Perservatives. Conservatives.

It is not just in Bread that the French don’t use preservatives. Almost everyday, Parisians buy baguettes for breakfast, lunch and dinner with their family, knowing that it won’t last long. The French wait in lines for their freshly baked loaves of bread from local boulangeries, while they won’t touch a three-day old baguette! Part of the joy of eating fresh bread is knowing that it will only taste this good if you eat it now. If you wait until the next day, than it is toast, quite literally, unless you defiantly muscle your way through it, pretending that it is not day-old bread. I am not going to lie, I have already done that a few times for practical reasons such as to save time and money. Then again, when I find myself eating icky bread because I do not want to spread another 2 euro or I don’t have the time to walk a block to the boulangerie, then I re-evaluate.

It is like the French know and they purposefully design the bread to only last a day or two, because that way, not only do you go out and buy the bread but then you truly enjoy it because you have earned it, and why not? First of all, you walked down the five flights of stairs and the three blocks to the store, and secondly because it is wonderful, and so are you! If you really think about it, our life doesn’t last much longer than the bread’s, so why waste it eating something miserable!? What do you really need the extra few euros for, anyway, to hoard in your bank account?
The catch is, then how do the French eat so much rich food and generally maintain healthy physiques, unlike, lets say, Americans? It is simple, in fact because it generates an entirely different mentality towards food based on respect. In France, you don’t obsess over how many calories are in the loaf of bread, or even label it as an indulgence. Even though it may be more calorically rich that a salad for dinner or lunch, it satisfies you and have no need to creep to the freezer for a pint of Ben and Jerry’s after dinner.

Perhaps it sounds strange, but the French take pride in their quality ingredients and quality lifestyles, so they do not take advantage of them. Every few days, Parisians take in the fresh air on their walk to their favorite baker and their small produce sellers to and from work, or on their daily stroll. They develop relationships with their food, almost like American’s regard their house pets. You love your loaf of bread and it loves you because you take care of one another. All you need to do is respect your meal and relish in its goodness, instead of guiltily inhaling it in front of the tv. No, French bread deserves a table and yes, even a plate. I will go even farther and demand that it has good company, as well. Chances are that if you have all of those things, then you won’t be counting the minutes until the meal is served, because you have been depriving yourself of calories all day! If you never deprive yourself and you respect your good taste, then you never feel the need to over-eat!

Of course, there are always celebrations, or even moments of extreme sadness, causing a French person to anger their stomach with excessive portions of sugar and butter, and yet, they don’t dwell over it the next day. Each day starts with a fresh baguette and you are redeemed for your sins, because, well they aren’t sins. You don’t think twice about buying the baguette today because you technically exceeded your calorie quota the day before! Why wouldn’t you buy they bread, are you Americans absurd!? You have been eating baguettes for your entire life, so why stop now!? Fine, you ate too much, but you are healthy and therefore, you have no complaints. Life is good because you let it be and you don’t let a process as natural as eating cause you any anxiety, after all, its just food!