Quiberon lies at the end of a peninsula bearing its name, connected by a thin strip of land to the mainland Brittany and France. The village of Quiberon has a population of 4000 but during the week the entire village seemed deserted. The majority of the houses in the village are owned by people who live elsewhere and come here during holidays. It is a popular place for grandparents to bring their grandchildren. I would guess the permanent population of entire Quiberon semi-island to be around 2000.
The architecture is typically Breton and no influence of Paris or rest of fra
This morning in New York Times there was an article by David Leohardt and I quote:
"Mainstream American food culture is pretty unhealthy. We are surrounded by huge portions of highly processed food. We are bombarded by advertisements telling us that we will be happy and hip if we eat mroe snacks and drink more alcohol and soda."
The food served in Quiberon for example is diverse, but in small portions. Being home to fishermen, seafood dominates the main plate but usually there is a salad and also cheese . Wine is drunk with dinner. Very little evidence of fried foods and no microwaved food. The portion size is small.
Nutrition is a lifestyle rather than a mumbo jumbo of calories, sugars, fats and proteins and multiple supplements. You seldom see people drinking carbonated beverages and also I noticed that no one walks around with a bottle of water in their hands or back pack (very few people wear backpacks too)
The success of Mediterranean Diet is because it promotes a lifestyle rather than weighing your individual meal portions.
Lifestyle also includes activities to relax and get togethers with your family and friends.
I wanted to give a book as a gift to my hosts and sure enough this village has a bookstore where a wide variety of books are to be found, not just trade publications. This distinguishes it from USA in that a village of this size will not have a bookstore of this quality.
I was happy to find two of Yuval Noah Harari books translated into French of course . I also spied the latest novel by that intriguing writer from Cuba: Leonardo Padura.
Reading, looking at the sea and walking along when it is feasible, eating small amounts with a wide variety preferably cooked at home all accounts for lifestyle that defines your health.
When you are Quantitative, you know the COST but do not know the VALUE..
In health, whether as a healer or a sufferer, knowing the value of things or actions is far more important than how many calories, how many dollars and how many hours before your guests leave!
To get to Quiberon is not easy. If you fly into Charles de Gaulle airport in Paris, you can take a train, a fast one with one change and be here in 3-4 hours (the railhead from where a bus would bring you to this village in 45 minutes). Apart from school holidays, this charming little village is quiet and sparse. I sit at a cafe in the centre of town, place hoche and sip my cafe allonge.. and i can see the waves crashing in not too a distance..
