About food habits

One of the things which impressed me in the US is the difference of culture with France, especially the food habits. I’ve noticed during my stay that there was almost no meals which gather the whole family, everybody seated around a table like a French traditional lunch or dinner. In fact, my family didn't really have set eating time : they ate what they wanted, when they wanted. Moreover, their meals aren’t composed like ours, with vegetables, meat, fruit etc, most of the time they nibble. Even at the High School cafeteria, students only have 30 minutes to eat , that’s why they nibble. The moment when I realized this fact was on the first monday we were there : the American students did their homework at Megan’s home, and when it was about 17 p.m., they stopped& said “who wants to go to Wendy’s ?’”. So we went to Wendy’s, puzzled, curious but enthusiastic ! I observed that it was their most important meal of the day. That was the starting point of my food discovery in the US, then I tasted all the (junk) food they gave me, and I finally understood, when I ate a donut (yummy !) that I would soon get used to American food. Anyway, I was glad when my mother bought me a real French croissant at the airport, when we came back.
Cécile