You are so right. I wonder whether she mentions the smoking in the book.

You know what ...you are a long time dead,eat everything in moderation!
And travel,travel,travel!!

I've heard of "self-abuse" but having a "nooner" using a bidet is such a waste of high quality...well, you know...

One important thing the book does point out is the freshness of food in France (and Europe, actually). In america, we eat too much food that is saran wrapped and filled with preservatives and then don't get any physical activity.

Patrick/Intrepid: I'm afraid that I'm rather embarrassed by my ignorance but what's a 'nooner'? It's not a term that I'm aware has crossed the water to the UK...

PS. I once successfully managed to lose about 2 stone (28lbs) on the Wine Diet, which is kind of French (hence my slight tangent). (Atkins aficionados can use protein alternatives, of course). Something like toast for breakfast, a simple sandwich or baked potato for lunch and then have a glass of wine as soon as you get home in the evening. Then another. By this time you should have lost your appetite. Finish off the bottle and go to bed. It works a bit like starvation but it's a lot more fun!!

Thank goodness! I've been searching for the wine diet! Thank you Tallulah.

Also, I believe the lady who wrote the book suggested, like Parisiennes, one should walk everywhere.

Tallulah, LOL
Are you certain you really lost the weight, or after all that wine perhaps when looking in the mirror you couldn't see straight.
-:)

Tallulah, if they explain the term 'nooner' at any level of detail, this entire thread will be yanked.
Call it an "intimate encounter in the middle of the day".

Some years ago there was a popular song named "Afternoon Delight". :)

Aaahhhh!!! Ha ha! Travelnut & Ira, thank you so much for enlightening me. And probably also for alerting me to what's missing in my life!! ;-)

Elaine: Who cares?!! I felt great! And it makes sense, after all there's no fat in wine...

LOL, Tallulah, sounds good to me! ((D))

Perhaps if we combine Tallulah's wine diet with the Veuve Clicquot lady's suggested afternoon activities? I bet we would all look wonderful then.

This is the Times article:
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/06/bo...0b&ei=5070

It's a very interesting read.

111op, is that the original NY Times article? There's yet another one today in the Dining section. This lady's press agent has been very busy.

I do wish that some kind soul would supply this lady's Leek Soup recipe for those of us too cheap to buy the book. It's copyrighted material, so it would have to be a revised, suggested, personal, variation of the official recipe :), but it would be nice to see it.

Here you are Elaine!

Magical Leek Soup (Broth)

Serves 1 for the weekend

Ingredients

2 pounds leeks

1. Clean the leeks and rinse well to get rid of sand and soil. Cut off the ends of the dark green parts, leaving all the white parts plus a suggestion of pale green. (Reserve the extra greens for soup stock.)

2. Put the leeks in a large pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat, and simmer uncovered for 20 to 30 minutes. Pour off the liquid and reserve. Place the leeks in a bowl.

The juice is to be drunk (reheated or at room temperature to taste) every 2 to 3 hours, 1 cup at a time. For meals, or whenever hungry, have some of the leeks themselves, 1/2 cup at a time. Drizzle with a few drops of extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice. Season sparingly with salt and pepper. Sprinkle with chopped parsley if you wish.

This will be your nourishment for both days, until Sunday dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish (4 to 6 ounces -- don't lose that scale yet!), with 2 vegetables, steamed with a bit of butter or olive oil, and a piece of fruit.

If the leek soup sounds a bit off-putting to you, the next page in the book has a recipe for "Mimosa Soup," also to be used on the weekend in the same way. In it, the leeks are reduced by a pound and a head of lettuce, about half a pound of carrots, cleriac, turnips are added, as well as chopped parsley and half a pound of cauliflower (last ingredient to be added because of its pungency).

Bon Appetit, all.

Hi elaine, it's from the Sunday Book Review. I'll look for the other one. The review was actually interesting -- some of the quotes sent me laughing. For a while it was one of the most e-mailed articles (I think it's dropped to #3 today).

This is the one today:

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/02/09/dining/09lady.html

I'm still reading it -- but was struck by the comment that she and her husband own a duplex in NYC that could accommodate 150 people for dinner comfortably. The going rate of apartments in the city is about 1,000 per square foot. My immediate reaction was to figure out how much the apartment is worth. :-)

>This will be your nourishment for both days, until Sunday dinner, when you can have a small piece of meat or fish ... with 2 vegetables, steamed with a bit of butter or olive oil, and a piece of fruit.<

If you fed this diet to a POW, the Red Cross would accuse you violating the Geneva Conventions. :)