Why you shouldn't cut your salad in France and more...

Scientists say that there is no limit to the amount of information the human brain can learn.  I haven’t had a science class since high school so I’m going to take their word for it.  My brain has been working overtime lately with a new language, monetary system, measurement system (America I think it is time we converted to metrics) not to mention all of the recipes and cooking techniques I have been learning.  In addition to all the important information I have been occupied with I have retained a few random pieces of knowledge that I thought you may find interesting:

·        In France cutting the lettuce in your salad goes against les protocols.  The French use their knives to help fold the greens onto the tines of their forks.  This tradition apparently dates back hundreds of years to a time when cutlery was made with metal that would leave a metallic taste when cutting through delicate salad greens.  Therefore, no one cuts lettuce with a knife (even though cutlery has since improved). 

Excusez-moi, je suis américaine and folding lettuce onto a fork is too hard for me!

·        The French also consider it rude, as well as pretentious, to cut the tip off a wedge of cheese.  To correctly serve yourself a piece of cheese you should cut along the side of the wedge.  Unless of course you are eating the whole wedge, then cut it however you like.

·        Many of you have probably heard of cream of tartar; it is a white powder that is often found in meringue recipes because it stabilizes egg whites.  What you may not know is that it is a byproduct of winemaking.  Also known as potassium bitartrate, it forms as crystals on the inside of wine barrels and is collected and purified to create what we know as cream of tartar.

·         If you burn yourself immediately pour vinegar on the burn.  Doing so will ease some of the pain and prevent a blister from forming.

·        Bacteria starts growing in whipping cream 20 minutes after it has been removed from the refrigerator.

·        Technically, “champagne” only comes from the Champagne region of France and everything else is “sparkling wine” (except for Prosecco which is an Italian sparkling wine and a whole other set of rules).  The French are very protective of their entitlement to this word and in 1891 it became illegal in the European Union to call sparkling wine “champagne” unless it came from the Champagne region.  France is so serious about their right to this term that they made sure the law was reiterated in the Treaty of Versailles; one of the documents that officially ended WWI.  As you history buffs know, the U.S. never ratified the Treaty of Versailles and as a result didn’t recognize France’s exclusive right to the use of “champagne” until 2006.  You can still buy champagne produced in the U.S. if the producer was calling their product “champagne” before 2006.  However, I’m sure if you ask a French person if they would like a glass of California champagne they would let you know that c'est du vin mousseux.

·        To correctly open a bottle of Champagne you should hold the cork and twist the bottle.  That’s what she said.  Sorry, I had to do it before someone beat me to the punch line.

·        Lager is the most commonly sold beer in the world.  It was invented in the Czech Republic when it was discovered if you let beer sit in barrels the particles will settle to the bottom and result in a lighter, semi-transparent beer as opposed to ale which is thicker and opaque.   

·        Anheuser-Busch’s Budweiser is one of the most popular beers in the U.S., but it was not the first Budweiser in the world.  Budweiser, a lager-style beer, was first produced in the 18^th century in Bohemia (now Czech Republic).  After being inspired during a trip to Bohemia Adolphus Busch started producing a lager beer in the U.S. in 1876 that he called Budweiser.  The Czech Budweiser, now known as Budweiser Budvar, claimed that Mr. Busch stole their recipe and name.  I think they could have taken a few tips from the French when it comes to trade marking.  The companies fought legal battles for years and it was only in 2007 that they reached an agreement that said both companies could use the name Budweiser, but could not distribute their beer in the same countries under the same name.  As a result, you can find the Czech Budweiser in the U.S. but it is called Czechvar. 

 

A Budweiser Budvar label



A Czechvar label

I learned about Czech beer and the Budweiser conflict a few months ago during a beer tour in Prague.  It just so happens that I have also visited the Anheuser-Busch factory in St. Louis.  While I don't recall any mention of lawsuits during the St. Louis tour I did remember a beautiful factory complete with a Clydesdale stable.  Perhaps Mr. Busch did take too much inspiration from the Budweiser Budvar brand, but he sure did know how to market it!

I hope you pass the knowledge on and share these tips and anecdotes with your friends!

Bisou, bisou,

Maggie

P.S. For those of you interested in reading more about an expat's take on French culture check out some of my favorite books: 

The Sweet Life in Paris is written by a former American pastry chef.  Talk to the Snail and A Year in the Merde are written by a funny British man.   

 “Knowledge is the food of the soul.”

-Plato