Story Archive

Just Add Cheese and Whine

In the past, France had a law limiting holidays for bakers so that there wouldn’t be a shortage of fresh bread during the summer holiday season. But the laws were overturned in the “choc de simplification” effort, allowing bakers to choose their own vacation schedule for the first time since the French Revolution. Sure enough, this summer there has been a shortage of baguettes. “So, we’ve taken to buying those strange half-cooked mini baguettes from my local supermarket and putting them in the oven,” complains one victim. “Only the ‘bad’ [bakeries] stayed open,” complained another. A third says the shortage has left the country “paralyzed,” adding, “We have decapitated people in this country for less.” (RC/London Telegraph) ...Let them eat cake.