Week 18: French Women Don't Get Fat by Mireille Guiliano

Finally - I'm finished this book. Really, sincerely, this book could have concluded at about its middle and could have been just as good.

Author Mireille Guiliano was born and raised in France, with a stint in the U.S. as an exchange student during her teens. She saw her weight balloon when she lived as an American, and lost control of her eating habits. Upon returning to France, she eventually lost the weight, but had to re-learn the habits which had been instilled in her as a small child. Living on both sides of the pond, she was able to provide some insight into why Americans have such an enormous problem with obesity.

Despite the book's unnecessary length, I found the lessons within them very valuable. Control, ritual, and compensation seem to be the three all-inclusive themes. Within the time it took me to read this book, I found myself already following some of the guidelines within this book. For one, I've decided not to eat while standing up - ever again - if I have a choice.

I found the last six pages of this book the most valuable - a bulleted list of what the author hoped her readers would grasp from this book. Her writing toward the end of the book was a little dizzying.

I warn you that the recipes within this book lack important details and instructions, so cross-check with a Julia Child cookbook in order to get better results. In Guiliano's "Magical Leek Soup" recipe, she neglected to say anything about cutting up leeks. That seemed like a big thing to leave out.