answer:It’s the freakin’ portion sizes that are out of control. I got my training in french schools and kitchens. The food I learned was extremely calorific—loads of cream, butter and foie gras. But the expectation was that the client would only eat small portions, and that the meal would extend over hours, not minutes. In the States, you’d be pilloried if you tried to serve french-style portions. The expectation is that you’ll stuff yourself at the restaurant, then take home enough leftovers to get you through another meal. Otherwise, you feel robbed. When the whole meal is reduced to that huge plate of food, it gets consumed quickly. There are no enforced pauses as there are between the many small courses of the french meal. That means that much more food gets consumed before the physiological mechanism that registers satiety can kick in. Then there’s the problem of mindfulness. Americans, as a rule, do not pay attention to their food. They just stuff. There is a psychological component to satiety: savoring food attentively makes it more satisfying. In fact, studies have found that the mere act of intensely imagining eating a desired food can satisfy cravings. But for the most part, we lack the culture whereby eating is a near sacred ritual, to be undertaken with respect and attention.