Sunday, March 5, 2017

France’s baguette obsession: The rules of "baguetiquette"



I am lucky that I have excellent bakers within walking distance of where I live. I must admit I cannot understand anyone living more than walking distance from a bakers. I’ve a sister in law who picks up half a dozen baguettes from the super market once a week and then freezes them. Why bother to live in France. I can remember being broke in Paris in my teens looking in bakers windows without a sou to buy a crumb.

In fact I tend to buy the kind of bread that goes with whatever meal I will be eating. I find industrial bread gives me a bloated stomach and I never touch it. On the rare occasions I go to England I generally avoid bread.

It is true though that as I now have a very varied diet including rice and pasta etc. I do not eat bread with every meal. The art is to develop good relations with the baker, usually the wife or her assistants who serve in the shop and make sure they give you the exact shade of golden brown that one is happy with.


Bread is one of those civilized aspects of France that outlive politicians who probably have no idea what a baguette costs. When is the last time anyone saw a minister walking home after work with a baguette in his hand?

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