Hit the Road, Jacque

Mike Daley sent in this tasty Washington Post story:

An American backlash against French products and businesses has started to bite, dashing hopes here that appeals in the United States to punish France economically for opposing the war in Iraq would go unheeded.

American importers of French wine are reporting sharp drops in sales in the past two months, and other French products also have been affected. The Federation of Wine Exporters has called a meeting Thursday to discuss how to respond.

The nation’s principal business federation took the unusual step of publicly acknowledging the problem, conceding today that sales, recruitment and business contacts have been hurt. It appealed to consumers and businesses to keep political differences from affecting commerce.

Melissa and I love wine and cheese, but we’re not buying French anymore. Napa and Australia easily match French wines, and often at a better price. We can’t eat brie — but Italy’s Parmeggiano-Reggiano beats anything made in France. And we traded in our Peugeot for a nice Spanish car.

OK, that last one was a joke. But you get the idea — support the countries who support us.