French impression

Not content with stopping drinking, I have turned to the French for inspiration in my quest for A Flat Stomach™. The French - allegedly, and I have little trouble believing this generally to be true - have a far less complicated relationship to food than, say, the British or Americans. To them, it is less a fuel than a cause for celebration, or ritual even. Inspired by the first couple of chapters I've read of Mireille Guiliano's French Women Don't Get Fat, I went to John Lewis today and bought a tablecloth, napkins and placemats. She recommends eating without any distractions, such as music, telly or newspapers. This is going to be challenging for me, because I never eat without one or more of those. Her approach to food is that it is there for pleasure and nothing is off limits. The problem, she says, is that we eat mindlessly, and are therefore inclined to stuff our faces beyond the point of satisfying hunger. We need to "recast" our relationship with food, so that we eat mindfully, and from a greater variety of foods. First, though, she suggests keeping a food diary for three weeks, noting what, when and where food is consumed. I started mine at the weekend, and will post again on progress when the three weeks is up. Vive la bagatelle!