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.
If you’re into the boycott thing (I’m not) you probably don’t want to look to Spanish products – 90% of the population was against the US in the recent diplo-dust up. In fact, you’ll have a hard time finding any US-sympathetic population anywhere in Europe. Poland maybe…
That’s one of the reasons I’m against boycotting. There weren’t a lot of countries (not governments – populations) backing the US on this one. Of course, they’re starting to change their tunes now.
I won’t forget their original song, though. Wankers.
TO: Stephen
RE: Boycott!!!
I like wine and cheese to. So much so that I’ve learned how to make my own chardonney AND, subsequently, champagne. I’ll get my reds from California and Australia. The last bottle of French I had bought, a couple of years ago, tried to kill me when the top cracked and splintered as I was attempting to open it. [How niiiiiice.....]
Furthermore, I’ve learned how to make my own Boursine (sic) herb and garlic.
Now if I could just find a good source of an American made brie….
Or I should try that Italian stuff you mentioned.
Regards,
Chuck(le)
I said au revoir to my Yoplait yogurt and replaced it with Breyer’s yogurt. No more German beer, either.
Also from the article:
“Certain French enterprises are suffering today from the differences that have arisen among states over the Iraqi question,” the Movement of French Enterprises (Medef) said. “It is necessary to say to those who are unhappy with the positions of French diplomacy that they are free to criticize, but they must keep products and services of our enterprises outside their quarrel.”
How very French . . . if we’re unhappy, we should just TALK about it, but not DO anything. You’d think the French would realize by now that we Americans take ACTION, even if its just in passing up the Brie and chardonnay.
Don’t worry about the cheese. There are plenty of great American chesse-makers these days. Try these guys: http://www.blacksheepcheese.com/pages/cheesemain.html
Some of the best camembert in the world.
Mmm…German beer…
Stephen,
Vodka ? You know it doesn’t get any better than Russian.
Cheers,
The large difference in American reaction to the French and Germans is that their governments actively tried to aid our enemies and pitted themselves against us. We Americans hate backstabbers and I think this is why such a visceral reaction has occurred. The other European states out there certainly showed anti-war sentiments, but their governments acted responsibly, doing the right thing, not the popular thing.
I hear Bulgarian wines are also good, and the Bulgars were part of the Coalition of the Willing.
Want a good German beer that doesn’t come from Germany? Christian Moerlein is brewed in the USA, made with an authentically German recipe. Best I’ve ever had.
Czech (were they with us ? I hope so) beer is terrific, and not just Pilsner Urquel (the standard bearer for an entire genre).
Polish vodka has some strong entries (buffalo grass variety is a favorite), and they had troops on the ground.
Cheers,
The Czechs sent some chemical decontamination troops (fortunately never needed, but they also serve who only stand and wait)–guess I’ll have to give their beer a try.
Czech beer is pretty good… Ever hear of Buddweiser?
Buy your cheese from Wisconsin!
Black Diamond Cheddar w/almonds. From Sam’s. I think it’s from behind the cheddar curtain (Wisconsin).
No more boursin for me either!
The other European states out there certainly showed anti-war sentiments, but their governments acted responsibly, doing the right thing, not the popular thing.
Yeah, do whatever YOU think it’s right. People are nothing but fools, whether here or in europe or elsewhere…Good Job Man
Kalifornia wines? Arent we boycotting them too? Aussie wines are awesome and very nicely priced. Shiraz is the best for me anyway.
How about that? Frogs can squeal just like little piggies!! Which will be banned once sharia replaces current French law.
I haven’t had Spaten Optimator in weeks.
Sometimes I get the shakes real hard.
Don’t believe the hype, Doc, California is pro-war, too. Even the SF Bay Area.
Okay, I won’t be buying any Uzbek luxury cars in the near future, but the master list of Coalition nations is a good starting point for your boycott planning.
Re cheese, I’ve been eating a lot of Humboldt Fog ch
So, do you have the multi-talented Vodka wife learning to make brie yet? I know she makes a wonder ‘Brie en Croute’…
Drunk pool tonight?
As Steely Dan once put it, “Spanish kissin’, see it glisten.”
Coming to America soon.Monaro
You know, to a lot of US consumers, the Coalition could be a great new brand…
I just went to a yuppie food store — I bought Spanish cheese and Aussie wine — and I would have loved to have seen a big fat “100% COALITION” label on those products. Kinda like “Intel Inside,” but it’d actually mean something.
Any takers? (I’d better label this idea (c)2003 SF Rightist!
That’s why they call it the undisputed king of all cheeses…
Geeze, Floyd, did you have to remind me? No more Spaten & no more Trappist Ale until the Weasels start to do right again. ::sigh:: I would boycott the French, except that I wasn’t buying any French products before the most recent back-stabbing. Should I get a hankerin’ for fermented potatoes, I’ll stick with Rain.
Jacob’s Creek, Wyndham Estate, and Carrington are Australian wineries, but are owned by Pernod Ricard, the French booze conglomerate. A list of Pernod Ricard brands can be found here. If you’re really serious about hurting French pocketbooks, Just looking at the label isn’t enough, particularly with booze.
Regarding Czech beer, Pilsner Urquell is one of the world’s very best pilsner beers. Lots of hops, with plenty of malt to balance the hops’ bitterness. Ummmm.
Riyadh delenda est!
I tried a Romanian wine the other day. Not bad at all. I like the marketing, the label states it is a product of Transylvania. Pretty funny for a brand named Vampire.
I am not surprised at all that the French products are hurting. Remember that prior to the Russians going into Afganistan Stoly was THE premium vodka. The backlash againist that invasion was so strong that Stoly never has recovered its market share.
Brits make the world’s best beer, at least the best outside of some Trappist monastery. But fuckit, I’m just going back to business as usual. We’re saving up for a new kid, so it’s cheap American beer for a while.
I personally don’t like the boycotting thing. I don’t like what the French did, but I think artificial market pressures aren’t the way to go. Plus, I’m too damned lazy to check whether my vodka is produced by some non-coalition nation.
David, I’ve got a slightly used kid for sale, really cheap…
Hey Guys and Gals, Don’t forget that there are other States that have EXCELLENT wines. Oregon and Washington are right up there with some of Californias best. Don’t even have to leave the country. Buy American!!! And Red Hook beer ain’t bad!
“Our paradigm now seems to be: something terrible happened to us on September 11, and that gives us the right to interpret all future events in a way that everyone else in the world must agree with us”.
“And if they don’t, they can go straight to hell.”
Clinton said that sooner or later the United States had to find a way to cooperate with the world at large.
“We can’t run,” Clinton pointed out. “If you got an interdependent world, and you cannot kill, jail or occupy all your adversaries, sooner or later you have to make a deal.”
He said he believed Washington overreacted to German and French opposition to US plans for military action against Iraq and suggested that the current administration had trouble juggling foreign and domestic issues.
“Since September 11, it looks like we can’t hold two guns at the same time, If you fight terrorism, you can’t make America a better place to be.”
- May just a little bit of wisdom be with you -
Spanish cheeses are better than French any day, IMHO. Just taste Valdeon & then try to eat Roquefort again.
As to wines, I’ve always found French to be overpriced & overrated (seems to be a trend). Cali’s are better. Aussies make some wonderful reds (Shiraz, Cabs, etc) but their whites aren’t so great. Penfolds are probably the best of the Aussie houses.
Chile has a great & growing industry too.
> “We can’t run,” Clinton pointed out. “If you got an interdependent world, and you cannot kill, jail or occupy all your adversaries, sooner or later you have to make a deal.”
Yes, but the timing of the deal matters. The deal that we could have made with Germany in 1942 would have been very different than the deal we made a couple of years later.
Does the ex-President believe that we haven’t improved our negotiating position?
Francis, anything less than ten years shy of pounding-in-the-bung age is too old. And currently we’re shopping amongst kids who don’t have a home. But send on pics n specs and maybe we can work out a deal. A few years back we were looking to adopt a teenager or two to keep the garden weeded, but we moved out of that place.
You can get domestic brie, VodkaP!
I used to be a big Grey Goose vodka fan. Fortunately they just came out with an AMERICAN ultra primium vodka. Shakers. Six times distilled – very smooth ride.
http://www.infinitespirits.com
I want to participate in a boycott..really I DO!
But my hubbly blew it big time by getting us a brand spankin’ new BMW 330i. I love it so much…I couldnt’ possibly return it. Especially since the war has gone so well and all. Hardly seems necessary.
Then I blew it by purchasing the new Escada fragrance ‘Ibiza Hippie.’ I should have read the label BEFORE I got home and sprayed it all over the dog. Right on the box, in black and white…MADE IN FRANCE. D’oh. I think Escada sounds Spanish.
My husband loves Grey Goose Vodka but that is Canadian and presents an issue as well.
LOL Cheddar curtain!
Oh, yeah one more thing! If the person that was interested in procuring a teenager for yardwork changes his mind again…I have one slightly used teen. He has gardening experience as well as limited experience waiting tables. No extra charge for the surly attitude or the baggy pants.
Now this is getting really embarasing! I just noticed my brand new shoes were made by Paul Green in Munchen! I can’t seem to get the hang of this boycott thing.
Only Australian & California wines? I discovered Italians a few years ago and never looked back at the expensive French, Australian and Californians. A $10.00 Chianti can be as good as any and you can’t beat Brunellos or Amarones for special occasions.
How is it that with all this talk of avoiding German beers, no one has mentioned Sam Adams? Hard to get much more American than that, and it’s a darned good beer.
Italy’s Pinot Grigios and Soaves are to die for. Anselmi is a current favorite house. Also, Gaetano D’Aquino produces a pinot grigio, a chianti, and a Sangiovese that are very nice, and all to be had at Trader Joe’s for under $6.
On the cheese front, Parmeggiano-Reggiano is no substitute for Camembert, but American-made Camembert and Brie do exist. If I’m remembering correctly, Ile-de-France is actually an American brand with a French name. Though I don’t know who owns the brand.
Samuel Adams always struck me as a Bass Ale wannabe. Not bad – terrific, in fact, for an American beer – but not Bass. And Bass is British, so no boycott problems.
Cheers,
If you want to get really serious about boycotting France, boycott Vivendi. They own Universal Studios. (Coming soon: Bruce Almighty, The Hulk, The Fast and the Furious 2, American Pie 3). They also publish video games (Blizzard and Sierra games) and music (No Doubt, Sting, U2, Limp Bizkit). Here’s their website:
http://www.vivendiuniversal.com/vu2/en/what_we_do/_search.cfm?IdUnit=5
Oh, and they run MP3.com
Stephen, I respect your decision and right to boycott whatever you choose, but in my opinion, you are a blowhard.
Boycotting French items aren’t going to do a damn thing.
I respect your effort to do something, though.
The Liberal,
OH YES IT DOES. The winos (i mean vineyards) have no special rights to be protected from the enraged consumer. The wine makers now officially hate Chirac. I have a feeling he may be out of office by the next election.
By being pissy and vengeful, we risk becoming…well, French….but you’ve got to learn to pay the piper if you wan’t to choose the tune.
ditariel,
your local source of power
Virginia has good wines too:
http://www.williamsburgwinery.com/pages/main.htm
just to name one vineyard that I really like.
The Virgina Wine Festival is held every summer. Lots of good tasting local products there. Keep the US strong and keep your neighbors employed!