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Every time I return from Europe, I’m dumbfounded by the cultural differences, not only in what we eat, but also in how we eat and how we approach the process of eating.

If you thumb through any edition of The Gourmet Retailer, you will quickly find some of the world’s finest foods, beautifully advertised to gourmet retailers who stock and sell many of these foods and also offer superior-quality food preparation products. These same store owners and employees know and appreciate fine foods and products far more than the average American, so if they develop a Smart Diet Program as a marketing tool, customers might be quite willing to listen to them.

One Startling Experiment
With all that is written today about overeating and obesity, you may have read of the recent French women vs. American women diet weight control experiment in which 20 American women ate a French woman’s diet for 30 days and 20 French women ate an American’s diet for a similar period.

We all know that the French drink more wine, eat buttery pastry, consume creams, pâtes, and cheeses and have multiple courses during a lengthy meal period. We also know that Americans are now more diet conscious, eat anything labeled "Lite," and love salads and sugar-free sodas.

The Results
The results of the experiment were startling. The American ladies lost an average of 10 pounds on the French program, while the French women gained the same 10 pounds on the American diet. The real difference — portion control, mixtures, and management. We serve a big salad, a chunk of meat surrounded by a starch and a vegetable, and finish with dessert and coffee.

The French serve several courses — a fatty foie gras or a smoked veggie appetizer, plenty of bread, a small fish tasting, a meat dish with veggies, assorted cheeses, pastry, and coffee. After the third or fourth course, the Americans could hardly finish their meals even though the portions were smaller. Portion control and a variety of pleasurable tastes proved healthier than a great chunk of steak and a beautiful Caesar salad. Veggies were varied and in abundance. Baked eggplant served hot or cold was prominent.

Also, although I’m not enough of a biochemist to know, the chemical interactions that occur between a variety of foods aid in both digestion and fat absorption.

The dining time is also drastically different. Who at home in the U.S. spends two to three hours eating dinner and discussing life with family? What domestic restaurant would tolerate tieing up a table for an entire evening from 7:30 to 10:30 p.m.? Turnover would suffer.

How about lunch? Who spends more than an hour when it’s not a business lunch? Shops in France even shut down so employees can enjoy their lunch. Many of us love tomatoes, cold cuts, and cheeses, but who eats them for breakfast? Instead, it’s bagels, sugary corn flakes, and bacon that fill the bill.

How then do these cultural differences have any application in our retail businesses?

I know of few supermarkets that promote nice little slices of ham, cheeses, baked tomatoes, tiny fruit tarts, all directed towards breakfast. Perhaps, a break-in opportunity to focus on a healthy breakfast and show examples of a healthy diet exist for gourmet retailers.

The difference is related to time — time to prepare, time to eat, and time to clean up because more dishes and utensils are in play.

What kind of hard good needs will aid in these experiments?
Individual small bakers and roasters of all kinds rather than fryers. Smaller-diameter or triangular plates and dishes that will not accommodate big portions can help guard against super sizing. Think dim sum and tapas, not steak and potatoes. Consider smaller wine glasses so refills are required, automatically slowing consumption. The same for coffee. Downsize the 10-ounce mugs to four-ounce sizes and drink less but of better quality. Instead of making 12 cups for dinner, make four and pour smaller portions.

Wrap the whole package together in a weight-loss promotion that highlights this comparative study and ask for results. I think you’ll be surprised by the number of customers who will appreciate your efforts.

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Jack Eikenberg manages Eikenberg Management Services, a boutique housewares consultancy. Reach Jack at 239-498-0040 and at JMEmgmt@aol.com.