Since I was a kid, everyone, parents, family, friends, and colleagues, has been constantly telling me, you are too skinny, eat more. So I tried very hard to eat more every meal to gain some weight. However, during the past forty years, I have always been slim most of the time; on the contrary to gaining weight, I feel stomach discomfort. Because I love cooking, I have always tried new or complicated recipes, and would feel exhausted after I cook a meal, but never satisfied. I am like trying to grasp something in vain.
Till about two years ago, I read a book called "The art of eat little." The author states that our culture persuades us to eat more, from restaurant portion sizes to supermarket food promotions, but we consume more than our bodies need.
When I first came to America, I was shocked by the portion of the meals in the restaurant; we get a giant piece of steak or a massive plate of pasta, and we seldom finish our food and need to take the leftovers home. It never happened when I eat in a restaurant in France. Nobody takes food home because we finish them all the time. In China, people usually order dishes that fill the whole table; we will have many leftovers. The host would consider that an excellent manner to show hospitality, and we often don't bother to take food home.
Does our body really need that much? Our stomach is about the size of our fist, but it has a solid capacity to expand, up to ten or twenty times bigger maximum. No wonder people often say there is always some space for dessert, no matter how much we have eaten.
From the stomach full to feeling it, it takes time for the brain to get that information. So it's better to eat slowly and stop before we feel complete. Most people I see in France are fit, although they consume lots of butter and sugar all the time. It can take up to three to four hours for them to finish a dinner. They are eating course by course, and chatting never stops. They really take the time for the brain to feel their stomach.
Eating too much is a burden on our bodies. But eating less is easier said than done. Often, we enjoy the feeling of eating that we can't stop. Kids do a better job than adults. Although my kid eats a lot, when he feels full, he stops and goes to play right away.
So I started to ignore the kind advice and eat less, especially for dinner. My stomach felt better, I slept better, and my whole body felt lighter.
Instead of constantly seeking complicated recipes, I started looking for simplicity too. I often glance at my fridge and cook a few simple dishes, simple but well-balanced with nutrition, and put my heart into it. I tell my kid to eat what we have; he can eat less or doesn't have to eat food that he dislikes. Cooking was no longer a chore but got easy and delightful. Some dishes that my kid likes include minced pork and tofu, steamed egg pudding, small hamburger patty, fried salty salmon, potato salad, stir-fried string beans, etc. I also buy less grocery each time and end up with less spoiled food.
I have been very cautious about my sugar intake for a while. But I like a little bit of sweet things, whether it's a desert or just fruits. So I just let go and eat a little bit of sweets when I feel like it, but never too much. You may notice that my pastries often come in a small size. A small piece of really good-quality pastries can bring enough satisfaction. I don't want people to eat too much sweets and cause them health issues.
During the strawberry tart baking class, at the beginning, people thought the 6-inch tart was too small. But toward the end of class, as they noticed how much butter and sugar we used, they all felt pretty satisfied with a small piece of strawberry tart.
People often prepare a half-sheet birthday cake for a party because there are at least twenty people. As I observed, kids eat, adults don't eat that much, and half the cake can be thrown away.
As a chef, I know that the meal on our table takes a lot of sweat and heart by many people, from cultivating to harvesting, transporting to the grocery store, and preparing and cooking. I learned not to take things for granted and would feel guilty about wasting them. When I make pastry, I calculate precisely the quantity and sort of ingredients I need to avoid waste as much as possible.
If we can't resist the desert, why not treat ourselves something good? Set up your table, decorate it with flowers, have a small piece of good pastry on a nice porcelain plate, brew a cup of tea or coffee, and set aside some time to enjoy it, slowly, by heart. It brings great joy, for guarantee.
That's what I want to share with you so far.
The other book of the same author in English: l'art de la simplicité English edition
When I first came to America, I was shocked by the portion of the meals in the restaurant; we get a giant piece of steak or a massive plate of pasta, and we seldom finish our food and need to take the leftovers home. It never happened when I eat in a restaurant in France. Nobody takes food home because we finish them all the time. In China, people usually order dishes that fill the whole table; we will have many leftovers. The host would consider that an excellent manner to show hospitality, and we often don't bother to take food home.
Does our body really need that much? Our stomach is about the size of our fist, but it has a solid capacity to expand, up to ten or twenty times bigger maximum. No wonder people often say there is always some space for dessert, no matter how much we have eaten.
From the stomach full to feeling it, it takes time for the brain to get that information. So it's better to eat slowly and stop before we feel complete. Most people I see in France are fit, although they consume lots of butter and sugar all the time. It can take up to three to four hours for them to finish a dinner. They are eating course by course, and chatting never stops. They really take the time for the brain to feel their stomach.
Eating too much is a burden on our bodies. But eating less is easier said than done. Often, we enjoy the feeling of eating that we can't stop. Kids do a better job than adults. Although my kid eats a lot, when he feels full, he stops and goes to play right away.
So I started to ignore the kind advice and eat less, especially for dinner. My stomach felt better, I slept better, and my whole body felt lighter.
Instead of constantly seeking complicated recipes, I started looking for simplicity too. I often glance at my fridge and cook a few simple dishes, simple but well-balanced with nutrition, and put my heart into it. I tell my kid to eat what we have; he can eat less or doesn't have to eat food that he dislikes. Cooking was no longer a chore but got easy and delightful. Some dishes that my kid likes include minced pork and tofu, steamed egg pudding, small hamburger patty, fried salty salmon, potato salad, stir-fried string beans, etc. I also buy less grocery each time and end up with less spoiled food.
I have been very cautious about my sugar intake for a while. But I like a little bit of sweet things, whether it's a desert or just fruits. So I just let go and eat a little bit of sweets when I feel like it, but never too much. You may notice that my pastries often come in a small size. A small piece of really good-quality pastries can bring enough satisfaction. I don't want people to eat too much sweets and cause them health issues.
During the strawberry tart baking class, at the beginning, people thought the 6-inch tart was too small. But toward the end of class, as they noticed how much butter and sugar we used, they all felt pretty satisfied with a small piece of strawberry tart.
People often prepare a half-sheet birthday cake for a party because there are at least twenty people. As I observed, kids eat, adults don't eat that much, and half the cake can be thrown away.
As a chef, I know that the meal on our table takes a lot of sweat and heart by many people, from cultivating to harvesting, transporting to the grocery store, and preparing and cooking. I learned not to take things for granted and would feel guilty about wasting them. When I make pastry, I calculate precisely the quantity and sort of ingredients I need to avoid waste as much as possible.
If we can't resist the desert, why not treat ourselves something good? Set up your table, decorate it with flowers, have a small piece of good pastry on a nice porcelain plate, brew a cup of tea or coffee, and set aside some time to enjoy it, slowly, by heart. It brings great joy, for guarantee.
That's what I want to share with you so far.
The other book of the same author in English: l'art de la simplicité English edition