厮守，于是，我搬到了法国。但是某年某月的某一天，法国突然不再是我心目中那个浪漫的所在了。这个地方曾让我心驰向往、目眩神迷，但如今，我们的关系却变得平庸乏味。而在见识了这个国家的官僚主义后，她对我也失去了那种"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.
不过也和所有的爱情一样，距离会产生美。现在我和法国又回到了最初的状况：我又开始对法国文化如饥似渴。因此也就有了今天的话题：法国饮食。
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.
为什么法国女人吃不胖，我们对这个话题着迷已久。而后话题进一步扩大，成为了“法国悖论”。我们这些英国人冥思苦想，就是搞不懂为什么同样是吃奶油、黄油和奶酪，法国人却能保持好身材？但其实真相只有一个，就是我们对待食物的态度不同。对于餐桌上的东西，法国人都怀着一种崇高的敬意。对他们来说，吃不单是一种生活方式，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.
归根结底，“法国悖论”根本不是悖论，相反，它只是一些简单的信条。无论我们身处何方，都可以很容易地把它们融入生活。
Food Is Culture
信条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.
对于民族饮食，法国人的热度可能是有所下降，但对于好食物，他们的欣赏却是从未减少的。而且，时至今日，法国人仍旧是坚定地维护着好食物和好心情之间的联系。以“吃在法国”（Le Fooding)为例。这是一个网站，以“品味时光”为口号，提供酒店、美食节、食物等方面的信息，并致力于一项事业：找回食物的“感觉”。
"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.
“我们追求的是吃得有趣，吃得开心。”网站创始人亚历山大·堪马斯（Alexandre Cammas）在接受洛杉矶时报采访时说道。这也就是“法国悖论”的答案：食物和心情直接挂钩。法国人吃东西不是为了吃而吃，而是因为这是他们生活中、文化中的一个重要部分。
Food Is Food
信条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·爱德蒙·萨扬（Maurice Edmond Sailland，笔名肯农斯基Curnonsky）所说：“所谓好厨艺，就是做出来的东西是原汁原味的。”我们的胃习惯了美国式快餐，一只沾满酱料的烤鸡就能大快朵颐。但事实是，相比这些高热量的快餐，真正的食物不仅更加健康，也更加廉价。
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.
真正的食物不应经过任何加工，更不应是真空或者塑料包装的。如果人人都能坚持天天上市场，买一篮子新鲜蔬菜而不是一堆薯条，我们的社会会更健康。
Food Is Quality
信条3：吃要吃出质量
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.
吃自助餐时，当小孩子不再被允许吃番茄酱——除非是在一周一次的汉堡餐中——你就该知道，这个国家正在做一些正确的事。与此同时，我们却还在大喇喇地观望，堪堪涉及一些表面的问题。更甚者，还出现了各种各样荒唐可笑的狡辩，包括萨拉·佩林（Sarah Palin）的支持者们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.
但是法国人深谙，一旦涉及到小孩子，他们就必须做好榜样。法国农业食物部部长布鲁诺·玛丽（Bruno Le Maire)也说：“在食物质量方面，法国应该成为全世界的榜样，而这也该从孩子抓起。”
Food is Tradition
信条4：吃要吃出传统
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.
在法国，虽然你也会看到纸杯蛋糕，但是流行食物在法国远没有在英国这么风靡。应该吃什么，法国人心里都明白：全麦食品、水果、蔬菜、奶制品和蛋白质。确实，法国超市里酸奶也有上百种，但是100种酸奶总比100种含糖谷类早餐好得多吧。
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.
因为这一信条，在法国的饮食文化里，有几种经典主食至今仍占重要地位。法国人里面，很少有人对奶酪一无所知；而不管你在法国的哪个小镇，只要你愿意花时间去问，费不着你多少功夫就能知道当地的特色菜是什么，以及镇里面谁会做这道菜。
Food Isn't Treated as Unlimited
信条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.
我们中很多人，就算都过了20岁了，买食物时还老是能买一堆吃不上的。如果你和那些只有能力满足温饱的家庭比比，你就知道差距何在了。有些东西虽然我们有能力买，却根本不需要。不幸的是，好东西总是难以抗拒的。因此，我们总是忍不住无节制消费。法国人吃东西，却是吃到饱就不吃了。你看那些法国女人也是大口大口吃奶油、黄油？人家那是有节制地吃呢，人家知道自己的度在哪里。
Food is Joie de Vivre
信条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.
既然每个人都得吃东西，那何不好好享受这一时刻，和朋友们一块吃呢？和别人一起吃不仅有益心情，还意味着你不会是一个人对着电视、无意识地把薯条塞到嘴里。食物就该是拿来好好享用的，就凭着它历时长久才从地里面到达你的盘中这一点，它就值得被好好对待。
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.
想要更像法国人吗？别以为会做酒闷仔鸡、或者早餐吃羊角面包配咖啡就很法啦。法国式饮食讲究的不仅是吃什么，还在于整个吃的过程。好好想想，你吃的是什么，它从哪里来，你和谁一起吃，再好好享受消化的过程。实际上，C'est simple（译注：法语“这很简单”）。
