Has France finally gone too far?

New restaurant regulations maybe not so great.

[Robin Garr]

The New York Times' Mark Bittman had a good opinion piece on that, with a little more detail.

French Food Goes Down
JULY 22, 2014
Mark Bittman

Before my first visit to France, around 45 years ago, I was told that you couldn’t find bad food there if you tried. I was of limited experience, so even a hot dog jammed into a baguette bore witness to that “fact.”

Nevertheless, a few visits later, it seemed justifiable to buy into the program: France had countless regions, each producing superior products that were handled well and (with notable exceptions) served at reasonable prices. I wish we could go back — we’d need a time machine, of course — and verify that experience.

For that bubble burst long ago.

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/opini ... ref=dining

It certainly doesn't sound like the new French system is going to solve anything and will probably make things worse. Long gone is the time in France where you could drop into any small mom-and-pop brasserie and have a great fresh made meal for a reasonable price! Of course this new system sounds a lot like some of the phrases that many American restaurants use (although not government sanctioned) such as free range, farm fresh, etc. There are so many ways around or through the definitions that they really don't mean anything except what the owner of the restaurant wants them to mean.

The seekers of France seeped in its traditional stereotypes of Sartre and the Rive Gauche, Edith Piaf, Francois Truffaut, le Citroen 2CV, etc. may be somewhat disappointed. And this may even include meticulous attention to traditional cuisine. Piaf and Brel have given way to the sounds of Stromae, Indila, and Maitre Gims. The artsy films of yesteryear have given way to hugely successful Intouchables ($450 million worldwide) , Qu'est-ce qu'on a fait au Bon Dieu?, and other immigrant themed cinema. And the sacred culinary traditions are not immune to the influences of globalization, technology, and an ever changing population due to immigration.

But the music and cinema scenes have never been more exciting in France, the country that serves as a meeting point for the French-speaking world. This is a very diverse calling! All that said, the breads, pastries, cheeses, wines, and other "everyday" foods are still so incredibly good in quality and freshness that, in my experience, trumps average eating experiences in the US.

Oui, mes amis, the foodie traditionalists may have to search harder, but us folk who enjoy couscous, Vietnamese, gyros, baguette sandwiches, etc. may just enjoy the culinary experience in France a bit more while enjoying "Papaoutai" playing in the background.