Is France really on the verge of a gastronomical decline or is there still hope of a revival and that what France is going through now is just a phase? It is simply shocking to me to learn that France is the second largest market in the world for McDonald's and that wine consumption is going down in France. France should hold on to its cultural heritage in gastronomy but it seems that Spain and Britain have caught up and are stealing the show. The author is a journalist who has a big interest in French haut cuisine. He records the downfall of French gastronomy over the past 30 years and explores some of the causes.I liked how he placed French cooking in historical context. It made the tale of how the situation changed in France clearer. The tale is a cautionary one: many of the troubles of French gastronomy are caused by the socialist economic and political philosophy. Value Added Tax for French restaurant bills is 19.6% compared to the VAT for a MacDonald's meal: 5.5.%. Then there are the very onerous labor laws that discouraged restaurants (never mind other employers) to hire employees, despite high unemployment. It is discouraging and frightening to watch the US travel down this same path...
One of my favorite wine writers - sounds like an interesting read!
—fancyface1234
Started out very fascinating but got a bit dry after that.
—snow_fire
Interesting, but far too much detail for a non-foodie.
—Kim
Currently reading the Advanced Copy Edition
—ereader1948
Enjoyed it!
—Jojo
