Paul Child's Belly Control System

"No man shall lose weight who eats paella topped with Apfell Strudel," Paul notes, after doing exactly that. 

We had been horrified to notice that baby blubber seemed to bounce on so many people in the States.  In Germany, meanwhile, a large figure denotes social status.  Our goal was to eat well, but sensibly like the French did.  This meant keeping our helpings small, eating a great variety of foods, and avoiding snacks.  But the best diet tip of all was Paul's fully patented Belly Control System: "Just don't eat so damn much!"

Chapter 5, Part 1: Situation Confused, My Life in France.

And so such is the risk one takes when one is writing a cook book!  I feel fairly like Paul at the moment!  I had a massive lunch for my Mum's birthday celebration (the birthday was not actually today), and in a truly celebratory mood, we consumed (as a family of five plus a grandmother): two breadsticks with a block of mango and melon fruit cheese; a huge bowl of salad; a caramel and macadamia tart; a pack of apple juice poppas; a thermos of tea; a packet of Malteser chocolates; and last (and definitely least) a bag of Starbursts snakes which were promising but ordinary. 

I love fruit cheese.  I so definitely have got to go to France and try the cheeses just like in the excerpt of my post, Say Cheese! where the woman selects the perfect cheese by touch.  It would be extradinary! 

I realize I haven't given you much information about the progress of Julia's "cookery-bookery", but if I did, the vital storyline would be all given away and those of you who are NOT READING ALONG will be put off from ever turning around and actually reading it, and I so want you to read it.  So Bouquets of Sharpened Pencils currently functions to whet your appetite and show you just what it is that I so love about a book!  Of course, once I have you all following along with me, we'll be able to talk more and deeper.  Anyway, at this stage, I would love to hear your thoughts and anecdotes. 

Don't forget to pick up a copy of George Orwell's 1984 sometime this week for an early next week start!