Bacon's Rebellion

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Vive L’Appropriation Culturelle!

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by

James A. Bacon
in

 Sacre bleu cheese! From French fries to French burgers.

Heh! Heh! From the Associated Press:

Figures released this week revealed that sales of the jambon-beurre – the ham and butter baguette sandwich, a classic of French snacking – have been surpassed by sales of American-style burgers.

The study by restaurant consultants Gira Conseil showed that about 1.2 billion ham and butter sandwiches were sold in 2017, while 1.4 billion burgers were eaten over the same period.

I love it! Good thing the French don’t have laws against cultural appropriation!

Appropriate away! I would love to see what the French can do with the  hamburger. I’ll bet they take a great thing and make it even better!

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6 responses to “Vive L’Appropriation Culturelle!”

  1. Dave Schutz Avatar
    Dave Schutz

    McMegan is right there for you, Jim!
    https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2017-06-09/the-french-are-spinning-american-food

  2. Goochland Education Foundation Avatar
    Goochland Education Foundation

    I can tell you exactly what the French would do:

    Hamburger frites au beurre de moutarde:

    Medium rare, with mustard butter (best to use Amaroso mustard – it has heat and a favorite of the French) on a toasted thin-sliced baguette. A choice of fromage – comte (first choice), or brie or melted gruyere. Served, of course, with frites.

    It sounds so good that I think I need to go make one now!!

    Bon appetit!

  3. CrazyJD Avatar
    CrazyJD

    Unfortunately, the ordinary restaurant in France (I speak mainly of what is called a bistro) has taken in real tumble in the time that I’ve been acquainted with France. It used to be that you could walk into literally any neighborhood French bistro and get a completely fabulous meal for about $2.

    The first sign of deterioration was the bread. Previously, the bread, typically a baguette, had been made earlier that day. At most, it had come out of the oven at 6:45 that morning; the better bistros used only the afternoon batch. By 1987, the baguette served in a French bistro was at least a full day old, sometimes two, purchased in paper bags the size of our 30 gal garbage bag from a restaurant supply house in the suburbs instead of the neighborhood boulangerie. It was tough, chewed horribly, and had lost most of its taste. These days, you have to at least go to a one-star to get really good bread.

    IMHO the only safe order in the average café/bistro these days is a fresh salade, which they manage not to screw up. All that said, the pichet of wine remains a good deal, and has in fact improved from the old days in Paris.

  4. Steve Haner Avatar
    Steve Haner

    Last July, the fellow at the next table in the bistro on the Isle de la Cite ordered a burger, and I must admit I remember his meal and have forgotten what I ate. A few nights later in a restaurant off the Champs de Elysees I had a grilled cheese that put the burger out of my mind….It was supposed to be a light meal but no, it was a cheese feast.

    Sure JD, great meals in France for $2. That was when we lived there in….1957! I was three. De Gaulle threw us all out (us, personally – the other ejected American military families were just cover….) and I didn’t go back for more than 50 years.

    1. Reed Fawell 3rd Avatar
      Reed Fawell 3rd

      The Gauls thus must be in marked cultural decline. I recall France when to order a “Burger” in a bistro was considered a major cultural insult, an affront to the entire French people and nation, not to mention the waiter personally.

  5. Goochland Education Foundation Avatar
    Goochland Education Foundation

    Reed, most still do consider it a major cultural insult and an affront to the entire French people and nation, and especially the waiter personally!!! I suspect the burger was offered at a ‘tourist’ restaurant catering to Americans, certainly not one where the locals go. Especially in July when most Parisians flee the city and only tourists are left!

    By the way, bread making has always been considered a “respected art” and made only by boulangers, never made in restaurants. The bread is delivered very early in the morning to the restaurants. Restaurants have never had a boulanger in the kitchen brigade.

    Restaurants where the locals go still operate as they have for the last two centuries. Small, limited menu, typically prix fixe, and the menu is not in English. Good chance the waiter speaks limited English as well.

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