On this particular television channel we do love covering the French and their love affair with fine food. But truth be told, eating habits here vary wildly be it by necessity, choice or habit. Don't say it too loudly but France boasts Europe’s highest number of McDonalds per person. So here we go with the feud between neighboring Paris suburbs over chicken drumsticks.
When the Master Poulet chain opened up a branch in Saint-Ouen, the Socialist mayor saw red: Karim Bouamranne was on a kick to spruce up the town center and the smells of grease until two in the morning did not figure in his plan. Enter the hard-left mayor of neighboring Saint-Denis. Bally Bagayoko savored the moment as he praised product and price. We went to Saint-Ouen to ask why this food fight had put the foxes among the hens in the runup to next year’s presidential elections.
We’ll ask our panel about affordability, convenience and the right to healthy eating, ask about the concept of food ghettos, a nation of growing inequality where quality produce is more expensive in working class neighborhoods than in rich areas, and while the left tears itself apart over the issue, whether it’s possible to reconcile farmers who are drifting more and more to the far-right with city dwellers. How to find the common ground to better feed the French?
Produced by François Picard, Rebecca Gnignati, Juliette Laffont, Piera Rocco, Andrew Hilliar.
