A stereotype about French food exists, perhaps unfairly, that it embodies a sophistication and deliciousness unrivaled by most other cuisines. Part of it is the French attitude which is thought to accompany it—one of leisure and fine taste, that relishes spending time with friends over a wine-flanked meal of rich and buttery (but also impossibly fresh) dishes that were prepared by a chef who truly understands the meaning of "gourmet."But there's a reason that stereotypes are just that—stereotypes, and not facts. Do you really know where your moules came from when you step into a random tourist-stuffed bistro near the Louvre? Or whether your pain au chocolat was truly baked that same morning when you make a stop at the pâtisserie?Prepare for your Francophilic culinary dreams to be shattered: it turns out that between 31 percent and 70 percent—depending on who you ask—of French bistros and brasseries are just serving pre-made food that they've reheated.Xavier Denamur, a successful Parisian restaurateur who owns five different brasseries around town such as Les Philosophes and L'Etoile Manquante, has been causing a cultural commotion with his recent claim that more than two-thirds of French restaurants are serving microwaved food purchased from catalogs and wholesalers.The UK's Times reports that in his new book Et Si on se Mettait Enfin a Table?, Denamur "has infuriated the country's culinary establishment by revealing trade secrets about practices that he condemns as cheating." Although a 2014 survey by catering union Synhorcat revealed that about 31 percent of full-service restaurants were serving pre-made foods on the low, Denamur's claim more than doubles that number—raising alarm bells for the growing constituency of French food industry officials who are concerned about the deteriorating quality of local cuisine.Only five of France's restaurants made it into last year's prestigious World's 50 Best Restaurant Awards, a surprisingly low number for the nation that invented the Michelin star system. And according to the Telegraph, French foreign minister Laurent Fabius has been pushing for a "gastrono-diplomacy drive," aiming to rebolster the culinary standards that the European country was once known for, including mandatory labeling that signifies whether restaurants are preparing their food "fait maison"—i.e., from scratch using fresh ingredients.Why the decline? Other celebrated chefs such as Alain Ducasse and Michel Roux Sr. have argued that growing labor and employment costs are taking a toll on restaurant management and food quality. "France is in danger of losing its proud food culture and traditions, not to mention its gastronomic supremacy," Roux said.The bad news: French food just ain't what it used to be. But, the good news: you can now make fries in your microwave and claim that they're authentically français.
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