Au Revoir to All That

France is in a rut, and so is French cuisine. Twenty-five years ago it was hard to have a bad meal in France; now, in some cities and towns, it is a challenge to find even a decent baguette. For the first time in the annals of modern cuisine, the most influential chefs and the most talked-about restaurants are not French. Large segments of the French wine industry are in crisis, cherished artisanal cheeses are threatened with extinction, and bistros and brasseries are disappearing at an alarming rate. But business is brisk at some establishments: France has become the second most-profitable market in the world for McDonald's. In this sharp, funny and passionate book, Michael Steinberger looks at the problems of French cuisine in the context of the political, economic and social crises that beset the nation and asks, How did this happen? And what is being done to reverse France's slide?