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”）。