In news that won't surprise French people (nor anyone who has ever been to France, for that matter), the land of fine food and drink has topped the charts for the time its citizens dedicate to eating and drinking each day.
Data released last month by , an economic think-tank, shows that the French spend on average two hours and 13 minutes a day eating and drinking. That's an hour and 18 minutes more than the OECD average.
When it comes to Australians, while we can certainly be accused of grabbing food on the run and hurriedly consuming one-too may lunches at our desks, OECD's data showed we're not the worst offenders, and in fact, at one hour and 18 minutes, Australia sits bang-on the global average.
However, we could still probably do with taking a spinach-leaf from the Mediterranean's book.
France is closely followed by Italians, who dine for two hours and five minutes a day; Greeks on two hours and four minutes; Spaniards on two hours and two minutes and Danish who eat and drink for two hours a day.
Americans come in at the bottom of the list of 29 countries. They spend only an hour and one minute eating every day, which is less than half the time spent by the French.
French anthropologist Jean-Pierre Poulain , giving this example to show how the US and France see mealtime differently. "There's a secondary school in Toulouse which organises exchanges with young Americans. To avoid any misunderstandings teachers warn families before their children leave that the start of their stay will not be marked by an evening meal, as in France. When the young visitors arrive they are shown the fridge and told they can help themselves whenever they like."
Source: OECD
The overall results are hardly surprising, as taking time to eat is a habit deeply ingrained in French culture.
In addition to the three usual meals, the French also have a dedicated time for snacks. The “goûter”, an afternoon snack mostly for children, is eaten around 4:30 pm.
“L’apéro”, the “goûter” for adults, happens in the early afternoon/early evening and involves wine, cocktails and snacks like olives, charcuterie, cheese and bread. Dinner is eaten later in the evening.
Despite topping the data for time spent eating and drinking for several years in a row, French people eating habits are changing. In 2017, for the very first time, . Interestingly, most of these hamburgers are eaten in real restaurants and not fast-food establishments.
