Los Angeles Times: FRANCE: Cafeteria ketchup cutbacks commence October 5, 2011 | 1:30 pm First France built a wall around its language to protect it from pernicious Anglo-Saxon invaders. Now it is throwing up a shield against another perceived threat to its culture and civilization: ketchup. In an effort to promote healthy eating and, it has been suggested, protect traditional Gallic cuisine, the French government has banned school and college cafeterias nationwide from offering the iconic American tomato-based condiment with any food but — of all things — French fries. As a result, students can no longer use ketchup on such traditional dishes as veal stew, no matter how gristly, and boeuf bourguignon, regardless of its fat content. Moreover, French fries can be offered only once a week, usually with “steak haché,” or burger. Unclear is whether the food police will send students to detention if they dip their burgers into the ketchup that accompanies their fries. “France must be an example to the world in the quality of its food, starting with its children,” said Food and Agriculture Minister Bruno Le Maire. Ronald Reagan's White House may have considered ketchup — made famous by Henry John "H.J." Heinz, who produced the first bottle in 1876 — a vegetable. But Gallic gastronomes view it with the same disdain as American television series, English words and McDonald's restaurants — unwelcome cultural impostors.
Their just still miffed that we ruined their economy helping OUR revolution, then bailed their hairy butts out of TWO brutal wars with Germany, then kept sending our brash Hellspawn "American Tourists" over their to see how low the french have come in the world.........
What? There is still a France? I thought they were already taken over by the globalist bankers and divided up into vacation homes or at least absorbed by other EU States.
it's harder than hell getting any condiments in France and most of europe ...... if you need catsup on your food, you better rob a US fast food place before leaving the country ....
When I first moved to England years ago, I kept seeing "Brown Sauce" and "Mint Sauce", wondering "What in the devil do I do with this?" It took me a while to figure it out. I never did figure out what to do with Marmite. I smelled it once, and quickly put the lid back on it. I'm thinking, "I'm supposed to put that on my toast? I don't think so." European Ketchup kind of threw me too. It doesn't taste like American Ketchup, it's sweeter; and the first time I went to a MacDonalds in Britain and asked for Ketchup, I was stunned that they charged for it - two pence for a package of Ketchup. It just didn't seem right.
Well, to be fair, other cultures have had their culinary delights (!) for centuries before North America came along with ketchup. I have very happy memories of my favourite 'brown sauce' and 'Major Gray's Chutney' for example, in Scotland. But this thing about banning ketchup in France - I would say from watching from afar these last few years, some of the stuff the French are interfering with (like Muslim women and their veils, e.g.) would seem to indicate that their insecurity is showing. It seems to me that in this day and age, when our poor old world is all but collapsing around us, wouldn't you think they would have bigger and more important things to worry about? And talk about 'sheeple' - I always considered the French to be strong individualists, but imagine allowing your Government to dictate such things as what you put on your eats! Lor' luv-a-duck (now there's a good old Brit expression for you, don't ban it, please!) I think I have just about heard the last word in stupidity now....too bad it had to be from the French, formerly a very elegant society......and now all shaking in their boots about the effect of ketchup on their culture. Sheesh.
