Monday, October 6, 2003

A few thoughts on France This year I have heard quite a few people say that they don't like France or that they boycott French wine and that makes me wonder... First of all - why the wine? Why not fashion or cheese? Most of the vines in California stem from France - shouldn't Californian Wine be boycotted as well? What about Moet et Chandon's California sparkling wine grown in the US, but owned by a French company? No more Brie or Camembert? What about Roquefort cheese? Hm, what about the English blue cheese Stilton which uses bacteria discovered by the French, namely Penicillum - great in Hamburgers! What about Music - would you have to get rid of Ravel, Debussy? Painting - Degas and all of the Impressionists? Or one of my favorite artists: Jean Cocteau? What about the Surrealists? What about people who weren't French but loved France, like Picasso who left many of his greatest works to that country? What about Chanel clothing or make-up? Dior? No more flights on the Concorde of course... What about Universal Music - they are stiill owned by Vivendi, which is a French company. What about Quiche? Besides supposedly being unmanly it is also French. If somebody told you that Japan is treating the Ainu (the real natives of Japan) badly - would you sell your Japanese stereo, TV, car? Is your wrath of the moment, or of the last five or ten years, or does it reach further? There should be plenty of other countries on anybody's list if we only reach back a hundred years, and Germany might be pretty high up on many people's lists...It would be a shame if people burnt Nouveau Flamenco because I am half German, wouldn't it? I think what I am trying to understand is how one dislikes a whole country. There are certainly countries where I don't enjoy the weather very much and I can't envision wanting to live, there are countries where I think the government is making some rather bad choices. But to me a country is the sum of a landscape, the people living there, the resulting culture and its products...How can you not like France? And if you say you don't like France, does that include all Frenchmen? What about Americans with a French family name? I wish people would be a little clearer about their position on France. Just so I know what happens if I should drink a bottle of Bordeaux or I might visit the Picasso museum in Paris: Will my records get burnt? Will I no longer be on the list of good guys? Please, do give me your comments, so I can understand this position better. 3:38:10 PM    comment [];

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