Author Diane Johnson reviews this book, "Au Revoir to all that" Food, Wine and the End of France, By Michael Steinberger, and IMO throws down the gauntlet:
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But many of us will have noticed that in certain ways, it's easier to eat well in Northern California than in France; at least you have a better chance to happen onto a good restaurant in San Francisco than you do in Paris, where many brasseries and eating places serve to a lamentably low standard, and not just because of tourists.
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From review: Is French food over? Michael Steinberger, who has the enviable job of writing about wine for Slate and other magazines, has documented what many travelers have been noticing: the changing status of French gastronomy, mostly for the worse. (In the minds of some, French cooking has been in decline since the days of Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, whose monumental feats of gastronomy would defeat the modern digestion.) ... He sets out to find out what had turned French "high-end cooking into a congealed bore."
Posts: 16049 | Location: The Beautiful San Francisco Bay Area | Registered: 06 August 2001
Slate has two excerpts specifically on how he feels Michelin guide crippled the restaurants and another on how Mc Donald's conquered France. Oohh... nothing like pushing a couple of 'hot' buttons.
That article about McDo was very interesting. I'd be interested in any Slow Travelers' takes on McDonalds in France. I have never set foot in one in Europe. In fact, I can't even remember the last time I was in one in the US. The Slate article makes it sound as if the French version is not so bad.
Thanks for the alert on the book; it sounds like one I'd like to read.
Tomorrow's excerpt explains how McDonald's conquered France—its second-biggest market in the world.
How can that be???
That sounds crazy to me, too, given how few I see when I travel there. Even on autoroutes I don't see many. I haven't read the article yet...
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But many of us will have noticed that in certain ways, it's easier to eat well in Northern California than in France; at least you have a better chance to happen onto a good restaurant in San Francisco than you do in Paris,
I wouldn't argue that quality has gone down--I'm not old enough to know, I've only traveled there in the last 10 years, and I've certainly heard that argued many times. But I have 2 issues with that statement--first, it's easier to eat well in northern California than anyplace in the county. This is a place that's become a food mecca in the last 20 years. How about comparing Paris to, well, just about every other place in the US? Second, it's still incredibly easy to find bad food in SF. I seriously doubt your average tourist will find better food in SF than in Paris--I think the same pitfalls apply to both places.
For someone who grew up in SF and now lives in Paris but goes back often, I completely agree with Christy. I do prefer SF's Chinese restaurants though.
I have also completely missed McDo's conquest of France since I have never set foot in a McDo here (or anywhere else). My husband and quite a few of my friends swear by McDo's restrooms - always dependably clean.
Lastly, mon dieu, Roz, how o how can you ask slowtravellers in France to check out, of all places, McDo's? Why don't you lend yourself and your driver for such sacrifice? (That would be true heroism. Or martyrdom.)
how o how can you ask slowtravellers in France to check out, of all places, McDo's?
Mon Dieu, Americana, I was making no such request! I do know that some people (especially if they are traveling with kids) might have visited McDo's and just wondered what their reactions might be. I would never in a million years want to ask anyone to squander a meal in France that way if they haven't done so already.
I guess at least you can get wine with your Grand Mac (if that's what the French call them) in France?
Apparently the guy who ran/runs McDo in France is considered a marketing and management genius within the organization. He was slated (how's that for an intended pun) to be named CEO of the whole company - maybe that has already taken place ?
Last time I went to McDo's here was about 9 months ago. Just finished some heavy duty shopping with my son at Decathelon in Cavaillon and it was getting late and we were tired and hungry and had 40 minutes to get home. The McDonald's just across the parking lot beckoned. We both ordered some huge burger with a mystery sauce. My son took one bite and announced that it was badly off - he stuck to the fries and coke. Your truly very stupidly continued to eat the whole thing. I won't go into the details of the evening's events, but suffice it to say, it wasn't pretty. The good news is my son (who I am proud to say can count on two hands the number of times he's eaten at a fast food restaurant) has now officially sworn off McDonald's and all unidentifiable sauces...
Originally posted by Americana in Parigi: My husband and quite a few of my friends swear by McDo's restrooms - always dependably clean.
This sounds like us. We were in Paris for just a couple of days before heading to Provence. Ducked into a McDonald's restroom for my 5 year old. It was spotless, and we didn't need to buy anything to use it. I was surprised by the array of items in the cases--lots of fresh breads, tarts, beer and wine. Very different from our local McDonald's. We did manage to spend our nearly 3 weeks in France without ever eating at McDonalds--even with 3 kids in tow. However, we very rarely eat there at home either.
Posts: 34 | Location: Northern VA | Registered: 18 May 2007
That makes me want to pop into one and see it! I still think it's funny I don't ever see them though--especially since I am often on the lookout for a restroom. Are they unobtrusive? Am I just not noticing? Or are they only in certain Paris neighborhoods? We usually stay in the 7th and I've never seen one there.
We were in Paris last month and I went into a McDos to use the washroom but I wasn't allowed to unless I made a purchase. I was really surprised since I've always thought the same thing as many above, that the washrooms were for anyone's use. I declined and continued my search elsewhere.
My husband and quite a few of my friends swear by McDo's restrooms - always dependably clean. Thumbs Up
I was driving through a very, very barren stretch or northern Montana about 10 years ago, and for hundreds of miles didn't see anywhere I would stop to use the bathroom. Then, lo!, a McDonalds! Used the spotless bathroom and then bought myself a cup of (nearly undrinkable) coffee.
I will confess to going to McDonald's in Italy, France and Germany. I haven't gone for food. I go for the orange drink. Since I don't like carbonation, they are the only place I can get an orange drink when I am maxed out on water and in the mood for something else that isn't carbonated or caffeinated.
That said, they do have clean bathrooms! Now Starbucks in Spain, that is another story. Yuck!
Topping this because I just finished the book (Au Revoir to All That), which I definitely recommend for some interesting reading. The author interviewed many of the leading figures in the world of French food and wine. Generally his conclusion about the future of traditional French cuisine is not terribly optimistic, although many young chefs seem to be doing their best to adapt to a changing and more fast-paced world.
One minor point: I had said I figured McDo would offer wine in France, but the book says the only alcohol they serve is beer -- so as not to compete with the French bistro. But mpb43 said above that he had seen wine in a French McDo.
But maybe that has changed; at the time the book was published, the 19.6% VAT was in effect for most restaurants. But McDo's was classed as a takeout place, and charged the lower 5.5% (even when you sat down to eat, as many people do). Now, of course, that tax has been reduced for all restos. (Incidentally, according to the book, Alain Ducasse's lobbying of Sarkozy had something to do with that.)
The author also says that McDo is one of the few eating establishments that has done anything to employ a large number of immigrants in any position higher than dishwasher. Without intending to get political here, I just thought it was an interesting point that given the changing face of France, it is going to be hard to sustain France's gastronomic tradition if so much of its current population is excluded from the Michelin-type establishments.
Getting back to the main topic, I notice that the Slate excerpt is all about top-rated Michelin restaurants. I have always thought that what is, perhaps, even more special about eating in France is the quality of food (as well as service and ambience) at ordinary run-of-the-mill restaurants, the sort of places that would never dream of a Michelin star or an entry in a foreign guidebook. I wonder how people here feel that has changed over the decades.
Posts: 962 | Location: West Sussex, England | Registered: 08 February 2007
OFF TOPIC !!! I love to stop in the McD on St Germain for "french" fries (extra chage for ketchup)....the only thing I'll eat at any of them...oops I lie, breakfast, pancakes here in the US with a "senior" coffee a bargain at under $3...only beat by a hot dog and soda at Costco of a buck and a half...now that's a bargain..... Now back to your scheduled "message"
Daniel and Priscilla in Fort Lauderdale
Posts: 682 | Location: South Florida | Registered: 25 July 2001
WSB, that is an interesting question. Steinberg's book is mostly about the Michelin chefs, but the introduction discusses the state of French cooking and eating in general. He says that France had 200,000 cafes in 1960; in 2008 it was down to 40,000 with hundreds or thousands of cafes, bistros, and brasseries closing every year. Artisanal cheeses are disappearing because the people who knew how to make them are dying off and no one is taking their place. The wine industry is in a terrible state, partly because wine consumption is down so much.
He says that aspiring chefs are no longer required to know the classic cuisine; instead they are being tested on their ability to use "processed, powdered, frozen,and prepared foods."
25 years ago, he says, it was virtually impossible to eat poorly in France, and now in some towns it is a struggle even to find a decent loaf of bread.
He blames much of this on the economic situation in France, and also on the huge amount of government regulation, bureaucracy, and paperwork now involved in running a restaurant. I don't recall whether he actually said this in so many words, but my conclusion was that it's mainly the corporations and chains like McDo that can afford to keep the everyday restaurants going and the mom-and-pop places can't compete with them on price. So there are still some expensive restaurants that cater to people with money, but most people can't afford to eat out enough to keep the smaller places afloat.
(In the minds of some, French cooking has been in decline since the days of Victor Hugo and Alexandre Dumas, whose monumental feats of gastronomy would defeat the modern digestion.) ... He sets out to find out what had turned French "high-end cooking into a congealed bore."
At least part of this evolution is a positive one. Reading those scenes by Maupassant and Brillat-Savarin of dozens and dozens of oysters consumed PER CAPITA! and just for starter, does not strike me as paradise lost so much as a kind of you-can-have it bygone excess. The impressive thing about those récits was really mostly about a macho emphasis on quantity. The way Christian Dior more or less ate himself to death is not stuff that dreams are made on , but a very unattractive nightmare.
In the provinces and in some of the Paris brasseries serving solid "cuisine bourgeoise", one can still see menus that serve a fish course between the starter and the main course. Well, of course that kind of eating habit is "out", duh! Who can - or want to - eat like that?
One term caught my attention: "high-end cooking". Unlike the times of Dumas, Maupassant, Brillat-Savarin, even those who can afford to pig out today choose not to. But I do not agree that this means the French today do not know how to enjoy food.
And chefs are adjusting. They must appeal, attract through aspects other than the orgiastic. When I come out of Spring or Frenchie, I may be deliriously happy with the meal, but I am not painfully full. Back in the 19th century, I couldn't have gone the entrée-distance with Maupassant.
And of course there are health concerns. Butter and cream based sauces are quite "out" in the neo-bistros. And again, as much as I loved the butter-on-butter sauce with my escargots in the ancien régime of the Grand Véfour, I cannot nor do I want to eat like that all the time.
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Grand Mac (if that's what the French call them)
Hmm, wasn't there an hilarious, involved discussion in Pulp Fiction about this? After Roz raised the question, I decided to go by a McDo and check its menu posted outside. -- Wild horses can't pull me in there. Sure enough, a Big Mac is a Big Mac est un Big Mac.
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Steinberg … says that France had 200,000 cafes in 1960; in 2008 it was down to 40,000
The decline of cafés is not the same phenomenon as the decline of food in France. It is true I do not miss all those cafés with indifferent service, pre-pre-made croque-monsieurs, and a floor that is 2-cm deep in garbage and cigarette butts. Good riddance. There seems to be a phenomenon of streamlining-concentratino in the café industry. There is a smaller number of cafés, but they seem to be bigger and often more attractive.
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Artisanal cheeses are disappearing because the people who knew how to make them are dying off and no one is taking their place.
On the other hand, "terroir" has been the buzz word in the last decade. The in-season freshness and the terroir aspect are a widespread priority.
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The wine industry is in a terrible state, partly because wine consumption is down so much.
Again, it is one of those cultural blame-games. Rest assured, the French still drink wine courament with dinner, but they do not drink so much as before. I would use a different term from cultural decline.
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He says that aspiring chefs are no longer required to know the classic cuisine; instead they are being tested on their ability to use "processed, powdered, frozen,and prepared foods."
This is the most surprising passage. Does not sound like all the successful young chefs in Paris today. Daniel Rose, Camdeborde, Frenchie's Gregory, etc., do not come from an apprentissage of "being tested on their ability to use "processed, powdered, frozen,and prepared foods", thank god.
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25 years ago, he says, it was virtually impossible to eat poorly in France, and now in some towns it is a struggle even to find a decent loaf of bread.
It is true that many of us feel that way. But who is the one changing here? France, or we?
When I first travelled in France as a tourist, I was so enamored with every meal. I remembered ooh-ing and ah-ing over a simple tomato salad in Vouvray. But that was before I moved here and learned to make my own vinaigrette and got used to tasting everyday tomatoes that, guess what, do have tomato taste. Now a tomato salad is soooo NBD that I would never order it in a restaurant, much less ooh and ah over it. Whose fault? Mine or the tomatoes'?
Lastly, aware of the many social problems that burden the food industry here, I am still happy about the evolution of French gastronomy, happy with all the new young neo-bistro chefs whose inventive dishes surprise and delight me again and again, while the classic cuisine bourgeoise, however expertly executed, has lost much of the power to thrill.
Thinking back, do I eat worse in 2009 than in 1974? No way! Thinking ahead, do I look forward to my next Frenchie dinner (September 29th)? Way !
Thanks for your insights, Americana. I was hoping you would provide another viewpoint from someone living in France. I agree that I did not see much of anything in the Steinberger book about the type of young chefs you have told us about (e.g., Spring and Frenchie).
By the way, on the topic of French food, I just happened to read a column in the Napa Valley newspaper about a "spectacularly bad" meal in a "highly recommended" restaurant on Cap-Ferrat. I wonder if anyone has ever heard of this place: La Voile d'Or?
AmiP, will you make some travel notes about where to go. I'd love to taste some of these meals, it would be worth saving up for.
My gastronomical experiences in Paris ar pretty limited but I do notice that at the everyday brasserie on the corner the food isn't worth eating. I've had really bad experiences with several butchers but finally have found a good one. After living with a hunter for years and having my own gigantic vegetable garden one gets picky but I have had a few really good meals out on the town.
I never visited France until 2007 so cannot compare to what it was like before, my past experience was Tuscan cooking for 20 years. Moving to Paris was quite a shock and comparing the contemporary everyday French/Parisean cooking to Florentine/Tuscan is basically uncomparable.
I wonder what the author of the book likes to eat? Does he talk about specific foods and recipies?
Thank goodness Parisian and Tuscan cooking are not comparable, despite globalization. I know people who prefer the food in Italy, and others who prefer the food in France.
AiP, I agree with you that as we get ... older ... and more experienced with restaurants and cooking, our judgments about what is and what isn't good restaurant food change radically. Even the person who has long personal experience of food and restaurants has a hard time deciding whether it is he or she, or the food, that has changed.
I still like the classic French dishes, but they have to be really excellent to make me praise them. Too often, restaurants go too far in one of two directions: economical shortcuts that cut quality, or fancy complications that lead to strange food combinations.
It's also true that the quality of the food in upscale restaurants in the U.S. and the U.K. has improved so much over the past 30 years that the standard French restaurant food pales in comparison. But I still prefer it to the standard U.S. restaurant food.
will you make some travel notes about where to go. I'd love to taste some of these meals, it would be worth saving up for.
Both L'Ami Jean and Frenchie have a very reasonably priced prix-fixe menu. You don't have to "save up" particularly. But do book about a wayyyy in advance.
The Slate article above on McD's mentions how they are selling macarons. They are supposedly from "from Holder, the company that owns Ladurée".
I thought it was taking it a little far to even have them for sale at McD but today I saw a picture of how they are advertising them. Now this is definitely taking it too far! Making macarons look like little burgers.
Being mostly vegetarians and all, we normally avoid all fast food chains but I've had so many bad macarons lately (in Paris, that is) so I might as well give these a try.
how o how can you ask slowtravellers in France to check out, of all places, McDo's? Why don't you lend yourself and your driver for such sacrifice? (That would be true heroism. Or martyrdom.)
I do know that some people (especially if they are traveling with kids) might have visited McDo's and just wondered what their reactions might be. I would never in a million years want to ask anyone to squander a meal in France that way if they haven't done so already. 
