To End The FReepathon
Posted on 12/05/2015 7:42:39 AM PST by SeekAndFind
American conservatives haven't always seen eye-to-eye with the French. When President Charles de Gaulle led France out of NATO, we weren't exactly thrilled. When the "Axis of Weasels" didn't back the invasion of Iraq, we responded with freedom fries (still available on the menu of Toby Keith's I Love This Bar and Grill).
While relations have thawed of late, especially after the Paris terrorist attacks and the forceful French response -- Rick Perry recently called France "our oldest ally" and Ted Cruz wrote an op-ed praising "liberty, equality, and fraternity" -- there is one particular area where conservatives remain surprisingly hostile: French cuisine.
There are numerous examples. In one high-profile snub, presidential candidate Mike Huckabee titled his book, "God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy" and littered the text with derogatory references to crêpes and caviar. Notice the anti-apéritif slur hidden in the common insult "RINO-cocktail party-Potomac-fever-squish." Just the other day, Republican consultant Dave Carney described those who enjoy "wine after work and some brie" as being somehow distant from the average American. And National Review's Jonah Goldberg did once write an article with the title "Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys from Hell."
This is a real shame, because not only is French cuisine a better export than "liberté, egalité, fraternité," its origins are more conservative than most Republicans realize. Nowhere are these conservative values more evident than in the work of the two founding fathers of food writing, Frenchmen Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin and Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de la Reynière. Historian Giles MacDonagh is the author of the pair's only English-language biographies: The Judge and His Stomach and A Palate in Revolution. And MacDonagh's biographies reveal that the founders of gastronomy would, if they were alive today, absolutely wreck the curve of the Heritage Action scorecards.
Not only is French cuisine a better export than "liberté, egalité, fraternité," its origins are more conservative than most Republicans realize.
Jean Anthelm Brillat-Savarin was the mayor of the provincial town of Belley during the last days of l'ancien régime. He lived through the upheavals of the French Revolution and Napoleon's empire to write The Physiology of Taste, a treatise on food that has never been out of print since it was first published in 1825. In fact, the popular Food Network TV show Iron Chef has reintroduced his aphorism "Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are" to millions of viewers. I prefer his 14th rule: "A dinner that does not end in cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye." Rule No. 15? "We can learn to be cooks, but we must be born knowing how to roast."
But Brillat-Savarin was good for more than bon mots. He represented his town in the Estates General (the political body summoned at the height of the pre-Revolution crisis) where he took a line quite in keeping with today's conservative politics -- the radical Jacobins eventually denounced him as a "fat bourgeois." (The Left apparently has a long history of body-shaming their political opponents.)
He sparred with Robespierre and with the Abbé Sieyès over the latter's proposal to redistrict France into geometrically perfect units regardless of traditional provincial borders -- a proposal which Edmund Burke lambasted in his Reflections on the Revolution in France. While the hard Left pushed radical egalitarianism, Brillat-Savarin gave this rejoinder:
Liberty has a daughter called Equality, and she is her constant companion and principal support. But don't imagine that by equality is meant the perfectly equal distribution of property, wealth, physical and moral qualities; such equality is not to be found in nature. The Author of all that exists was content to share out his gifts in unequal portions, and all of us carry at birth the germ of passions and virtues which will ultimately result in different quantities of strength or weakness, obscurity or glory, unhappiness or prosperity. True equality is the equality of rights and duties.
In addition, while American conservatives often have nightmares about a national confiscation of the arms of the citizenry, Brillat-Savarin actually lived through this scenario in France -- and resisted. The mayor refused to surrender his three rifles, pistol, sabre, and gunpowder stock to the authorities. It's clear that Brillat-Savarin would be just the man to unite the fractured Republican field -- he was even a strict constitutional originalist who argued for the importance of original intent when interpreting the law -- if only he hadn't died 190 years ago.
He would have no better running mate than Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de la Reynière. An aristocrat with a club foot, Grimod was known to stroll through the streets of Paris wearing a mechanical hat, so he could show respect to passing ladies without using his arms. And the Frenchman once challenged a man to a duel for insulting his wig -- he won by shooting his opponent through the eye socket.
Sadly, the Terror robbed this promising young man of his family and estates. Saved from the guillotine by an error on his birth certificate, Grimod spent the rest of his years writing theatrical criticism and presiding over dining clubs. At some literary gatherings he would consume 17 cups of coffee in one sitting. His seminal work, the Almanach des Gourmands, lists a recipe for the salmis of the Benedictine Dom Claudon of the Abbey of Haute-Seille. It comes with a warning to use a fork, for "if your fingers were to come into contact with this sauce, you might easily eat them too."
His culinary panache dovetailed with his hatred of the Revolution. In addition to "destroying religion and property," Grimod lamented that the revolt of "those execrable philosophes" had sunk his chances of finding "the odd pheasant which has escaped from the clutches of revolutionary justice."
Ben Carson is a vegetarian; Speaker Paul Ryan, despite his support for mental-health reform, openly supports something called a "P90X Insanity Routine"; Jeb Bush's flirtation with a branch of dark magic called the Paleo Diet once made him leave a plate full of bacon and pancakes untouched -- while breakfasting with veterans, no less. How can conservatives win hearts and minds if they surrender their stomachs?
By giving men like Brillat-Savarin and Grimod de la Reynière a proper place in the conservative canon, Republicans could support our French allies -- and they might even save the soul of the party.
Enough with freedom fries: There is still time for the right 2016 candidate to arise who, in the words of Brillat-Savarin, "can munch pleasurably at a partridge wing au supreme and then top it off, little finger quirked, with a glass of Lafitte or Clos Vougeot."
-- Tim Wainwright is a freelance writer who blogs here and tweets @Tim_Wainwright.
During WWII France was a lot like China. There was as much internal political strife as there was a war with the Nazi’s.
Love it! French cuisine is unmatched in the world and the French people have the good sense to forbid GMO’s and to protect their homeland from invasion of unhealthy stock. There is no Mad-Cow disease in France, not is there Trichinosis so their beef and pork products are safe. They cook with Butter and Olive Oil and use wines and vinegars correctly. They do not suffer from the heart and weight problems Americans suffer.Charles de Gaulle once lamented, “It is impossible to govern a country that has 356 kinds of cheese.” He was saying that in France, everyone has a different opinion which is relatively true. AND it is a cheese lovers Heaven on Earth. There are many places in our country that have profited gastronomically from French immigration.
French food is great and not all of it is haute cuisine. I think the haughty John F. Kerry has not helped the sales of brie and chateaubriand.
I’d be interested in why you compare France to China. I don’t see it.
I love French wine, and camembert cheese. I like the Italian wines too.
Even growing up, and to this day, we have never used margarine, only butter. As an adult I use only olive oil, no corn or other substandard oil. My blood fats are always ideal.
In WWII France, like China had competing factions facing a common enemy. Chang Kai Shek vs. Mao. They pretended to work together while the whole time trying to undercut their each other. France had very same Communist vs Free French struggle.
Margarine gained popularity due to wartime shortages. I can hardly find it in the stores today although I don’t use it. It’s really fallen out of fashion - except, perhaps, with kosher Jews. Since I often bake and or cook at high temperature, I use many more oils beyond olive. According to Ina Garten, the best olive oil (or the one she prefers) is Californian. I generally use Italian. One time my Sicilian relatives gave me a huge bottle of oil to take home to America. I had to avoid the sniff dogs at JFK!
Not really the same. The “First Maquisard of France,” Georges Guingouin, formed the “Underground” or “Maquis” in the Limousin region of France. He welcomed both Communists and Non Communists in his organization. He fell out with the Central Communist Party early in the war and proceeded to fight against the Vichy and German take-over AGAINST the ORDERS of the Communist Party to “Stand Down.” He was a PATRIOT above all else. The Molotov-Ribbentrop Agreement, which was a pledge by Hitler and Stalin to not attack each other, was, of course, ultimately broken by Hitler when he invaded Russia. At that time, the Communist Party in France turned against the Vichy regime, but Guingouin was far ahead of the game. Ultimately, the various factions united their efforts, largely due to the martyred Jean Moulin, and were of tremendous help to our soldiers when we invaded Normandy, as was widely known after Eisenhower gave credit where credit was due. Meanwhile, The C. P.tried to do away with Guingouin because he defied them at every turn.(He was thrown in jail and almost died) The story is long and torturous, however, in the end he prevailed, was decorated by De Gaulle(Free French) and lived a long life in his beloved Limousin.
The conflict between Mao and Chang Kai Shek was not the same in my opinion.
Right you are. I remember it in the 50’s being everywhere. “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter” might still be around but I never look.
I use heavy cream a lot—every a.m. in coffee, for instance. This comes from my father who was of French extraction and might be related to that. He never allowed soft drinks and he absolutely forbade Italian food. I never had pizza or spaghetti at home. To this day I am not a fan of Italian food. :)
Margarine and butter still sell about equally, but butter has been gaining for at least a few years.
Olive oil is the way to go, provided it’s actually olive oil. There’s a lot of fake olive oil apparently, but not that actually from California.
While not the same battle, they shared a key element of communism, and the effect was the same, compromising the fight against an invading enemy.
They did work together, but were both were always holding back to conquer the other after their common enemy was defeated.
Allies kept the commies from control in France but didn’t bother with China. Russia had a lot of clout in China after their late invasion.
I do as well except for hash browns, olive oil just can't make them crispy.
And the French can thank Missouri for their excellent wine! Damned root louts!
While not the same battle, they shared a key element of communism, and the effect was the same, compromising the fight against an invading enemy.
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That is a broad and incorrect synopsis. The Chinese people welcomed Communism by following Mao. Where do you think his soldiers and power came from? The people.The downtrodden people bought into the dream of “equality.”
The Communist Party never succeeded in overthrowing the Republican values of the people of France. They did gain some popularity in certain predominantly agricultural regions of France, but NEVER became a dominant party. In fact the Communist Party in France is a lingering fringe in the political spectrum today. I would venture that the Communist Party of America has more adherents than the C.P of France. Allen West and I think so anyway.
France’s inner turmoil was caused by the capitulation of the old, tired, former hero of the First World War, (Last Battle of Verdun- Meuse Argonne offensive) Philippe Petain. He was in no way, shape, or form a Communist. He believed France could prosper and have peace under the friendly cooperation and leadership of the Germans. One must remember he was in his 80’s and had seen millions of his compatriots die in the trenches of WW I. It is thought by many that he had become senile, by others that he only wanted to save his country. The Vichy government, however, which occupied the area south of the demarcation line in what was called the Free Zone, was gradually pressed to give in bit by bit to Germany’s demands. The Free Zone was, of course, eliminated immediately after the Allies invaded North Africa (Operation Torch...First engagement in the European War by American Troops under Gen. George Patton) in November of 1942.
I repeat, the Communists never came close to “Control” in France. The Allies had nothing to do with it. France was, and is, and I believe always will be, a Republic, ever since their Revolution of 1789. The Allies gave Communist Russia control of East Germany, Poland, the Baltic States, etc. which they should never have done. The Cold War was the result. We should have listened to Patton!
Use butter like the French do.
None the less the Communists were a prominent force in the French Resistance as they were a prominent, maybe dominate, force in China. Of course the outcomes were different but during that time they had separate agenda’s for post war control.
If Russia had invaded France what do you think the outcome would have been?
The 'French' in French fries refers to the cut (aka Julienne) of the potato rather than the origin of the dish.
The chef is here. Good eats for everyone.
"Ceterum censeo 0bama esse delendam."
'La bonne cuisine est la base du véritable bonheur.' - Auguste Escoffier
(Good food is the foundation of genuine happiness.)
LonePalm, le Républicain du verre cassé (The Broken Glass Republican)
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