Word: french
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Dates: during 2000-2009
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...phone call came for Nancy in mid-December when she was in Napa wine country with four friends. They were on their way to have dinner at the famous restaurant the French Laundry. "My father called my cell," she said. "He said, 'We've lost everything.' I went into a kind of surreal shock...
...Some observers abroad, however, seemed so intent on mocking French angst over the news that they failed to notice there actually was none this time around. "French Find German's Role Hard To Swallow" shouted U.K. daily The Independent - then curiously went on to quote exclusively German sources hailing Caspar's appointment as revenge for the long-disparaged Teutonic food tradition...
...fascinating insight into how Europeans - sometimes rightly, but often wrongly - see each other. In a strange triangulation, English commentators relied on canned German stereotypes to have fun with typical French reactions. There was just one problem: the French reactions just didn't happen. "In consideration of the fact that German cuisine is regarded as a lethal weapon in most parts of France, this personnel decision is a sensation," The Daily Mail quoted conservative German daily Die Welt amidst a smorgasbord of clichés. "It would be in the same dimension as if tomorrow Mercedes calmly announced the new boss...
...fair, the French can be just as guilty of falling back on outdated stereotypes. They tend, for example, to view Germans as loud, corpulent, penny-pinching, beer-swilling summer-time beach invaders who turn bright pink as soon as the sun appears. (Come to think of it, that's how they describe the Brits, too.) They have also been known to moan when foreigners have threatened to take charge of French companies, architectural projects, or even - God forbid! - the Paris orchestra. (See pictures of what the world eats...
...this time, the Gallic Nation managed to shake off its tendency for self-doubt and nationalism. For now, French commentators are viewing Caspar's arrival at Michelin as a gain for French gastronomy at Germany's expense. "I'm as thrilled they've finally named a woman as I am disinterested in her nationality - which in a globalized world where only competence counts means nothing," famed chef Alain Senderens told TIME. Adds Laurent Mariotte, a food expert who hosts cooking programs on radio's France Info and television's TF1: "French cuisine has recently begun shedding it's reputation...