Joie de vivre in America

As a teenager, I had the privilege of traveling to Grenoble, France for a summer.  I fell in love with the French way of eating seasonal, local produce, simply prepared and eaten al fresca.  For dessert we would have plain yogurt and a little bit of cheese.  Lunch was often succulent tomatoes drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with salt, or perhaps warm salad of red potatoes, green beans, anchovies or tuna with a mustard vinegarette.  Simply lovely.

I came back to the States, and life went on.  I went to college, started working, got married, had kids, and somehow forgot about the simple joy of eating.  I loved to cook, but tended toward the more "American family" type of cooking like lasagnas, casseroles, spaghetti, anything that could be put down quickly.  However, this type of cooking was also horrible for me.  Finally, I was 75lbs overweight and I hit a wall.  I wasn't happy, I was tired all of the time, and I knew I needed to change.  I was desperate and even contemplated one of those diet programs where you eat the pre-packaged food because I didn't trust my own body and sense of how much food I needed.  It was in this desperate hour that I found the book French Women don't get Fat by Mireille Guiliano.  Suddenly, I remembered what I had long ago forgotten.  That simple joy of eating.  I've lost 31lbs since finding her book and have found not a diet, but a joie de vivre, a joy of living.  

This blog is dedicated to my quest to live a French life in America.  Viva la France!