Food, glorious food...

Lyon is known as the gastronomical capital of France and famed far and wide for it's restaurants etc. Though this fact seems to have bypassed the cook at work and the pasta and rice are regularly overcooked.

What I have also noticed is how much my eating habits have changed over the last couple of years. Little changes taken one step at a time, that you don't really notice happening.
I saw some photos of my friend's holiday in the USA and the food portions were enormous!! Even in the UK they are bigger than in France. I now find myself eating smaller amounts of good quality food.
Also the food is far more seasonal here. OK, my regular supermarket is the street market where local farmers sell their produce, so therefore it is easy to do. The soft fruit glut is nearing an end - as demonstrated by the arrival of the Miribel plums and the autumn vegetables are beginning to make an appearance.

You never really see anyone snacking in France and I would now never dream of eating as I walked along the street. You can buy Mars Bars and Kitkats etc in the Tabacs but it is a minute display compared to the rows of sweets that are available in a UK newsagent, so minute in fact, you really have to look for them. Last time I was back in the UK, I was blown away by the choice and variety of different chocolate bars and how much space they took up in the shop. Also, here you can buy crisps etc in the supermarkets but not in the Tabacs, they are definitely eaten as an accompaniment with an apero and not as snack as you are waiting for the bus.
My taste for chocolate has now changed and I prefer darker and more bitter types, whereas before I was a Cadburys girl and I now find that too sweet. I did have great fun introducing the girls at work to chilli chocolate, which I think is a fantastic combination and occasionally available here.

Don't get me wrong, not everything about French food is great. It can be very bland at times and though a lot of herbs are used, not many spices are. As a nation they are quite wary of 'Foreign' food and tend to stick with what they know. This is changing in the larger cities and things like Sushi are making more of an appearance. It is still difficult to get a good curry. Friends of mine like to get on first name terms with the local curry houses so that the chefs will make the food more spicy and hotter.

Unfortunately this new style of eating has not made much of an impact on my waistline because there is a nemesis to the healthy, seasonal, smaller portion society. It's called cheese and the French do cheese incredibly well.