So what do French kids eat and what do they do?

[Michelle My Bell]

Until yesterday, I had no idea we would be hosting a 17 year old French girl in our home for 3 weeks starting July 11th. Host families were needed and we stepped up to the bat, but I have NEVER done anything like this in my life. We are supposed to just treat her like the family so she can get the American experience, but I would still like to understand her way of doing things to make her more comfortable. Mostly, I am wondering how they eat. How many times a day, what kinds of foods, etc... I just want to know what she is used to so that I can plan a menu that will still be American without making her miserable. Any advice even if it isn't food related will be very much appreciated!

[Katy]

2-3 times per day (she may skip breakfast or just have coffee and toast), no snacking, plan on as American as possible and maybe do one meal a week where you try and make a favorite of hers for dinner (with her help, including shopping, as much as possible).

[Kathryn]

Well, my French aunt and cousins eat only cheese, noodles, bread, butter, and fruit. I wouldn't go by what "French" people eat. I'd wait and ask her what she likes.

 

ETA: they are VERY into fresh foods which comes from buying food daily in France.

[Lieutenant Stranger]

From what I've read, lunch tends to be the biggest meal of the day. Breakfast is light. Dinner tends to be later than what most Americans are used to. Children often eat a goutier (snack) around 4:30, but I do not know how long that goes on for. Perhaps bring her to a local bakery, too?

 

I'd definitely include a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables with your meals, but give her a chance at seeing what an American meal is!

[Laura Corin]

Breakfast when I stayed in French families was bread and butter/croissants and milky coffee.  Lunch (at the school where I taught) was a cooked meal - very various.  One I remember was lentils with lamb and a green vegetable.  When children got home from school they would have a snack of bread and butter/jam.  Supper was, again, a cooked meal - quite various.

 

L

[OneStepAtATime]

Go shopping with her when she gets there so maybe she can try something new that she chooses and maybe she can make a suggestion for a meal she would like to help prepare that would give your family a good experience with French cuisine.  Do that as often as you and she feel comfortable.  Otherwise, just do whatever you are going to do.  And good luck!

 

FWIW, my friend from France was horrified at the lousy and mostly repetitive meals (her words) that were being served in our local schools and the terrible food choices people were sending in homemade lunches.   She showed me the menu for her kids' old school and there was a different, amazingly complete, phenomenal meal every day, along with a recommendation daily for what parents might prepare as an evening meal to pair well with what was served at lunch at school.  These are meals I would have to pay a small fortune for at a fancy restaurant.  Not telling you this to discourage you but just to give you more specifics on an experience I had, which helped me to better understand her dismay.

 

Best wishes....

[Alessandra]

Go shopping with her when she gets there so maybe she can try something new that she chooses and maybe she can make a suggestion for a meal she would like to help prepare that would give your family a good experience with French cuisine.  Do that as often as you and she feel comfortable.  Otherwise, just do whatever you are going to do.  And good luck!

 

FWIW, my friend from France was horrified at the lousy and mostly repetitive meals (her words) that were being served in our local schools and the terrible food choices people were sending in homemade lunches.   She showed me the menu for her kids' old school and there was a different, amazingly complete, phenomenal meal every day, along with a recommendation daily for what parents might prepare as an evening meal to pair well with what was served at lunch at school.  These are meals I would have to pay a small fortune for at a fancy restaurant.  Not telling you this to discourage you but just to give you more specifics on an experience I had, which helped me to better understand her dismay.

 

Best wishes....

 

:iagree:

 

I would want to introduce her to American food, not necessarily a complete tour, but some of your favorites. Say, good hamburgers or tacos or pot roast. Or a pizza place or a Chinese restaurant. A big American breakfast, if you normally do that. Bagels and toppings. Fresh OJ. But I would try to make meals sit down meals, not fast food eaten on the way to an activity.

 

In France, I always had café-au-lait and a croissant for breakfast, because it made me feel French, kwim. So I am guessing that, if your girl is adventurous enough to travel abroad, she is probably adventurous enough to try the country's food.

[Michelle My Bell]

I seem to eat like the French. The kids usually have some sort of pancakes, or toast/jam, bagel/cream cheese for breakfast. Lunch tends to be our biggest meal of the day with yogurt and fruit for dessert. We also tend to have a light afternoon snack and a later dinner. We do eat pizza and hamburgers sometimes, but it isn't on the menu a lot. The kids love it when I make Fettucini Alfredo. Last night we grilled garlic lemon chicken, corn on the cob and watermelon. I am also pretty picky about the freshness of my food. lol Thanks for all the advice everyone!

[TechWife]

:iagree:

 

I would want to introduce her to American food, not necessarily a complete tour, but some of your favorites. Say, good hamburgers or tacos or pot roast. Or a pizza place or a Chinese restaurant. A big American breakfast, if you normally do that. Bagels and toppings. Fresh OJ. But I would try to make meals sit down meals, not fast food eaten on the way to an activity.

 

 

:lol:  :lol:  :lol:

 

There are two foods on your list that are not American in origin, possibly three, depending on what you believe about the origins of pizza. It is a totally "American" menu selection, though. It reminds me of how we eat around here. 

[Audrey]

Fresh food.  French people generally shop daily or every other day for food.  Fresh, not dried, herbs are preferred for most dishes.  The French I know (not French-Canadian), can easily tell if the meat had been frozen previously.  They don't complain; they will just notice the difference.  In general, a French plate seems to have less protein to vegetable ratio than a lot of standard N. American dishes.  Desserts are usually quite light -- some yoghurt and fruit, a small bit of cake and some macerated fruit, sometimes a bit of cheese and fruit.  A French friend likes to serve a cheese and chocolate selection for dessert at dinner parties. It is usually very small bites of various cheeses and small bits of varied chocolates she has made herself.  I am very fond of that, personally.  :)

 

On the downside -- French people eat a fair amount of bread. They will likely not be too pleased with any bread you offer, though.  Flour in France (and I believe most EU countries) is not at all what we use for breads in N. America.  It is a soft wheat with lower protein and higher starch content.  It is also less processed (meaning, less added chemical for shelf stability) and less blended (meaning it is fewer wheat varieties blended).  It will go bad quicker, but it makes a far superior bread (IMO and IME).  It also creates a different texture and taste, so they are quite used to that and other bread seems kind of "off" to them sometimes.  If you have a boulangérie in your area that uses imported flour, you will get the best bread.  You can buy French flour (you want Type 55), if you want to try doing your own baguette.  I would bet you could also find it as a specialty flour somewhere more locally rather than importing it.  If you do get some good French flour, PM me if you want my MIL's baguette recipe.

[wintermom]

Great job opening up your house to her! Hopefully it will be a really positive experience for you and your family. We've hosted foreign students and I've been an exchange student myself, and it's a lot of fun to experience foods from other countries. If she has time and interest, definitely bring her to your grocery store and have her pick out some favorite foods and/or have her make your family a meal. Don't feel bad if her appetite seems smaller or different that what you expect - it may have nothing to do with the food you're serving, rather she is simply used to eating less/differently.

 

Hope you all have a great time together!

[Myeightkiddies]

What an exciting thing to do! I'm sure she will love her time with you and your family.

 

While you are preparing to be a great host to her, remember she wants the "American" experience.  Don't shop (unless she has food allergies) or try to schedule meals/types of meals around what she is use to.  She is coming here for something different.  She'll adapt.  I'd suggest doing what you'd do if you had one of your children's friends over to stay.  I'm sure she won't be miserable.  Being that she is 17 she will eat more or less depending on her appetite.  

[Camelfeet]

I dont' think they come to another country to eat foods from back home!  Make what YOU normally eat, and ask her if maybe she wants to show you a meal or two as part of the cultural exchange.  Maybe take her grocery shopping one day.

 

[chocolatechip]

I dont' think they come to another country to eat foods from back home!  Make what YOU normally eat, and ask her if maybe she wants to show you a meal or two as part of the cultural exchange.  Maybe take her grocery shopping one day.

I agree; I was just thinking about what I'd like if I were the one traveling to another country. I would love to experience the different foods. (Ok, maybe not anything too strange like steak tartare or escargot -  :001_unsure: -  :ack2: - , but you get the idea.)  :)

[madteaparty]

The baguette thing is real. Everyone buys two at breakfast and stores in small towns do run out (ask me how I know).

Lots of cheese and cured meats of some sort. I've never seen as many gelatinous forms of meat as I saw in various markets in France.

I don't know why people talk about the amazing healthy French food. It is delicious, but healthy?

[thescrappyhomeschooler]

I've lived with a French family, and we ate a lot of frozen crepes and not so fresh dinners, but the mother worked, so didn't have much time to cook.  I was also a guest in other French homes where we had incredibly fresh gourmet meals. It totally depends on the family and the region where they live.  We also have had French people stay with us and they are usually willing to try most anything.  The French people I know think it's impolite not to eat everything offered, so if she cleans her plate, it does not necessarily mean she's still hungry.  My mom almost killed a friend of mine who came for Thanksgiving because the girl kept cleaning her plate, and my mom would put more food on it thinking she was starving.

[Michelle My Bell]

I've lived with a French family, and we ate a lot of frozen crepes and not so fresh dinners, but the mother worked, so didn't have much time to cook.  I was also a guest in other French homes where we had incredibly fresh gourmet meals. It totally depends on the family and the region where they live.  We also have had French people stay with us and they are usually willing to try most anything.  The French people I know think it's impolite not to eat everything offered, so if she cleans her plate, it does not necessarily mean she's still hungry.  My mom almost killed a friend of mine who came for Thanksgiving because the girl kept cleaning her plate, and my mom would put more food on it thinking she was starving.

 

 

Oh that is good to know. Generally in our house, we set the food up in the kitchen and people serve themselves then sit down. So it will be up to her what she takes and if she wants seconds or not. She is a thin, healthy looking girls so I think she will fit right in. We don't eat a ton in our house so I was concerned that might be a problem. Sometimes when we have guests or we have stayed with others, we are surprised how much people eat and snack. Even in America we all eat so different! We aren't snackers in my house and we generally have smallish meals. I love cheese and that is usually on the menu everyday. I also am a bit of a bread snob. There is a local store that makes it in house and that is really the only bread I like. 

[Harriet Vane]

Dear friends of mine are French. (Sort of--he is American, but lived in France for many years; she is a French native.)

 

They eat a light breakfast, usually fruit with a little bread and butter.

 

Lunch is a cooked meal.

 

Dinner is usually served in stages. They often start with a light salad of just greens with a tossed, fresh vinaigrette of red wine vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then the main course, which has a much higher proportion of veggies with a small portion of protein.

 

They always, every day, have fruit for dessert.

 

My friends are horrified by what Americans consider to be chocolate, and also horrified at the amount of sugar in our food. My friends have given their children plain yoghurt with fruit from the time they were babies, for example.

 

They also keep potted, fresh herbs on the patio outside the kitchen and cook with them frequently.

 

[Garga]

I'm gearing up for Chinese exchange students. This is our second year. Last year I tried to fix things that would scream "American!" to them and also tried to figure out what they might want. It was a lot of effort and I spent a lot of money.

 

This year I'm not doing that. This year I'm cooking exactly what we normally eat and I'm done. The students won't know the difference and will either eat the food I serve or not. I *am* an American, so what I eat *is* American! I'll also keep some fruit around in case a student hates a particular meal. You may want to keep some cheese around, too. Then, she can at least eat a snack to tide her over until the next meal. (I may or may not keep cheese. People told me last year that Chinese people don't eat dairy, so if you introduce them to it all of a sudden, they exhibit symptoms of lactose intolerence. I didn't want my students having to suffer, so we were careful with the dairy.)

[msrift]

She probably won't be a big milk drinker. Milk there seems reserved for cooking and mixing with coffee. While staying with a family in France, I mentioned I drank a couple of glasses of milk a day I got this reaction. :ack2: