U.S. gourmets still like it French

By Elizabeth Olson

International Herald Tribune

WASHINGTON 'Freedom fries" may have symbolized U.S.-French relations for
the last two years, but when it comes to good food - cooking it or
eating it - Americans are still crazy about things French.

Over the past holiday season, French truffles, paté and Champagne flew
off the shelves, American importers say. Foie gras - which sells for
about $250 a kilo, or $115 a pound - was also wildly popular, defying
the high euro and some import complications.

Half a dozen cookbooks, one of the season's most popular gift items,
were about French food, including several best sellers: Ina Garten's
"Barefoot in Paris," "Bouchon" by Thomas Keller and "Joie de Vivre" by
Robert Arbor, a transplanted Frenchman. After her death, Julia Child
remains in the top 75 best sellers, according to most lists.

So, is all forgiven? The History Channel trumpeted a documentary about
the French Revolution with an ad that said: "For Two Hours, It Won't
Kill You to Love the French," which reflects some of the anger that has
lingered since 2003, when the government of President Jacques Chirac
outspokenly opposed the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.

These days, the French are less often the butt of late-night television
comedy, but some media still refer to the French in derisive terms, and
"freedom fries" and "freedom toast" continue to supplant the French
versions on menus in the Congress.

To be sure, the people buying high-priced French products in gourmet
stores do not represent the whole population. For many Americans,
negative feelings are still strong, but there are signs of a thaw. Some
members of the House of Representatives agreed last year to join Senate
counterparts in a caucus for better communication on issues involving
Paris and Washington.

After the U.S. election, and the elections in Iraq on Jan. 30, France
and the United States appear to be edging toward a rapprochement. When
President George W. Bush travels to Europe this month, he will meet
Chirac - in Brussels.

For affluent Americans, the culinary love affair with France seems to be
a constant. Garten's book anchored the top end of Christmas season
best-seller lists, according to bookranking.com. "Barefoot in Paris" is
both a compilation of recipes and a paean to French cooking and "the
wonderful celebration of food that you find on every street corner, in
every neighborhood."

Also selling well were "Jacques Pepin: Fast Food My Way," "Anthony
Bourdain's Les Halles Cookbook" on classic bistro cooking and "Guy
Savoy: Simple French Recipes for the Home Cook," by the three-star chef.

And several importers of French goods saw no slack in gourmet sales.
Kristin Motyka, head of the online company French Country Home, said she
had encountered some negative remarks at a gift and foods show in
Pittsburgh last year, but not elsewhere. Her one-year-old business,
which concentrates on foods from the south of France, is flourishing,
she said.

Ariane Daguin, co-owner of the New Jersey food importer D'Artagnan, said
sales of black truffles from France were up 25 percent during the
holidays. Truffles retail for nearly $75 for a seven-ounce jar at the
Gourmet Food Store in Florida.

In Millerton, New York, Kristen Nweeia, owner of the Splendid Palate, a
retail store that also offers sales online, said her business felt only
a one-month slump in 2003 from the American irritation with France. In
recent months, she said, "we couldn't keep foie gras on the shelves."
Tapenade, olives, oils, dressings and fig purée also had "very strong"
sales, she said.

Perennials like Champagne and French cheeses had soaring sales last
year, said Christian Berger, commercial attaché at the French Embassy
here. Sales of cheese in the United States increased nearly 20 percent
in 2004 from the previous year, Berger said, adding that 2003 sales
amounted to ¤101 million; final 2004 figures are not yet available.

And U.S. government statistics show that Champagne sales were up 4.5
percent in volume, part of a $600 million increase last year in French
imported goods.

Then just as post-holiday guilt was setting in, another book about the
French caught the fancy of food-obsessed Americans - "French Women Don't
Get Fat: The Secret of Eating for Pleasure," by Mireille Guiliano, chief
executive officer of the French Champagne house Veuve Cliquot. Although
it advocates un-American activities like regular meals, it vaulted to
the No. 2 spot on Barnes & Noble's best-seller list last month.

Clearly, not all Americans are still buying into the Francophobia of
political circles, if they ever did. Motyka of French Country Home says
this is because Americans "long for the lifestyle of Europe."
Christopher Hewat, who shops often for French foods, agrees. "There's a
kind of romance associated with things French for my generation," said
Hewat, a 55-year-old sculptor from Salisbury, Connecticut. Would he
boycott French goods to make a political statement? "Are you kidding?"
he said. "Political dustups come and go, but the French sensibility
remains. I don't think forgoing goat cheese would send a message to a
political capital."