by frog
Well, on this news, we can consider any battle against gastronomic globalisation over.
The Latest gastronomic sensation in France is the burger — and not just any beef patty in a bun. Only the McDo will do. You can ignore anti-globalisation protests, French cultural snobbery and antipathy over Iraq, the monkeys have not merely surrendered but are prostrating themselves at the Golden Arch.
If the French have rolled over over and embraced the clown, what hope is there? This article featured in today’s Dom Post as well as The Australian yesterday. I don’t know what else to say. McDonald’s burgers don’t even register as food on my radar. I guess that there is no accounting for taste. Would you like fries with that?
on the trolls and those who are unable to keep on topic
Sounds more like McD’s have rolled over and embraced the French (and the French are getting poorer and more driven to eat crap food), but it’s funny how the article can’t differentiate between French political disquiet with US policies and the long-standing French love afffair with American culture.
It’s that ‘spoiled brat’ thing again, Somewhere has a disagreement with the States over one thing and the response is “Waaaahhh! Waaaah! You all HATE me!”
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When I lived in France (2002 – 2006), I was the only player on my ultimate frisbee team to object to eating at MacDo on the way home from a tournament. Incidentally, I was the only american on the team.
When I tried to convince the frenchies that MacDo wasn’t really food and we should go elsewhere, they just shrugged and said it was okay to have it once in a while. They seemed confused at my passionate rejection of it. Ironically, MacDo isn’t actually *fast* food in France — they would wait in the queue for about 20 – 30 minutes to get food, and that was when it was short (2-3 people). One does get accustomed to queueing in the republique francaise.
But I tell ya, those frenchies sure abhor peanut butter, which they see as the reason all americans are obese.
When I was happily smearing organic peanut butter on a banana (a relatively healthy vegan treat), they were smearing rillettes (96% goose fat and chunks of intestines, bought at the discount food shop) on a cheap white baguette (sadly not all the bread in France is good), and looked at me in disgust saying that they could never eat anything as “fat” and “heavy” as peanut butter. And then they lit up cigarettes.
As far as I can tell, there isn’t really a green movement in France. At least nothing comparable to the US or NZ.
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Of course there is a green movement in France, there are many of them. Mostly caused by the Chartreuse they drink!
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Vincent: And you know what they call a… a… a Quarter Pounder with Cheese in Paris?
Jules: They don’t call it a Quarter Pounder with cheese?
Vincent: No man, they got the metric system. They wouldn’t know what the fuck a Quarter Pounder is.
Jules: Then what do they call it?
Vincent: They call it a Royale with cheese.
Jules: A Royale with cheese. What do they call a Big Mac?
Vincent: Well, a Big Mac’s a Big Mac, but they call it le Big-Mac.
Jules: Le Big-Mac. Ha ha ha ha. What do they call a Whopper?
Vincent: I dunno, I didn’t go into Burger King.
What I want to know is, why change the name for the metric system when you’re thumbing your face in the republic at the same time?
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The French have a healthy attitude to food and I think their attitude to McDonald’s reflects that.
McDonald’s is hardly a threat to civilisation and there is actually nothing wrong with the food although to hear some people speak you would think it was laced with poison or whatever.
The French Mac eater had it right when he said “It’s OK now and then”.
The French paradox (they eat so “badly” but are so healthy) is put down to many things but an important ingredient is that they do not fret about their food but do their best to enjoy this necessary pleasure. As Michael Pollan points out in “In Defense of Food” – when asked what comes to mind when the word chocolate if mentioned the typical American response is “Guilt” while the typical French response is “celebration”.
So what is the problem with the odd Big Mac? Occasionally I eat a chocolate croissant (just did) just as occasionally I eat pasta with a truffle sauce. (A few months ago.)
Relax and enjoy it.
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Owen Mc,
I don’t suppose you see the irony of citing Michael Pollan’s “In Defense of Food” to defend the French eating McDonald’s hamburgers. If you check the list of ingredients, MacDo certainly fails the test of being food in Pollan’s definition.
I agree that the French have in times past had a healthier relationship to food, but from my experience, that is currently changing precisely because of the importation of American eating habits and establishments like MacDo — which are open all hours and sell food-like substances. The relationship the French had previously with food is being insidiously replaced with highly processed “foods”, which is why they don’t currently perceive MacDo as potentially bad for them.
Traditional French restaurants are only open a few hours a day and meal times used to be very strict. Now, for example, French teenagers are starting to snack at MacDo in the afternoons. Coincidentally (or not) obesity is on the rise in France. I read a French health study a few years ago that predicts France having comparable obesity rates as the USA by 2020. The pharmacies are full of “mincir” products for women to help stay skinny by drinking special teas. Many French women I knew had eating disorders or weighed themselves compulsively and were upset about gaining a few hundred grams or kilos. So, sometimes I think Pollan and others have idealised the Frenchies’ healthy relationship to food.
On another note, eating habits may be a key ingredient in obesity, but we shouldn’t underplay the importance of incidental activity. The French also have had far less car-dependence in their cities and towns than NZ, AU, and No. America, which has resulted in the French walking and cycling for transport far more regularly. This has certainly contributed to their lower levels of obesity and chronic diseases.
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i hear fast food is on the rise in india too, which seems a shame since indian food is so yum
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Many years ago, we were staying in a youth hostel in Monaco in the off-season. The sole American there constantly whinged about being unable to buy a hamburger – while the markets were full of beautiful fresh fruits and vegetables and cheeses and the cafes served delicious French food. Looks like he finally got his way…
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Julie, The French have lots of medium density villages. In fact most of Europe does. Those who emigrated to the new world seem to have preferred their privacy and built more old-fashioned villages with individual huts. Marry that attitude with relatively cheap transport, whether horse and buggy, bicycle or autos and you inevitably arrive at urban sprawl. Maybe the individualism that is sweeping the world and delivering sprawl to Europe will die with cheap oil.
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