It's Official: French People Spend Twice As Long Eating As Americans

The Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) recently released its figures to show how much time people spend eating and drinking each day in the different countries around the world. The biggest cliché about the French is that they love to eat and drink, but now it has been proven – they spend more time at the table than any other country – a whopping two hours and 13 minutes each day.

The French spend 40 minutes more per day eating and drinking than the global average, which is about 1.5 hours per day. Astonishingly, the Americans spend one hour and two minutes eating and drinking each day, which means the French spend twice as long at the table enjoying their food.

Behind France – perhaps unsurprisingly when clichés for enjoying your food are taken into consideration – are other Mediterranean cultures. Second place went to Italy (two hours, five minutes) and at the third spot is Greece (two hours, four minutes). Spain came next at two hours, two minutes. After the US, Canada spent less time eating at one hour, four minutes.

The time that people spend eating was just one thing analysed as part of a much wider study on the role of men and women in the home, particularly how much time people spend on unpaid work, such as household chores and looking after children. Women generally spend less time at the table than their male counterparts, with the exception of the Dutch.