I was born and raised in Europe. Spent almost four decades there. When I came to Canada some things really surprised me, some shocked, some – I fell in love with.
One of the fundamental differences between Europe and Canada is in the way we eat. And I am not talking about the diets, calorie counts, carbs – no carbs magics (also, that too) but the eating process itself.
It shocked me at the beginning, then I got used to it. I would still get an occasional “you cook daily from scratch?” from my friends, but didn’t think much about it. Until this summer again…
Our old friends from France came to visit us this summer. We spent weeks traveling, mountaineering, cooking and eating together. It felt normal, good, the way we have always done it, the way it should be. I have never thought about it much until a couple of days ago when we visited Vancouver and went together for a quick lunch in between the activities.
The city was busy, the people rushing everywhere to get a bite to eat, not too many quick choices to pick from. We ended up in the Whole Foods Market’s buffet; relatively good food, fast and easy. That’s what we thought, at least. Our friends were terrified! They looked at the piles of boxes filled with salads and meats, the tables full of people swallowing their food the fastest they could and rushing away, and asked: “how can you live this way!?”
Good question! How can we? It feels normal, doesn’t it? We eat from boxes, drink coffee while walking or driving, order the take-out for dinner and consume it in the front of a TV or computer. We are so busy with… Hmm, what are we so busy with?
I read recently that an average citizen of France spends twice as much time eating together with the family than any average European. And, the average Europeans still cook and eat together for the most part.
I wonder what is the price we, Canadians, have to pay for it. I am not saying that French people don’t suffer from eating disorders, anxieties, or weight problems, but there are definitely more cookbooks than nutritional coaches in France; more big tables than big-screen TVs as a centrepiece of the dining room.
We have never talked with our friends about the carbs content, calories, or vegan vs. meat diet. We talked about tasty food vs. not-so-tasty. We drank a glass of wine with dinner every night and talked about our day. We didn’t rush; we took time to eat, to listen to each other and to a background music. It was relaxing and soothing. And then we cleaned together and made plans for the next day.
Sounds so simple, feels really good. If you found it weird, the chances are you have never done it before (except for Christmas, maybe). If that’s true, you are missing a lot, believe me. Try it for a while and see how you feel. There is so much good food in this country, the food you can buy at a farmers market or a regular grocery store.
Our friends were impressed with the choices and the quality of the fresh produce, meat, dairy, eggs, wine. We have it all. We might be missing one element only: the art of cooking and eating together, without the TV, a cell phone, or a computer in front of us in place of a living human.
Oh, and one more thing: while trying it out ask yourself what are you so busy with. You might be very surprised by your answer.
By Eva Sadowski. Photo credit: Rawpixel.com
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