In what is quite uncharacteristic of the New York Times, here is an opinion piece by Jessice Seigel that claims that French views about American obesity vs. European slimness do not take into account the massive amounts of cigarettes that are consumed in Europe.

"In her best-selling diet book, "French Women Don't Get Fat," Mireille Guiliano says that when she was an exchange student in the United States she gained 20 pounds from the American way of eating - specifically from junk food. Even after returning home, she continued to gorge on pastries, but finally slimmed down by learning to eat with élan the feminine French way. Considering the strain in French-American relations these days, I thought it very gracious of her to share this story."

"When I was a college student in France for a year, I also picked up a bad habit: a pack of cigarettes a day. That's what you do in Paris - sit in cafes drinking coffee and smoking. I acquired a newly svelte figure not from chewing slowly through four-course dinners, supping on oysters, or setting out fine china at every meal - among the sensuous eating pleasures from the land of Chanel that the author recommends. The régime français I learned was cigarettes and it took me 15 years to quit. Merci beaucoup."

Kudos for the New York Times for "daring" to publish such an anti-French piece. It's about time they tried to be a bit more fair and balanced.