In Delayed Backlash, French Parliament Decides to Continue Calling American Cheese "American Cheese"

More than six years have passed since the United States Congress delivered a stinging gastronomic rebuke to the French nation in response to then-President Jacques Chirac's attempts to block or slow the Bush Administration’s march to war with Iraq. The French government has now belatedly struck back with a culinary broadside of its own.

The retaliatory measure comes in answer to a 2002 House resolution officially altering the names of certain dishes served in the Congressional cafeteria. In a spasm of anti-gallic patriotism, French toast and French fries were rebaptised "Freedom Toast" and "Freedom Fries" (CNN); the wording of the resolution was less clear on the intended fate of “French” salad dressing, a condiment believed to be completely American in origin. On Thursday, the French Parliament delivered a patriotic message of its own when it voted unanimously to continue calling American cheese “American Cheese.”

Famous for its low dairy content and convenient, single-slice packaging, American cheese controls only a miniscule share of the enormous domestic cheese market of France. Industry analysts report that wholesale purchases by local McDonald’s and Burger King franchises, along with those by restaurants belonging to the Swiss-based Quick chain, account for the lion’s share of consumption.

Above: a slice of le fromage américain

Those French citizens aware of its existence at all generally hold American cheese in low regard. Rejection of such a highly processed food product is hardly surprising in a country in which small farmers are venerated and the production of hundreds of varieties of cheese is treated as a high art. Indeed, French folk hero and anti-globalization activist José Bové – perhaps most famous for his attempt to demolish a rural McDonald’s with a bulldozer – is in daily life an artisanal producer of high-quality chevre. (BBC)

Even French President Nicolas Sarkozy, generally favorably disposed towards all things American, is rumored to have a strong distaste for Kraft Singles and their generic equivalents, calling them “franchement dégueulasse” and “de la merde pure.”

Above: Cheese producer and anti-globalization
activist José Bové behind bars.

French officials were quick to clarify that what was at stake in the recent vote was national honor, not the menu of the parliamentary cafeteria. Even legislation that succeeded in altering the name of the item in question would not have an effect on this bill of fare. The exclusive dining room set aside for members of parliament has never served a dish containing the ersatz cheese product and has no intention of doing so at any time in the foreseeable future.