French Cats Don't Get Fat: The Secrets of La Cuisine Feline [Hardcover]

When I saw this chic little volume in the bookstore, I admit to being attracted to the R. Nichols type illustration done in pastels on the front cover---so reminiscent of the high-strutting Parisian walking her (yikes) dog on the cover of popular diet book "French Women Don't Get Fat". At first, I thought this was yet another dieting treatise, yet another way to capitalize on America's love/hate relationship with our cheese-loving, wine-scarfing, chocolate-chomping buddies from across the ocean who somehow after all this eating manage to fit into those tight little couture pencil skirts and red and white apache tops. And then I saw the cat featured in the drawing---mais oui, it was a cat. Bien sur, I said, ce livre, ce n'est pas serieux; c'est une blague.

And then I got passed those cute little illustrations and actually read it.

Okay, I'm being a little obnoxious, but believe it or not, Henri de la Barb, in the guise of a parody, has written an even more entertaining and informative book than Mireille Guiliano. Guiliano's book, a sucre-filled memoir containing a French arsenal of vague tips detailing how she was defeated by the battle of the bulge America-style and had to retreat back to France and the methods of a certain Dr. Miracle to re-attain her Gitane-slim physique, contains anecdotes and recipes spread over 200+ pages. De La Barb, offers equally compelling information that can be utilized to actually lose weight with less than half the verbage, Veuve Clicquot-free advertising and ooh-la-las.

Okay, some of the recipes are a bit on the 'cat'astrophic side---our feline amis/amies certainly recommend mice and not mousse---but the idea of eating real food (in this case, for humans) prepared well and partaking of only a small portion seems to eptomize the best of common sense / highly nutritional dieting. Les Chats de la Barb actually eat seasonally, recommend purchasing only enough food for a day, and sum up all their tips in a shameless abbreviated mimicry of Guiliano rather arrogant much ado about nothing.

But his cats are practical too, knowing that they will not be able to run off on a whim to the local Dean & DeLuca's just to buy the best triple cream and Valrona truffle, he makes allowances for those situations where convenience is key.

Consequently, De La Barb's book is much more fun and speaks la verite; we laugh out loud at his prissy little pussies and their over-the-top antics, but we are not quite sure whether or not to laugh at Guiliano's pandering of her nationality and the odd mystique it has over many Americans.

C'est une blague, n'est-ce pas? Mais pas de blagues, buy this book instead, its funny, doesn't take itself seriously and its much faster to read, delivering the same message without the hype. Of course, its a humorous treat for cat-lovers, too.

If you are familiar with French For Cats, Advanced French for Exceptional Cats, and Poetry for Cats (as all of my feline friends have been) you know what to expect. And Beard delivers. This man truly loves his cats and French language and culture, and remains the master at spoofing recent trends. His target this time is French Women Don't Get Fat, and you will laugh out loud at the clever way in which Beard transfers this dietary wisdom to cats. As always, the cats are laughing at humans...