Balance of Food

I couldn't help but read over the shoulder of this woman on the train. It looked like a Japanese version of "French Women Don't Get Fat: The Secret of Eating For Pleasure" by Mireille Guiliano. Turns out her book is called "Japanese Women Don't Get Old or Fat : Secrets of My Mother's Tokyo Kitchen" by Naomi Moriyama, William Doyle. She had just come back from living in Japan with her husband. She remarked how the book reminded her of her time in Japan. I asked her if she knew the French book. She had no idea what I was talking about. The premise is similar, though not as pretentious as the French variation. The low obesity rate and high life expectancy make the Japanese lifestyle ideal for women. There is useful eating advice, such as "Hara hachi bunme," or "Eat until you are 80 percent full." Considering that as Americans, we eat to about 130 percent full, so that's an extra 50 percent. The woman on the train told me that she couldn't believe the portions when she got back to America. How she and her husband could split an entree, and have plenty of food. I realize Americans don't always know how to learn from other countries, but food might need to be an exception.