Are The French As Snobby As Their Reputation?

French people are proud of their culinary traditions and have little tolerance for other food types. Find out how to engage them in a discussion about American food!

Are the French really as snobby as their reputation? There’s an exceptionally easy answer: yes, the French are snobby when it comes to food and table manners. My French heart doesn’t miss a beat while I’m writing these lines, even if I know that my countrymen will certainly disagree with me! Let me explain.

My friend Maureen prefers inviting me to a restaurant instead of dining at her place. I’ve felt so bad ever since she apologized for not being able to cook as she thought French people expected.

Another friend felt so offended by my post about American food that she stopped talking to me for a while. If you read my post, you will see that I think quite the opposite of my provocative headline: “Believe me, American food is not as bad as many foreigners want us to believe.” However, with this post, I certainly fueled her prejudice about the snobbish French.

I’m not sure about my dear friend Margaret, but I guess she might have felt intimidated by my cooking. (Margaret, if you read these lines, know that I would love to have you over more frequently!)

What the French say about American food

Back to the French snobbism. Dear compatriots, you are the most snobbish persons I’ve ever met once we start to talk about food, wine, and table manners. Here’s an excerpt of what I’ve heard in the last several years.

Meat? When I praise the tenderness of American meat, you answer that it’s loaded with growth hormones.

Milk? Heavy on the stomach and, again, loaded with hormones.

Bread? There is nothing like a baguette, and those sold by pseudo-French bakers (Prêt-A-Manger etc) are just “disgusting.”

Cheese? Cheese spread or cheddar is so bland that you couldn’t eat any of it.

The list could go on and on. Guys, I’m French too and also very proud of our cooking traditions. Of course, there are legitimate complaints about many types of American food. Fruits and veggies look wonderful in the supermarkets but have hardly any flavor. It’s really difficult to avoid sugar, honey, or high-fructose syrup in processed food, and even bread isn’t immune when it comes to fueling the nation’s sugar addiction.

However, in my humble opinion, if you shop and cook for yourself, you have a pretty good chance of eating very well in the US.

How to shine with your insights into American food

French people are not afraid of challenging discussions! If you encounter a French person who complains about American food, don’t be afraid to share your insights into why American food has deteriorated.

In a book entitled An Economist Gets Lunch, American economist and food lover Tyler Cowen explains why American food became bad. Unlike the standard theory that blames the expansion of the food-supply network, Cowen tells a story that starts with prohibition and WWII, moves to the education system, and ends with the rise of television in American households.

Reason #1: Prohibition
During prohibition, the best restaurants couldn’t make money without alcohol sales and went under before the movement ended. This phenomenon accelerated the death of gourmet dining and left room for cheaper restaurants and eventually fast food chains.

Reason #2: WWII
During WWII, 6 million American women went to work outside the home for the first time. While their husbands fought somewhere in the Pacific or Europe, they worked and took care of their families. But, wartime rationing made it hard to get fresh fruits and vegetables. At the same time, the need to ship food abroad triggered the development of the American canning industry.

Reason #3: War on immigration
Cohen states that American food is immigrant food, and he complains that the restrictions on immigration have hurt American food significantly. Earlier immigrants have lost their recipes from home as they transitioned into more stereotypical Americans. “Cut off from their roots … immigrants were reduced by the promise of American household ease. They started buying canned goods, bottled ketchup, and frozen dinners and microwaves. Sometimes, they pursued these trends in excess to show they were ‘real’ Americans,” explains Cowen.

Reason #4: The attraction of food for children
My youngest children are 7 and 9. My oldest is now in college, and I’m also the stepmother of 2 teenagers. That said, I know firsthand how difficult it can be to cook for children. My husband and I often disagreed how to handle difficult children at the dinner table, and we are not American in our approach. Apparently, Cohen thinks that American parents let their children dictate what the family eats: “American parents produce, buy, cook, and present food that is blander, simpler, and sweeter.”

Reason #5: The dominance of television
Eating in front of the television became popular for many Americans in the 1950s, which expedited the development of food that’s quick and easy to prepare. According to recent studies, today, under 30% of Americans eat in front of the TV, preferring food that needs to be quick and easy to prepare.

Culinary patriotism in France vs. patriotism in the US

“Arrogant” is an adjective often used by foreigners when asked to characterize Americans. Why? Because Americans often refer to the US as “the greatest country in the world.” But, does being patriotic mean being arrogant? Of course not.

Just as Americans are proud of their country, the French take great pride in their culinary traditions. Does this mean that the French have the best cuisine on earth? I say yes–wouldn’t you?