"I've fried things you would never believe..."

*silence*

Heh.

D.

 

McDonalds?

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

Snap.

It may be rose-tinted specs, but I reckon the overall standard of French
food has gone down in the last 20-odd years. I mean that it's getting
harder and harder to find small local restaurants serving good food at
cheap prices.

It's easier to eat well, cheaply, in Italy.

I really, really lament the decline of the old Relais Routiers network.
I suppose it was inevitable with the spread of the autoroutes and
increased attention being paid to vehicle scheduling, which puts more
trucks on autoroutes anyway.

A couple of years ago, I was hacking back on my own from a classic bike
meet in france, and I stopped near Neufchatel[1] (might have been in NC,
actually) for lunch. It was a corker: three courses of simple but
beautifully cooked grub plus a small carafe of wine for about 12 euros.
It was notable because it was out of the ordinary, whereas a couple of
decades ago it would have been the norm.

France has embraced the convenience food catering ethos with depressing
speed. Witness McDonalds massive success in France: something that
Topol, sorry, Yehudi Menuhin, sorry Des, used to deny vehemently. Maybe
still does. And I read that small French restaurants are going out of
business in their droves. I'm not surprised.

[1] Near Rouen. Where that lovely heart-shaped soft cheese comes from.

 

I might, but I don't recall ever having one.

 

In communiqué <1io91as.115j7do4ywvouN%>,

Some are pretty gross. TBF I don't have it as often as I used to. It was
part of the survey of the type of cheap and cheerful fixed price menus
that you referred to (along with the creme caramel). On one occasion,
before I spoke as much French as I do now, the waitress said to SWMBO,
"does he know what kind of sausage it is?". SWMBO gleefully replied that
I did, and liked it. Fromage du tete is another similar brit trap.

I have had a couple of really memorable (for good reasons) examples. One
was in the Brenne where carp was the local speciality, but much less
interesting.

With regard to your other comment, three of the five restaurants in our
nearest commune are now run by brits, The best one, and another which is
mainly a pizzeria are not. One unsurprisingly now has curry nights for
the ex pats, but another has some interesting items on the menu, so we
intend to try it out next trip. The third is undergoing massive
refurbishment. It had been empty for years and the new owners are faced
with bringing it up to the latest (EC presumably) standards before it
can open.

I fear the general trend may be as you say, but we had an excellent but
not overly expensive meal in Bagneres de Luchon this summer.

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Yeah, that's me for sure.

 

Yeah but she didn't do it first time round, so the novelty hasn't worn
off for her. I intend to be out the country. I've pointed out to M
that if they sprog he'll be grandad, the look on his face was
priceless.

I've saved all the best books. In fact I read the velveteen rabbit as
a bed time story tonight (because i couldn't find 9 ducks 9) and got
all nostalgic.

 

Funnily enough, although "Paul" is fairly popular, it's overpriced and not
the best (over here that is). I suppose in the UK, it's gotta be better than
Tesco's shite.

 

It does depend a bit. It's much easier to get ready meals from supermarkets
now and you do tend to see families stocking up on the shite. That's just a
sign of the times.

Whilst it is getting harder to find small local restaurants, I don't think that
the quality has gone down. I think that like the rest of the world, the
French don't have the time to do things properly anymore and are caught up in
the same rush as everyone else.

The ingredients, however, are (IMO, of course) still of much better quality
than the UK.

A friend of mine (the ex-Finance Director for McDo's France) told me that
up to a few years ago, the biggest two McDonalds restaurants where in France.

Funnily enough, McDo's in the US are listening to their French colleagues, as
they've seen a drastic slump in business. Healthy products (such as salads,
etc) where down to input from France.

 

Without a doubt. But these are regional diversities. Don't get me wrong, I'm
not knocking French food (I wouldn't be here otherwise) but what I'm talking
about is more the International variety. Below you've noted foods from the
ex-colonies. This is where I think that in the UK, not only are there
influences from the "Empire" but it's diversified to include much more
cultures that were not "invaded by the British".

Hah, don't get me started on Andouillette!

Ah, but compared to the stuff you buy in the UK, it's heaven.

So am I. I'm off.

 

Nah, nothing like it. Haggis is edible and doesn't smell of shit.

 

Which, incidentally, is nothing like black pudding. The only thing in common,
is the colour.

 

Nothing like it - no blood in it then ? Much more sophisticated, I
agree, but still basically a "blood sausage."


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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
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| Gilera GFR * 2 Moto Morini 2C/375 Morini 350 "Forgotten Error" |
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<rant>
But only if its a REAL haggis.
Haggis is made from bits of a sheep with oatmeal and pepper.
Anything that you find in a supermarket containing pig is NOT a haggis FFS.
</rant>

 

not sure I did. babysitting is fine (especially when I come home and
she's asleep and stays so til her mum comes home).

what I definitely did say I was never changing a nappy. so far so
good.

uhuh.
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Where I am, Tesco is the best bread around. It's depressing in the
extreme...

--
Veggie Dave
http://www.iq18films.co.uk

"To assert that the earth revolves around the sun is as erroneous as to claim
that Jesus was not born of a virgin." Cardinal Bellarmine

 

Then the Brits wonder why they're not liked abroad ...

D.

 

The word 'cheap' to begin with, is incompatible with capitalist ideals.
Or does anyone really believe the Big Lie that 'competition benefits the
consumer'?

'According to François Roussely the former president of EDF, it is not
possible to reconcile low prices and competition in electricity. At any
rate where countries privatized electricity, it was rapidly followed by
an increase in prices and a certain insecurity about energy, notably
owing to speculation on electricity (e.g. Enron)'.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Électricité_de_France [1]

Second, globalisation came to Britain earlier than it did to France. Or
at least, it was resisted more here. Now that France has embraced
capitalism in its most inhumane form, with the predictable results of
increases in poverty, homelessness and crime, people have less time to
spend eating. If Quick, McDonald's and so on are making inroads, it has
nothing (obviously!) to do with culinary quality, and a lot to do with
the fact that they're faster.

It might have been 'out of the ordinary for you', but as I've had
occasion to point out on maybe dozens of occasions, you seem to have
spent your _prima facie_ extensive experience of France, walking around
with your eyes closed. I'm stunned that someone who has apparently
spent so long here and who claims to be Francophile, knows next to
nothing about the place. Zilch. Nowt. Rien. Maybe your xenophobia
doesn't help in this regard. But anyway, the sort of meal you describe
is still commonplace. We travel quite extensively in France, albeit
often between Paris and SO's parents' house in Auxerre, and can find
meals like you describe, without any problems, even if of course we
don't take the meat dishes.

What the ..?

Seek help, Neil.

I don't go into McDonald's. All I know is that when I walk past the one
down on the place de Clichy, the people waiting outside are i) young,
ii) British/American, iii) both of the above. The one near where I used
to live near Nation was little more than a warm place where the local
blacks and Arabs from the suburbs, sold drugs.

Nothing to do with cuisine, and everything to do with globalisation.

D.


[1] standard disclaimers apply

 

I blame 'the Lionheart', but then he was French really, no?

What's not to like? Buying moribund businesses, or daring to have curry
on the menu occasionally?

--
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| Pete Fisher at Home: |
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+----------------------------------------------------------------+

 

The 'ghettoisation', the fact that when the Brits move in, they huddle
in little Englands. They set up bars and restos where other Brits come
to eat. They hang out with Brits. They set up businesses to import
Brit food, that other Brits will buy. In short, rather than adapting to
the culture of the host country, they import their own culture.

I'm not suggesting that everyone acquire citizenship, but this aspect of
anglo behaviour is so well known, that people here are amazed that I
don't know any Brits (aside from the one colleague who teaches English
with me at the school).

D.