Size of portions in restaurants in France

[Tony the Turner]

Is it my imagination/age or are portions getting bigger? 

I'm not referring to the Routiers or local workers caff' but good class and well patronised eateries.  Recent forays into these in Paris and several provincial towns have left us feeling over-replete and even passing on a course or even two!  At one time, a 3 or 4 course "menu" provided an adequate but not overfacing meal which left you comfortably satisfied.  Of late the feeling has been of being bloated.

Last week in St Quentin, we decided to have just one course at lunchtime.  Wise move!  The tartiflette served to me would have fed two or three navies.  My wife's baked potato (yes they are served in France!) turned out to be two very large potatoes with fillings to suit.  Both dishes were accompanied with a not insubstantial salad plus the usual basket of bread. We were the only non-French diners and although most were tucking in a number did leave food on the plate - not a common sight in our experience.

At the same time we have read articles in the French press expressing concern at the levels of obesity amongst the French themselves.  Are the two by any chance related?

Any thoughts?

[Ian]

Can't say I have noticed portion-growth.  I was amused to see that photos of Sarkozy jogging lead to him being criticized for his pro-American and right-wing hobby.  I love America and running but I never realised that the two were connected [8-)]

Perhaps people are staying in, sat on their sofas as a political statement....and ironically developing the stereotypical-American waistline in the process!

[mint]

I do think the touristy places are serving bigger portions.  Not a good thing for those of us brought up in "leaner" times when you were expected to clear your plates!  The places where the clientele are mostly French seem to serve smaller portions so that you do leave the table feeling nicely happy but not stuffed to the gills.

But, having said that, I remember staying at a place recently where we ate "en famille" (only one other couple, French, besides us) and the meal lasted over 4 hours, comprised 4 courses, aperos before the meal, wine with and brandy for the men and liqueurs for the ladies with the coffee.  Whew! And not easy to leave food on the plate when it was obviously a family home and dining table and there were 2 children of the family eating with the adults.

All I do know is that MY waistline has definitely expanded since our move here to France some 5 months ago.  And we do not yet even have a cooker to prepare meals on.  So, how to explain a "stereotypical American waitline" developing happily on a Brit in France?  I guess there are just mysteries in life that need to be accepted with good grace and not probed into too deeply.