America vs France regarding attitudes towards food.

I found this article a nice read and quite germane to all of you here in the Forum Kitchen.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/31/opini ... 1&emc=eta1

Splendid. Thanks, Bob.

Right on the money. Thanks.

Generalizations are convenient and often hold a relationship to truth. Like the ideas put forth in this article, however, they rarely come anywhere near representing "all of the truth". I suspect the author may have forgotten a great many Italian Americans who continue to buy their poultry live in order to "do it" at home "the way it should be done"; a great many Jewish, Chinese and Scandinavian Americans who stil insist on buying their carp alive with the knowledge that the fish tastes best when cooked as close to its moment of death as possible; a good number of Black Americans who insist on cleaning their chitterlings at home because no butcher will do it as well as they; a goodly number of men and some women who hunt or fish and then butcher or "do" their venison, squirrels or fish still in the field or alongside a stream.

As a generalization, what the author says is true. But it is no more true (but far less charming) than Charles Dicken's generalization to the effect that "there is not a window in all of Paris that closes correctly"

Best
Rogov

Rogov has a good point about generalization but still completely agree with the focus of the article.

I was sent this article about Parisians recently which made me smile. Big generalizations, but cute nonetheless.

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/f90a9e24-9361 ... abdc0.html