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Parisians are all too fat.
They are therefore all on a diet.
After the weather conversation, the weight conversation is the Parisian’s favourite. It is a fantastic conversation. It allows the Parisian to display observation talent, contrition while at the same time showing ambition and resolution.
The Parisian shall not let fatness take over.
Comments about the weight gained or lost by a person – should that person be facing the Parisian or not – are usual and widely accepted. Being utterly sensitive, the Parisian frequently enriches his weight comment with a psychological explanation. The most common reason in Paris to explain weight gain is “il a pas trop la forme”. The Parisian knows how to play with words. Psychological contribution aims at displaying a deeper level of consciousness and a real sense of empathy. The Parisian never sees you as just a body. The Parisian knows you are first and foremost a soul.
Only one expression can precede weight comments. That is “bah dis donc”: « bah dis donc, t’as pris un peu, non?! ». Or, reversely « bah dis donc, t’as vachement maigri ». It is good to know that the Parisian will only seem to rejoice about a friend’s weight loss. Deep inside, all he thinks about is that his weight is not following the same noble curve.
A common mistake is to believe that only Parisian women are dieting. Men are too. Paris is the only city in the world where men eat salads for lunch. It would be misleading to draw conclusions about the salad-eating Parisian man’s sexual orientation.
Diets in Paris are not followed in a precise manner. Especially by men. In Paris, social life undermines all possibilities of an actual diet. Hence all possibilities of an actual weight loss. Since diets do not work, Parisians need more diets. Parisian women try diets they hear about in magazines or from their friends. Parisian men just skip dessert. Yet, Parisian men are never ‘au régime’, Parisian men ‘font gaffe en ce moment’. It is not the same.
Parisians cannot get enough of ‘allégé’, ‘0%’ and ‘light’ mentions on the food they buy. It has lately become unthinkable for Parisian women to buy yogurts that are not ‘0%’.
While the rest of the world wants more for less, the Parisian wants less for more. Diets in Paris are the path to wisdom.
Useful tip: Compliment Parisian men about their weight losses. They will pretend not to care. But you and I know better.
Sound like a Parisian: « Un ptit dessert ? Non, j’fais gaffe en c’moment»
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Does this mean that Mireille Guiliano of “French women don’t get fat” fame is wrong? French women (and men) DO actually diet? Etonnant!
ah ah ah! Je trouve vos portraits tres realistes! De visite a Paris, pour remercier des gens, on leur a amene une boite de macademia nuts coated in chocolate straight from Australia… Au lieu d’un merci, la premiere reaction a ete : “mais vous voulez nous faire grossir!?!”, et tout ca venant d’un stick insect…
C’est pour ça que les club de gym (Club Med pour ne pas citer) sont toujours pleins malgré les prix exhorbitants qu’ils proposent.
“Faire attention en ce moment” est carrément une façon de vivre de beaucoup d’entre nous.
Mais parfois lors d’évènement, bon nombres cèdent à “une petite folie”.
Cependant on peut très bien manger sans pour autant ne pas “faire gaffe”.
Being a Parisian is very difficult and cannot be understood by all, as New-Yorkers :p
Pinklea… Mireille talks about French women, I talk about Parisians..
) But overall, yeah, her book is very quaint and full of good common sense ideas but not totally true of course. Obesity rates are soaring in France.
M. … Merci bcp!! Your story is so typical… I hate it when Parisians do that. Negativity is their default mode. Drives me nuts!
iFawaaz… d’ailleurs, en ce moment, je fais attention…
So am I :p
Mireille Giuliano’s book is indeed about Parisiennes, and Parisiennes of a very specific social class. On another site I visit, someone took pics of people in northeastern Paris, and not everyone is slim by a long shot, and there are actually a few young people with the severe obesity associated with the US, and perhaps some more northern or eastern European countries. And I’m almost certain they were local people, not tourists.
It is a silly discourse; I wish people would shut up and diet if they feel the need to diet. Such an utterly boring topic of conversation.
mmm… Parceque la Californie c’etait mieux ?
Soit ils sont gros soit ils “work-out” 7 jours par semaine et bouffant des bonbons ou des “nuts” entre les repas en appelant ca un snack.
Lagatta… For sure, not everyone is slim in Paris. Obesity amongst youngsters is growing a lot. Lots of tv, lack of exercize and too much mcdonalds does that to you!
Max… Disons que c est différent. Mais l approche est révélatrice des cultures respectives. Offensif et excessif vs. Défensif et tout en petite modération…