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It's called the "French Paradox". How can a nation which prides itself on its food, loaded with rich, fatty content, not to mention the croissants, foie gras and pastries which are part of everyday life, maintain a reputation for good health?
When New Zealand and France met in their quarter-final in Cardiff today, their rugby could have been a metaphor for the clash of cultures.
The French often find it hard to fathom aspects of New Zealand life when they visit; the other day a New Zealander reckoned Aix-en-Provence, a centuries old, picturesque town loaded with history and charm half an hour inland from Marseille, "a dump".
Another man covering the All Blacks battles is doing so on a diet of the jambon et fromage (ham and cheese), which is a staple on the breakfast buffet.
But there is common ground. Both countries enjoy outdoor lifestyles. The French are expected to get out and about at weekends, be it cycling, tramping, swimming, running or the more physical team sports.
Which is not much different from taking a stroll down Tamaki Drive on a Saturday, where the sailors, joggers, cyclists, swimmers tell their own story. Throw in the national sport (football) and the other wide range of options and it could never be called a sedentary lifestyle.
France spent 15.4 per cent of its total expenditure in 2004 on health; New Zealand spent 18.2 per cent.
France's 60 million citizens have a life expectancy at birth of 77 for males, 84 for females; New Zealand's numbers are 77 and 82 respectively.
So there are similarities.
Drive past an Auckland school at 8.15am and children ambling out of the dairy armed with soft drinks, pies and chips make you wonder what they'd just had for breakfast. No, this is breakfast.
Not so in France. Here, schools have banned vending machines and children are not allowed to take any food inside the school grounds. Lunches are provided, on the state.
Throw in expectations of physical activity at school and the vast money spent on children's health and leisure and it's not a long bow to draw to link it to economic prosperity. Healthy children become healthy adults and it's a view and policy maintained across the French political board.
But if the French diet might raise New Zealand eyebrows, consider that it's rare to see someone munching on the streets and, broadly speaking, they don't have a booze culture, certainly nothing to compare with Britain, as can be found on any Saturday night in towns and cities across that land, or on alcohol-soaked package holidays to the under-30 hotspots round Europe.
French people love their wine but hurling down pint after pint of lager? Non, non, Monsieur.
However, there are growing concerns about rising obesity levels in France, particularly among the young. A report late last year showed obesity numbers among children had doubled in five years and are now about the same level as the great god of fatties, the United States, 20 years ago. McDonald's is more profitable in France than any other European country.
Lifestyle changes are blamed for the increase. The formal sit-down meals, a staple of French family life, are being replaced by eating on the run, or snacking.
A best-selling book, French Women Don't Get Fat, recently argued that the French knew the way to healthy eating - essentially small portions and savour it, don't scoff.
One argument anthropologists put up for France's healthy reputation is that it has never experienced prolonged famine, so there is little genetic pressure to eat a bit of extra fat.
But the obesity talk is worrying for a country which glances either way at England and Italy as the obese capitals of Europe. Britain has long topped the unhealthy tables in Europe.
In 2005, former French president Jacques Chirac famously observed of Britain that: "You can't trust people who cook as badly as that. After Finland, it's the country with the worst food."
There is official concern at the direction France is heading, especially for a nation which prides itself on its culinary heritage.
"We want people, particularly young people, to cut back on the snacking and get back to healthy habits,"a Health Ministry spokesman said recently.
And in that statement, there's more common ground between two countries who don't always see eye to eye on many aspects of life.
