It was giggles and belly laughs as French President Jacques Chirac entertained his dinner companions, German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder and Russian President Vladimir Putin, with insults directed toward the British. Yuck-yuck! Unfortunately, their private conversation was recorded by a journalist and published.

From the UK Telegraph:

Anglo-French tensions heightened last night after Jacques Chirac delivered a series of insults to Britain as London and Paris fought to secure the 2012 Olympic Games and faced fresh disagreement at the G8 summit.

The president, chatting to the German and Russian leaders in a Russian cafe, said: "The only thing [the British] have ever given European farming is mad cow." Then, like generations of French people before him, he also poked fun at British cuisine.

"You can't trust people who cook as badly as that," he said. "After Finland, it's the country with the worst food."

"But what about hamburgers?" said Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, referring to America.

"Oh no, hamburgers are nothing in comparison," Mr Chirac said.

Mr Putin and Gerhard Schroeder, the German chancellor, laughed. Mr Chirac then recalled how George Robertson, the former Nato secretary general and a former defence secretary in Tony Blair's Cabinet, had once made him try an "unappetising" Scottish dish, apparently meaning haggis.

"That's where our problems with Nato come from," he said.

Mr Schroeder and Mr Putin laughed again.

The fact that Chirac jokes about NATO by making a correlation between foreign policy and the lunch menu provides some explanation why even Chirac's own people are less and less fond of him. If I were French, I'd be embarrassed by Chirac's statements and then I'd emigrate.

Companion post at Interested-Participant.

Posted by: Mike Pechar at 08:50 AM | Comments (27) | Add Comment
Post contains 351 words, total size 3 kb.

1 Saw an interview from 1994? with Sandra Day O'Connor on Booknotes/C-span. She grew up on a cattle ranch in Arizona. She said that if you coat mountain oysters in bread crumbs and fry them they are quite tasty. Wonder if Jacque would approve?

Posted by: jack at July 05, 2005 09:22 AM (B54dL)

2 I noticed that no other news agency is touching this. Replace "Chirac" with "Bush". Wonder if it'd get picked up then?

Posted by: j.d. at July 05, 2005 09:28 AM (9/aPS)

3 LMAO! To be perfectly honest, I thought that was pretty funny! Notice how Putin then attempts to bait him even further by asking him "what about hamburgers?" But Chirac is too kind goes after haggis instead.

Posted by: Carlos at July 05, 2005 09:37 AM (8e/V4)

4 Come on...you gotta have a sense of humor. Anyone who doesn't find this funny needs to lighten up! I mean he didn't even touch on English people's crooked yellow teeth, or that common fetal alcohol syndrome look our fish and chips crowd have. You know what? English food DOES suck!! I've been there and will confirm this! French food is amazing on the other hand, so there is some truth in the joke after all. Plus, everyone picks on the French. They are the source of most of our common jokes, so who cares if Chirac thumbs his quiche covered nose at a bunch of pasty limeys eating deep fried crap out of recycled newspaper. Good for him!

Posted by: osamabeenhiding at July 05, 2005 11:24 AM (klOV8)

5 osama: try keeping up with the times, selling fish & chips wrapped in newspaper is not allowed. because of health laws. unlike America the U.K tends to care more about health & hygiene in food. Most places may use clean paper with "fake" newsprint for that authentic feel.

Posted by: dave at July 05, 2005 11:31 AM (fsJ2z)

6 I agree, Osama. (And hamburgers are German, no?) I say it's a tiny flash of healthy nationalism of sorts. No big deal.

Posted by: Young Bourbon Professional at July 05, 2005 11:34 AM (x+5JB)

7 Like SNAILS,/i> are God's gift to gastronomy? And force-feeding a damn duck until it's liver explodes is haute-elegant? Pleeze, try the cheeze - it smells like ze cow's renal fluidz. Coq-au-van is nothing more than stewed chicken, not even bar-b-que - sheesh.

Posted by: -keith in mtn. view at July 05, 2005 11:53 AM (hgd/M)

8 FYI- the Finish quip arrises from Italy's Berlesconi (sp?). He got in trouble a few weeks ago saying that the Finish have the worst food in Europe, after he tried some venison or something. So there he is bringing up an issue in the form of a joke that he knew got another head of stae in trouble- nitwit.

Posted by: Max at July 05, 2005 12:25 PM (HFKAk)

9 Man, I can't believe anyone would defend English food! Dave...when I had it it was in real newspaper and I wanted to gag, but not after I realized if I kept chewing I'd have a instant heart attack. YBP: Healthy indeed. Keith: Dude, if you're going to pick on the methods of French food preparation, get your ass to a local slaughterhouse. Or better yet, visit a fucking chicken farm and see how nice the USA is to our food sources. A little Monsanto can go a long way as well...so keep drinking your laced milk. If you're going to say a hot-dog isn't gross compared to Escargot, maybe you prefer eating pig lips and assholes? I'm also not saying ALL French food is good...but most of it is amazing. Don't choke on your "freedom fries" and expand your cuisine a bit. There are plenty of amazing foods out there, regardless of your politics or faux-PETA stance...

Posted by: osamabeenvotin' at July 05, 2005 12:53 PM (klOV8)

10 Actually, I've heard most conservative Republicans should stay away from pretzels...can anyone confirm this?

Posted by: osamabeenvotin' at July 05, 2005 12:55 PM (klOV8)

11 As someone whom possesses several British H&H certificates myself, I get more nervous being in an American fast food resturant than I would eating in Britain. Here is a list of things that are enforced in the U.K that are not here: 1. complete ban of wooden cutting blocks, and preparation equipment with wooden handles (germs) 2. Color coordinated knives and cutting boards to stop cross contamination of food, White = Diary, Yellow = Cooked Meat, Red = Raw Meat, Blue = Fish, Green = Vegatables. (my vegetarian friend was at a Subway, when they cut his sub with the same knife as one they used for cutting meat which defeats the purpose) 3. All people preparing food must wear hair nets, and a hat and also a clean apron (prefably disposable) people serving food wear disposable gloves, all food handlers must pass at least Basic H&H exam. 4. code enforcement on exposed pipes (condensation drips dirt) cracked floor/wall tiles (breeds germs), metallic cutting surfaces etc. 5. Vegetables and food goods stored at least 6" off the floor on raised platforms. I wish they would enact some of that into Law here, just looking at the food prep areas through a fast food resturant window here is enough for me to stop and buy bismuth just in case!

Posted by: dave at July 05, 2005 01:21 PM (fsJ2z)

12 Sorry I blew my italics; To make coq au vin you start with a miripoix, that's carrots celery and onion, with a boquet garni once those have wilted. Normally you use a capon, that's French for an old rooster - they're tough thus the long cooking time and the half bottle of wine (or more) as a tenderizer. I know how to cook French food, and Italian, and Indian - And I have eaten escargot - you should try my osso bucco or shrimp curry. The French are simply not immune from food-choice criticism. Some hotdogs, if you know which ones to choose, are made entirely from beef brisket - not a collection if lips and other parts - US food preparation and production has come quite a ways since the writings of life-long Socialist Party cadre Upton Sincalir.

Posted by: -keith in mtn. view at July 05, 2005 03:35 PM (hgd/M)

13 hey now, ive been to England, for 2 weeks on my honeymoon and i and my wife enjoyed the English food we had there....yes, we did have some other ethnic food as well such as Italian and American but most of the food we did have was of English origin....French food???...ive had it and i wasnt impressed one fucking bit...the French have only that and wine going for them????...thats why these assholes are so high and mighty???...please...far as im concerned, Italian food is much better than something French covered in so much sauce, i havent a clue what it even is...no thanks.....Chirac needs to get a new personality instead ofd being such a rude asshole all the time...acts like he has a broomstick stuck up his ass.....and being that the French are the least liked people in Europe, i wonder how the French people feel about their tightass brave leader, who constantly makes them all{ the French people} look so bad

Posted by: THANOS35 at July 05, 2005 03:43 PM (efQfG)

14 Give me toast over croissants any day...French food is about as solid and wholesome as their military history. All talk and no bottle.

Posted by: Jester at July 05, 2005 05:19 PM (QKZX5)

15 Croissants originated in Austria, to celebrate victory over the Ottoman Turks, who had beseiged Vienna.

Posted by: -keith in mtn. view at July 05, 2005 06:43 PM (hgd/M)

16 Hahaha: "i wonder how the French people feel about their tightass brave leader, who constantly makes them all{ the French people} look so bad" THANO, replace the word "French" with "American"!

Posted by: osamabeenvotin' at July 05, 2005 07:34 PM (fLj+Q)

17 Croissants originated in Austria, to celebrate victory over the Ottoman Turks, who had beseiged Vienna. Well I never knew that. Seems like the French can't even take credit for the staple of their breakfast table. I do admire their arrogance though..fancy thinking French is a more significant language than English for example.

Posted by: Jester at July 05, 2005 08:45 PM (QKZX5)

18 I predict "Old Europe" will be at war with each other again before too long. Hope the French and Germans have a trained military before that happens.

Posted by: opine6 at July 06, 2005 05:31 AM (YyWmH)

19 Rocky Mountain oysters, eh? Ah, my cousins give so freely of their lives for the pleasure of others. The French have created some of the best sauces in the world, but they were originally created simply to cover the taste of the rancid meat they were eating in the days before refrigeration. Likewise their perfume. It was invented to cover their body odor. Only problem is - there have always been baths.

Posted by: Oyster at July 06, 2005 07:19 AM (YudAC)

20 Jacques has a distressingly good point. I'm a brit, and I don't like our food much either. 'Cept for fish'n'chips, which (when properly done) are the most gorgeous thing on earth.

Posted by: James A. at July 06, 2005 10:02 AM (U4bBP)

21 Say what you will about the English, Monsieur Jacques, but.... "London was awarded the 2012 Olympics on Wednesday, defeating European rival Paris in the final round of voting to bring the games to the British capital for the first time since 1948." (www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1120616707566) NO OLYMIPICS FOR YOU!!! ...you sophisticated raciste perdant, you!. Maybe you can get Jacques Kerry to console you by massaging votre joues endolories de bout. After all, what ARE friends for, eh?

Posted by: coup-de-pied dans le pantalon at July 06, 2005 12:51 PM (2vX1h)

22 Say what you will about the English, Monsieur Jacques, but.... "London was awarded the 2012 Olympics on Wednesday, defeating European rival Paris in the final round of voting to bring the games to the British capital for the first time since 1948." http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1120616707566 NO OLYMIPICS FOR YOU!!! ...you sophisticated raciste perdant, you!. Maybe you can get Jacques Kerry to console you by massaging votre joues endolories de bout. After all, what ARE friends for, eh?

Posted by: coup-de-pied dans le pantalon at July 06, 2005 12:59 PM (o5z2M)

23 Say what you will about the English, Monsieur Jacques, but.... "London was awarded the 2012 Olympics on Wednesday, defeating European rival Paris in the final round of voting to bring the games to the British capital for the first time since 1948." (www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1120616707566) ON OLYMIPICS FOR YOU, you sophisticated racist looser!.

Posted by: coup-de-pied dans le pantalon at July 06, 2005 12:59 PM (o5z2M)

24 OOPS! Sorry for repeats. Kept getting odd error msgs., (saying things were wrong, when they apparently weren't) indicating post not accepted. I'll only hit button once from now on, really.

Posted by: embarassed at July 06, 2005 01:03 PM (o5z2M)

25 Hey Finn, if youÂ’re out there, check this out; "You can't trust people who cook as badly as that," he said. "After Finland, it's the country with the worst food."Â…Chirac What the heck do you guys eat in Finland anyway? Is it really just venison, eel and herring every day?

Posted by: Brad at July 06, 2005 01:39 PM (3OPZt)

26 Finn's busy "fishing, drinking and working his "summer job"" so he can afford some French food.

Posted by: Oyster at July 06, 2005 07:46 PM (YudAC)

27 Wait till he goes into the Army. If food in Finland is the worst in Europe, Finnish MREÂ’s must really suck.

Posted by: Brad at July 07, 2005 01:16 PM (3OPZt)

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