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Francophobes who cast all French as neurotically hostile to anything foreign would be wise to upgrade their perceptions. Last week, the supposed champions of shrill nationalism responded with a Gallic shrug to the news that France's legendary Michelin guide will be edited by a German. The clichéd image of France as a bastion of macho swagger took a beating as well: the bible's new boss is a woman. (See TIME's Top 10 food trends of the year...
...French press accounts that did appear stuck to Michelin's own rather laconic communiqué announcing the appointment of German executive Julianne Caspar as the editor-in-chief of the company's 108 year-old Guide Rouge. Sagely, the reports avoided any moaning about German cooking or foreign assaults on la grandeur de la France. "Why should the appointment of Ms Julianne Caspar, someone who is clearly a hugely qualified traditional French cuisine proponent ... shock the French?" asked Anglophone French blog franceblogcom. "This blog and its French members are happy to learn that a woman, a German, has been selected...
...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...fair, the French can be just as guilty of falling back on outdated stereotypes.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...