6 ms·

The new sign on French menus

70 points by dmmalam 12y ago

devindotcom 12y ago
Nice little graphic, though I'm not sure it will get across the "home-made" message to tourists. And I tend to agree with the skeptical guy in the article that it will end up more trouble than it's worth.
CountHackulus 12y ago
If you do your research beforehand, and don't just follow a huge queue of tourists off a bus and into a restaurant, you'll likely have a much better experience.
- NickWarner775 12y ago
  100% agree. You need to do a good amount of research before traveling anywhere, let alone somewhere with as much of a restaurant scene as France.
- swimfar 12y ago
  Except that it's not that easy even for the French. I'm sure the law wasn't passed for tourists. Even some fancier restaurants were found to have been just warming up pre-made dishes. If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? Although, I do agree that a small bit of research will get you away from the touristy restaurants and into some more "local" places. Sometimes it's even just a matter of getting off the main streets.
  - dragonwriter 12y ago
    > Even some fancier restaurants were found to have been just warming up pre-made dishes. If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? If the meal provides experienced utility (enjoyment, etc.) that justifies the cost, why do you care?
    - seszett 12y ago
      > If the meal provides experienced utility (enjoyment, etc.) that justifies the cost, why do you care? Why wouldn't you care? Knowing that the meal has been prepared by the restaurant instead of an industrial factory somewhere does improve my enjoyment of it. A meal at a restaurant is more than just taste and nutrients.
    - dfxm12 12y ago
      Prepackaged foods tend to be loaded with preservatives and who-knows-what-else. I know it's naive to think all restaurants are only using fresh ingredients, but a lot of restaurants also claim to use the freshest ingredients, when they aren't. Also, you don't know if it will provide enjoyment to justify the cost before you eat it...
    - baby 12y ago
      Because this is not what you expect when you go to a restaurant and they sell you a "house made apple pie" that they just bought frozen and added a house made cream to it. They do that in many restaurants and I believe they won't be able to do it after the new law is passed.
  - VeejayRampay 12y ago
    Indeed. As a Parisian, I can confirm that it's not easy. The worst part being that traditional French cuisine is slowly disappearing and making room for globalized food court variety dishes like stupid burgers, "Chinese" fast food, döner kebaps and myriad of pasta places, each one more bland than the other one. I couldn't believe my eyes when I came back from Canada to discover that burgers were all the rage amongst the Parisian 30-something affluent class. How we've fallen :/ Mustn't be easy for tourists really, your only option if you don't know the few places that still go the traditional way nowadays is to either get out of Paris and travel to the countryside or shell out for premium restaurants at 100 euros a meal.
    - bostonvaulter2 12y ago
      So do you have any recommendations for traditional French cuisine in Paris? Especially any lesser known ones?
  - eurleif 12y ago
    >If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? Ask them whether the food is homemade, and if they refuse to tell you, assume it isn't? Sure, they could lie, but that's already illegal. If there's consumer demand for home-made food at restaurants, why can't they start advertising home-made dishes on their own? Why is a mandate necessary?
    - cgrand-net 12y ago
      Because "home-made" has no strict (legal) definition so it's not illegal to lie or to approximate (the topping is home-made).
ddebernardy 12y ago
Or, you can stick to restaurants with menus that offer a handful of dishes only -- say a dozen at most. If they carry more than that, the logistics involved to get the ingredients fresh rules out that anything is home made.
nestlequ1k 12y ago
To take a contrarian point of view, I have to agree with one of the chef's in the article. If I knew buying a prepackaged type of food would taste better to customers than what I can make in house 99% of the time, then wouldn't it be pretty stupid not to use that instead? I've been using an automated espresso machine at home and what it makes tastes better than most of the fancy coffee shops in San Francisco. When stuff gets automated it takes that fun out of things, but the end result improves regardless.
- defen 12y ago
  > I've been using an automated espresso machine at home and what it makes tastes better than most of the fancy coffee shops in San Francisco. Do you use the same beans? I find that many of the fancy coffee shops in San Francisco lately are doing the lightly-roasted, sour-tasting coffee thing, which I'm not really into.
  - fuzzix 12y ago
    > lightly-roasted, sour-tasting coffee thing A well made espresso with light-medium roast bean should taste fruity and maybe a little tangy and sweet, though this depends on no end of factors. Coffee Angel around Dublin is a good one. Most of the beans I saw when visiting the US (even in the hipster artisan places) were roasted to the point of being indistinguishable from toner and made for bitter, unpleasant coffee. Still, I needed my hit.
- greggman 12y ago
  I agree with "what tastes good" but the problem is if prepackaged tastes better than you can make then just sell me the package and I'll re-heat it at home. I don't know why but I expect food at a restaurant to be made at the restaurant and generally the same day. If I wanted packaged food I would have gone to the supermarket and bought packaged food. I guess what I'm saying is just be honest about it. If you think people are fine going to a restaurant for re-heated packaged food then say so on the menu. For whatever reason it feels dishonest to not do so.
  - 12y ago
mattl202 12y ago
Here is that symbol in case anyone wants it, I kind of like the design. http://www.economie.gouv.fr/files/fait_maison_371px_0.png http://www.economie.gouv.fr/files/fait_maison_371px_0.png
- retroencabulato 12y ago
  I had no idea what it meant until the article described it. I can't unsee the pot now, but I still think it is confusing.
yaur 12y ago
A lot of places around where I'm at (NYC) get their pies/pastries from a neighborhood bakery. It doesn't seem to me that there is much of a difference between buying a pie from the bakery or buying a slice of it from the restaurant 2 doors down. I'm also curious how this affects Sous Vide. If they vacuum seal and freeze on site is it still "home made"?

70 points by dmmalam 12y ago

Nice little graphic, though I'm not sure it will get across the "home-made" message to tourists. And I tend to agree with the skeptical guy in the article that it will end up more trouble than it's worth.

CountHackulus 12y ago

If you do your research beforehand, and don't just follow a huge queue of tourists off a bus and into a restaurant, you'll likely have a much better experience.

NickWarner775 12y ago
100% agree. You need to do a good amount of research before traveling anywhere, let alone somewhere with as much of a restaurant scene as France.
swimfar 12y ago
Except that it's not that easy even for the French. I'm sure the law wasn't passed for tourists. Even some fancier restaurants were found to have been just warming up pre-made dishes. If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? Although, I do agree that a small bit of research will get you away from the touristy restaurants and into some more "local" places. Sometimes it's even just a matter of getting off the main streets.
- dragonwriter 12y ago
  > Even some fancier restaurants were found to have been just warming up pre-made dishes. If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? If the meal provides experienced utility (enjoyment, etc.) that justifies the cost, why do you care?
  - seszett 12y ago
    > If the meal provides experienced utility (enjoyment, etc.) that justifies the cost, why do you care? Why wouldn't you care? Knowing that the meal has been prepared by the restaurant instead of an industrial factory somewhere does improve my enjoyment of it. A meal at a restaurant is more than just taste and nutrients.
  - dfxm12 12y ago
    Prepackaged foods tend to be loaded with preservatives and who-knows-what-else. I know it's naive to think all restaurants are only using fresh ingredients, but a lot of restaurants also claim to use the freshest ingredients, when they aren't. Also, you don't know if it will provide enjoyment to justify the cost before you eat it...
  - baby 12y ago
    Because this is not what you expect when you go to a restaurant and they sell you a "house made apple pie" that they just bought frozen and added a house made cream to it. They do that in many restaurants and I believe they won't be able to do it after the new law is passed.
- VeejayRampay 12y ago
  Indeed. As a Parisian, I can confirm that it's not easy. The worst part being that traditional French cuisine is slowly disappearing and making room for globalized food court variety dishes like stupid burgers, "Chinese" fast food, döner kebaps and myriad of pasta places, each one more bland than the other one. I couldn't believe my eyes when I came back from Canada to discover that burgers were all the rage amongst the Parisian 30-something affluent class. How we've fallen :/ Mustn't be easy for tourists really, your only option if you don't know the few places that still go the traditional way nowadays is to either get out of Paris and travel to the countryside or shell out for premium restaurants at 100 euros a meal.
  - bostonvaulter2 12y ago
    So do you have any recommendations for traditional French cuisine in Paris? Especially any lesser known ones?
- eurleif 12y ago
  >If a restaurant is not required to disclose this information, how would one ever find out? Ask them whether the food is homemade, and if they refuse to tell you, assume it isn't? Sure, they could lie, but that's already illegal. If there's consumer demand for home-made food at restaurants, why can't they start advertising home-made dishes on their own? Why is a mandate necessary?
  - cgrand-net 12y ago
    Because "home-made" has no strict (legal) definition so it's not illegal to lie or to approximate (the topping is home-made).

ddebernardy 12y ago

Or, you can stick to restaurants with menus that offer a handful of dishes only -- say a dozen at most. If they carry more than that, the logistics involved to get the ingredients fresh rules out that anything is home made.

nestlequ1k 12y ago

To take a contrarian point of view, I have to agree with one of the chef's in the article. If I knew buying a prepackaged type of food would taste better to customers than what I can make in house 99% of the time, then wouldn't it be pretty stupid not to use that instead? I've been using an automated espresso machine at home and what it makes tastes better than most of the fancy coffee shops in San Francisco. When stuff gets automated it takes that fun out of things, but the end result improves regardless.

defen 12y ago
> I've been using an automated espresso machine at home and what it makes tastes better than most of the fancy coffee shops in San Francisco. Do you use the same beans? I find that many of the fancy coffee shops in San Francisco lately are doing the lightly-roasted, sour-tasting coffee thing, which I'm not really into.
- fuzzix 12y ago
  > lightly-roasted, sour-tasting coffee thing A well made espresso with light-medium roast bean should taste fruity and maybe a little tangy and sweet, though this depends on no end of factors. Coffee Angel around Dublin is a good one. Most of the beans I saw when visiting the US (even in the hipster artisan places) were roasted to the point of being indistinguishable from toner and made for bitter, unpleasant coffee. Still, I needed my hit.
greggman 12y ago
I agree with "what tastes good" but the problem is if prepackaged tastes better than you can make then just sell me the package and I'll re-heat it at home. I don't know why but I expect food at a restaurant to be made at the restaurant and generally the same day. If I wanted packaged food I would have gone to the supermarket and bought packaged food. I guess what I'm saying is just be honest about it. If you think people are fine going to a restaurant for re-heated packaged food then say so on the menu. For whatever reason it feels dishonest to not do so.
- 12y ago

mattl202 12y ago

Here is that symbol in case anyone wants it, I kind of like the design. http://www.economie.gouv.fr/files/fait_maison_371px_0.png http://www.economie.gouv.fr/files/fait_maison_371px_0.png

retroencabulato 12y ago
I had no idea what it meant until the article described it. I can't unsee the pot now, but I still think it is confusing.

yaur 12y ago

A lot of places around where I'm at (NYC) get their pies/pastries from a neighborhood bakery. It doesn't seem to me that there is much of a difference between buying a pie from the bakery or buying a slice of it from the restaurant 2 doors down. I'm also curious how this affects Sous Vide. If they vacuum seal and freeze on site is it still "home made"?