Black Jacques Chirac

[Joh]

Oooop,, Monsieur C  has caused uproar on this side of the Channel with his comments on English cooking. Quote  "The only thing they've ever done for European agriculture is mad cow". And  "We can't trust people who have such bad food, after Finland, it's the country with the worst food".

Supermarket chain Somerfield has reported a drop in sales of French apples, wine, brie and Beaujolais.

A spokesman said: "We have seen a dip this morning in sales of French products like cheeses, apples and even wine as shoppers make their frustrations felt at the supermarket checkout."

O.K. I feel a bond with this bloke, after all what have the English got to offer in the culinary department?

Fish and chips,, Sausage and mash,, Roast dinner?

I will concede to a fried breakfast!

But our national dish has now been CURRY for some time!

Is it any wonder that no Frenchman made the return journey with "sail8" even though it was only 4 boats?  Maybe they should have stopped off at Sangatte. 

Hot debate to follow................

 

Terry

 

[Richard-R]

He's got a small point. We live in the middle of nowhere and have a 2 Michelin restaurant 15 minutes away and and a 1 stared one 40 minutes away. Given that Aude is back country this is not bad going.

There is a new wave of british cooking but it's yet to reach the home dinner table. The British seem more happy to watch cooking on T.V. and than order a takeaway.

[Tourangelle]

Whether he has a point or not, it was a stupid thing to say, in a room full of journalists. Reminds me of our future head of state when he was skiing this winter. However if you think the British are annoyed you should hear the Finns! There was a journalist from a Finnish newspaper on the radio tonight who was spitting fire. A few Finnish votes not going to Paris 2012 I think.

[Teamedup]

A chef from the NE of England was not a happy chappie on tonight's north east news. He had fed Black Jack and had been led to believe that the President had enjoyed his meal.

I have had some excellant food in the NE of England when I have been back. Not only has it been good but it has often been good value for money too.

And somewhere excellant for anyone who is wondering look at the Star Inn at Harome. The prices are not cheap, but they are not excessive either and the quality, well, wonderful.

[Sfgraveston]

I'm in the Aude also - where are these Michelin starred restaurants in our departement?

PLease tell

Stuart

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

I very very rarely feel angry at all about what the likes of Chirac T***pots gob about, and for good reason, it is usually so risible it only warrants a wry smile. However, today was different. I realised I was positively peeved off by the Thick Man's éructations when a few of my bright(er) kids remarked on what Chirac had said asking me all about it and so on ('Is that what the French people think, Sir ?'). That sort of crass comments really leave a terrible taste in the mouth for young learners of French, and are borderline alienating thousands of people against maybe not France or the French as a whole but agst many things French or associated with France. At best it certainly does no favour to France and the French; at worst it adds grist to the grind of the anti-EU brigade and is manna to heaven for the anti-French Jo & Joe Bloggsie (especially if they have never come into contact with French people). That's adults' territory though, a minefield of a farrago of half-truths and deep-seated cliches. It saddens so much more to see that these comments can impact so negatively on young innocent minds that may well start to question the relevance of learning French, or languages for that matter.

The sort of comments that are short in the uttering, but long in the developping, long in the suffering. These comments remind me of a sort of verbal cancer, no known cure, no end to it, just painful remission, contaminating everything in their spreading. 

But, why of why, do journalists have to report such tosh ???!!!

[Jo53]

Chirac's oh-so-funny joke is sadly typical of the cliched 1950s stereotypes that define Britain in the French mind. Don't you know that British people are cold and repressed, wear bowler hats to work and eat exclusively out of tins (except when they are having boiled (yes, boiled) meat or roast beef)? Most French people actually do believe these things - the equivalent would be the British believing that all French people wear stripey jerseys and berets and carry onions around their necks while tucking in to snails and frogs legs! Except the British would recognise that as a stereotype instead of accepting it unquestioningly...

The food thing, well, my mother was an excellent cook, all my family cook well and care about food - just like lots of other ordinary British families. Yes, some people eat rubbish, but judging by the supermarket shelves in France, so do some people here. I've had good and bad restaurant food in France, just as in England. And I would just love to have access to the variety of restaurants and pub food we enjoyed in the UK (though I think that's a rural versus urban thing - I'm sure it is available in larger French towns).

But what do they eat in Finland?? I am intrigued.

Jo

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

Jo, I agree with you when you say that a majority of French people would tend to believe the cliches happily served to them by eager journalists on a weekly basis (although, let's not be too harsh, they are also plenty of positives about England/the English in the French papers/media, which I consult everyday). However, I can't agree with you when say that the Brits are that different when it comes to their perception of France and the French. They are just the same ! Too many of them too ready to gobble up (negative) cliches, stereotypes, platitudes and the likes.

[Russethouse]

There was a French guy on the radio at lunchtime bemoaning how many French women now work and food from the freezer is often the norm.

Chiracs attitude to British food is sadly out of date, but then so is his knowledge of the status of French cookery in the world of cuisine which is not quite what it was.

[Vraititi<P>PSG till I die -fluctuat nec mergitur.<P>]

Russet, to assume that Chirac has an 'attitude' to British food is to give the man far too much importance, he is very ignorant you know ! He would not be able to tell his muffin from his puffin to save his life and is ONLY interested in Japoneries (could be translated as 'Japanalia' I suppose), probably only because it is far very away and sounds trendy and introspective. To me, he is not dissimilar to Bush, the oft-derided ignoramus Supremo, well, not much difference with Chirac Le Braque.

[Richard-R]

"I'm in the Aude also - where are these Michelin starred restaurants in our departement?

PLease tell

Stuart"

One in Narbonne and another in Fontjoncouse and i think Hotel de la Cité in Carcassone may well have one also.

[Chauffour]

Well in general I do agree with what Chirac has said, many English people I know still insist on BOILING their veg and just dumping them on the plate with a grilled (read: dried up) pork chop or the like (or they add gravy from a pack of bisto- yuk)

However I can't see how Chirac knows what is served up in most UK homes as he must be used to the finest everywhere he goes; therefore I don't think he can personally susbtantiate his argument.

Restaurant food is another story and can be very good in the UK, but is not universally reliable. 

It's all the Victorian's fault I reckon. Their attitutude towards sensual pleasures in general influenced food as well, hence the pre war generation were left with plain food and not much pleasure....and it's been passed down of course.

The reality is that nowadays many people in the UK do not give any status to food. They do not cook, but open packets and put them in the oven or microwave and then they sit on the sofa in front of the TV with their "meal" on their lap to eat. How disgusting

Oh and while I'm here I just would like to add a word in support of the Finns. I had a trip there last year and ate the most wonderful food in people's homes (better than most I've had in British homes in fact)

Ok I'm finished now......oh and PS my Italian husband thinks I am a genetic throwback and I should be given an honorary Italian passport due to my culinary skills....(is it an insult or a compliment??!!!)

[Will]

"Chirac's oh-so-funny joke is sadly typical of the cliched 1950s stereotypes that define Britain in the French mind."

If anything, it reminded me of the crass comments about the French that one finds in publications like the Daily Mail, Sun etc. Which I suppose is exactly why the journalists picked it up with such pleasure.

Having quite a bit of experience of all three cuisines (English, French and Finnish) I know all three are generally of very good quality. If he's talking about what is served every day then most French buy their food from the supermarkets, which is pretty much the same (but with far less variety) than you find in any Tesco or Sainsburys. That is if they don't have a mass-catering lunch, or chicken/rabbit every day which is what the rural folk round here seem to eat.

I did rather like the comparison with George W's unconsidered verbal outpourings.

[Patf]

Just to put a word in favour of JChirac, I read that he and his wife took in a vietnamese girl, a refugee, 20-30 years ago. They still support her now though she no longer lives with them. Otherwise he's an outdated figure and I doubt if any french people still respect him, never mind the rest of the world. Pat.

[Miki]

Have no fear Black Jacques is out to save his own skin, he might appear to be fighting for his fellow countrymen but top of the agenda is staying out of the bastille (well its successor anyway !). By getting the rebate to stay for France's agricole etc, which has yonks to go yet anyway but hey, he can still make it look like a rescue mission and also by gaining the Olympic bid, it may well save the crafty tea leaf for another few years, so by then he will be too old to have his head chopped off

Why do I keep humming Black Jacques Chirac to the tune of Sweet Gene Vincent............Mmmm wonder if there's a hit in there somewhere ?

[Hagar]

[quote]"I'm in the Aude also - where are these Michelin starred restaurants in our departement?PLease tellStuart"One in Narbonne and another in Fontjoncouse and i think Hotel de la Cité in Carcassone may wel...[/quote]

Yes the Hotel de la cite in Carcassone has a Michelin Star - although personally I prefer "chez Saskia" the brasserie attached to the hotel .

Domaine d'Auriac - just outside Carcassonne also has a michelin star.

Better than all three (IMO) is Comte Roger - inside the medieval city not far from the hotel.

rgds

Hagar

[Simon]

He was right on Iraq too ;-)

Simon

[YCCMB]

I  live in the middle of nowhere in relative, UK-type terms, and we have one 2-star and one 3-star Michelin restaurants on our doorstep too: one of which also happens to have been voted the best in Europe (or was it the world?).

Chirac's comments seem to be about the level of "my dad's bigger than your dad".(Come to that, so does my previous comment, but hey, if it's good enough for him..........)As one UK newspaper said this morning:

"Give the poor sods the Olympics, they obviously need it more than we do"

[Jon 1]

As someone has already said Chirac is probably not in a position to judge either the general quality of French food or indeed British food.  He probably has his own personal chef, and when out and about will wine and dine in the best gastronomique environment. My experience of French restaurants, having travelled widely throughout France, and now settled in the south, is that they are generally mediocre to poor.  I exclude gastronomique restaurants from this as I have found that they generally provide excellent meals, at good value compared with the UK.  However, most of us cannot afford to frequent gastronomique restaurants on a regular basis.  I have found that a majority of the remainder, display the ubiquitous boring French menu, with slight regional variation, which you can easily reel off from memory.  The food is uninspiring and often poorly presented.  The ambience and decor of many of these restaurants are also poor.  I shudder to recall the state of some of the toilets I have visited after my meal.  I should make a point of visiting them before the meal.  The quality of the service I have experienced in some of these restaurants has been idiosyncratic to say the least.  The quality and service in French restaurants has changed little, if at all in decades.  By way of contrast I feel that UK restaurants at all levels have improved tremendously.  In terms of variety of menu, presentation and quality etc, UK restaurants of the middle rank are in my opinion generally superior than their French counterparts.  I would make the same contrast with French supermarkets I find the presentation and quality of their fruit and veg on a par with their service ........... poor.  In this area we have an undercover French market which we find is more expensive than the supermarkets and the fruit and veg is not fresher or better tasting.  I suspect it is bought via the same wholesale suppliers, but is presented as something different.  We were also quite surprised when house hunting, how very poor the cooking facilities were in most French kitchens.  In our opinion it indicated a disinterest in cooking.  This is probably why the French eat out so much.  Yet this mythology is perpetuated.  Friends constantly allude to all that wonderful French restaurants and high quality fruit and veg we must be enjoying.  Despite the fact that I disabuse them of this, the myth keeps popping up.  The problem is that the French themselves are so superior in their attitude to British food, despite having no personal experience.  I feel that the French are too firmly rooted in the past.  They deceive themselves, perhaps because they do not know any better, and unfortunately many Brits are caught up in this deception.  Reluctantly I am forced to say yet again "the emperor has no clothes".  I also  believe that given the powerful French agricultural sector any incidences of BSE will have been hushed up.  The French are very partisan in their choice of French beef and lamb and in their rejection of British beef.  Once again this is probably a delusion.  British beef is now the safest in Europe, and high quality.  Hell will freeze over before the French accept this.  They are not helped by Chirac's diversionary rantings.

[Tourangelle]

I must say I never eat in French restaurants, unless I have to, they are so boring. I prefer Japanese, Vietnamese or Mexican food.

[Will]

I think what Jon says is very true, at least as far as the south and Paris are concerned. They used to be generally superb (or is that before I became more familiar with France and less influenced by stereotypes and propaganda?) but nowadays seem somewhat overpriced and indifferent. However, North of the Loire (and probably in other god-forsaken rural bits of France) things seem a bit different, more on a par with what has happened over the Channel perhaps. We seldom get a bad meal here and have, particularly over the last few weeks, had some very good ones (topped, as always, by a small place in the Normandy countryside started by Jean-Christophe Novelli and bought and run by one of his protégé chefs, still strongly bearing J-C's influence). OK, few, if any, Michelin stars, but that's not the be-all-and-end-all. The price-conscious should be aware that such gourmet heights can easily be achieved for less than 35€, with at the other end of the scale a generally decent 4-course lunch universally available for under 10€.

The biggest problem in France, at least compared with Britain, is the lack of variety. I agree 100% that one can soon get bored with the same basic ingredients, though many chefs are becoming a bit more imaginative in the way they are treated.

However, both Britain and France (and Finland too of course) are both infinitely better places to eat, either in or out, than several other European countries.

As far as the other JC is concerned, having taken such a personal interest in the Paris Olympic bid he can hardly have failed to have had his substantial Gallic nose put even further out of joint at the expense of the Brits, with a real prospect of further blows at the G8 meeting. So no doubt we can expect plenty more of the same sour grapes over the coming weeks.

[Dick Smith]

So now he's eating humble pie and sour grapes?

Nasty...

[Missy]

[quote]I very very rarely feel angry at all about what the likes of Chirac T***pots gob about, and for good reason, it is usually so risible it only warrants a wry smile. However, today was different. I real...[/quote]

Monsieur Chirac should have bitten and tasted his tongue! before uttering such silly comments!!

He should know better than most that 'Les murs ont des oreilles'

The journalists are very hungry and will grab hard at any morcel given to them!!

I bet now with the Olympics gone to London the taste in his mouth is dégueulasse!!!

OOOh! Il va faire chaud pour lui at the G8 summit!!!!

[Missy]

[quote]Russet, to assume that Chirac has an 'attitude' to British food is to give the man far too much importance, he is very ignorant you know ! He would not be able to tell his muffin from his puffin to sa...[/quote]

As to GeeDuhbia Bush! ... Sorry I'll reserve my comments about him!...

His Daddy (as in : Saddam tried to kill my Daddy!!) certainly did wonders for the broccoli growers of the States when claiming at his inauguration speech (or some such state occasion...) that 'I hate broccoli and forbid Barbara to serve any at my table!'

Overnight the production of broccoli was almost eradicated!

[Loopy Lou]

Chauffour, where do you get your information about the majority of Brits still boiling their veg (rather than steaming, roasting, sauteing etc.)?  With the plethora of choice we now have in our supermarkets, the wealth of TV programmes about food (as well as remodelling property, life in the sun, etc and other such lifestyle programming) and vast quantities of cookery books that are available, I do think that even the Chavs of this world have a wider knowledge of how to use and cook what is available (sorry - terribly un-PC of me ).

We all now have completely unrealistic ideas of what we can achieve in life in every area you can possibly imagine, so it's no wonder people are generally dissatisfied with what is their particular reality.

Golly, that's a negative thought. 

For my part, I am excited that the UK has won the Olympics.  The Dome is already being remodelled as a sports facility and, whatever some people might be moaning about now, I do think the regeneration and the facilities that will be created will be long-term assets for our sports men and women going forwards (lovely term, that!).

Gite and B&B owners might find they have downturn in British clients in July and August 2012.  I must bear that in mind........

A bientot, tout le monde.

Lou