Fr 139 Food!
Reading Questions

"The French Paradox" by Laura Fraser

1.  What IS the "French Paradox"? What are some ways that scientists have tried to explain it?

2.  What is the "time lag explanation" offered by the British and Americans?

3.  According to Claude Fischler, what is the French attitude towards food?  How might that attitude affect health and weight?

Adam Gopnik: "The Crisis in French Cooking"

1.  What is the atmosphere like at the restaurant Arpège in Paris?

2.  What is the "crisis" in French cooking according to most outsiders?

3.  What examples does Gopnik give of the French genius for inventing something that is later perfected somewhere else?

4.  What does the term "pot-au-feu" mean?

5.  How was "nouvelle cuisine" different from traditional French cuisine at first?

6.  What is the "real national dish" in France that you will never find in a three star restaurant in Paris, according to Gopnik?

7.  What is one American cooking tool that is not typically used in France?