Sarkozy loses cool and wants UN defence for French cooking

Here's another glimpse of why Nicolas Sarkozy is unlike his predecessors. In the clip Sarko gives a taste of his rough side at the annual Paris Agricultural Show. When Sarko approaches while shaking hands with the crowd, the man on the left says (in ungrammatical French): "Don't touch me". Sarko replies: "Then get lost". The man: "You dirty me when you touch me". Sarko: "Then get lost, pauvre con." This translates roughly as "stupid a-hole", stupid sod, or the equivalent.

Sarko's more regal predecessors no doubt used such language, but never in public. His readiness to mix it in an unpresidential way with hecklers is part of the reason that his popularity has slumped. The latest poll in today's Journal du Dimanche, shows him down nine points in a month at 38 percent approval. In contrast, François Fillon, his prime pinister, is at 57 percent.

The pollsters say this reflects the way that Sarkozy has reversed the traditional roles. The prime minister is reserved and dignified, staying in the background like a president, while Sarkozy is out in front taking on all-comers. The presidential visit to the annual Salon de l'Agriculture is an important ritual because of the mystical bond which France entertains with the countryside and its produce. Jacques Chirac, pretended to be a countryman and put on a great show at the salon, wandering around stalls slapping cattle, knocking back wine and tasting sausage.

Not Sarko, a life-long urbanite. He made a quick drop-by and, before exchanging the insults in the video, he delivered a speech that was mainly about protecting France and its food producers from foreign competition.

The most quaint point was his announcement that France will apply to Unesco to have French cuisine listed as part of the world's heritage.

I know that there is a history to this, but it seems bizarre to claim that something as intangible and alive as cooking can be protected like a monument. And surely French cuisine, among the finest in the world, hardly needs defending.

The UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization started listing intangible cultural treasures in 2003. They include such things as dance, carnival or other rituals, often performed by minorities who need the moral support.

In 2005, Unesco turned down a request by Mexico to have its culinary heritage recognised. A band of star chefs, including Paul Bocuse, Alain Ducasse and Michel Guerard, have been pushing for a French culinary listing for the past couple of years. Guy Savoy, one of the them, said that putting Gallic gastronomy on the Unesco list would protect restaurants and also charcutiers', cheese producers, wine makers and patissiers.

"You can talk about cuisine in numerous countries around the world. But France is the only one to have such diversity and such possibilities for transforming the produce of local artisans, be they on land or sea," he told news agencies.

French wine producing regions such as Saint-Emilion and the Loire Valley already enjoy World Heritage status. Other French sites include Chartres Cathedral, Mont Saint Michel and the banks of the Seine in Paris. No doubt cuisine is culture as the listing advocates say.

But what is Unesco supposed to do about it?  Will it list restaurants like the Michelin guide ? Will Unesco police pounce on cooks who mess up their mayonnaise?  Will it protect cassoulet and bouillabaisse or ensure that French restaurants in San Francisco serve real camembert ?

Comments

[Christine]

The funny thing is that his announcement, which is in the straight line of his strategy of "effet d'annonce" everytime he sets foot out of the Elysée, was totally overwhelmed by the incident on the video. It could actually seem totally unfair, since his reaction was rather appropriate to the symbolic violence of the men (tu me salis quand tu me touches). But the question is: if his announcement had been a serious one, would the video have "won" against the announcement in terms of mediatic exposition? More than his temper, the successful competition of the video shows the actual vacuity of presidential speeches.

[Paula]

Bob Hawke, when he was Australian Prime Minister, was caught by TV cameras being rude to an old man in a shopping centre...and the media kept replaying the incident for years after, and it was used by the Opposition in the run up to the next election.

[Joëlle]

But Bob Hawke didn't bang on about how it was Australia's role to civilise the world - or how we should go back to such basics as "education civique et morale" in primary school!

[Romain]

"Casse toi, pauvre con". These are very crude words. My translation would be: "Piss off! Punk".
The YouTube video is all over the French media.

[rocket]

Christine

"since his reaction was rather appropriate to the symbolic violence of the men (tu me salis quand tu me touches)."

One would hope that Statesmen/women would be above this tit for tat kind of response.

This is simply another witness to a temper which can flare out of control anytime anywhere.

I think we ain't seen nothing yet.

PS - Charles. Mental telepathy. I saw this a few days ago but didn't send it to you knowing that you would pick up on it.

[rocket]

"Casse toi, pauvre con"

An American would translate that as

F**k off...*sshole

PS - That's going to be good for another loss of 3-5 points popularity

[rocket]

Hello All

I almost forgot. before I'd vote for French Cuisine as World Heritage, I'd vote for The French Kiss as universally recognized around the world.

[Robert Marchenoir]

Coming next: inflicting sexual insults upon journalists, Putin-like.

[Dominique]

The very same man is telling us we should bring back autority and politness to our kids at school. What an example!

"Don't touch me! Fuxx you!", "il m'a traité! Toi même!" "c'est celui qui le dit qu'il y est!"

This is how children talk nowadays. Sarko is definitly a child of May68. No hierarchy, everything equals everything. He just is the very opposite of what claimed he was during the campaign. I remember him saying that the president belongs to the people...and then spending his time on his private problems. I remember him saying that presidency was an asceticism, and then went on the yacht...

What a jerk! Quel toquart as De Pannafieu would say.

Regarding "losing his nerves", i am not sure we can say this. Jacques Chirac said once about Margareth Thatcher "Elle me casse les Couixxx!" in the middle of a eurpean summit, and noone said he lost his nerves. People even thought it what rather sympathetic.

The question is more about Sarko's view of basic people. The head of state looks down to the pepole and says : "pauvre con!". Just like Carla Bruni who said once "i don't like the french", Both look more and more as arrogant and selfcentered as Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. Sarko may claim the opposite and say that he talks like the people, but he is no longer "the people". Every time he now talks like "the people", he only appears like a arrogant, selfcentered president looking down at people with disdain.

I thought the man was smarter. That is not so difficult to understand.

The problem is also now the clear will of the press to have him down. One have to recognise that the french press is culturaly on the left. Marrianne, Canal+ etc... have nothig to tell about politics and only talk about the man : what he does, how he behaves, what is his watch etc, in the obvious goal of making him go and prove he is braindamaged. Their only goal is to prove that Sarko is not fit for the job, and they will do anything to prove they are right. Even if that means making him getting mad. This is the global emptiness of intellectual journalism nowadays. All living around, for, against, about every single word of Sarko.

[Dominique]

Sarko was right when he said May 68 was a failure : without it, we wouldn't have him as president!

[Dominique]

Sarko is so populist that he will probably say that he behaved as Zidane did during the football worldcup final with matterazi!

[Valentin]

I heard about this on radio this morning, and upon seeing the video, I'm dumbfounded. There's nothing of the punching and insulting they spoke about. There's no nastiness, no contempt, nothing offensive.
"pauvre con" is no more insulting than "poor sod" - unless we want to do some more Sarko bashing.
(how about the "je m'en fous" stuff we even hear on TV primetime journals - and we know what the verb fou**e means)

All media is interested in is shocking, negative stuff. Who cares about political programs, or Lisbon conference on the mini-treaty, when we have the latest sleazy picture of Britney Spears, the latest affair of Lady Di, or Sarko's Rolex. And if there is nothing, they just make it up.

[Valentin]

"An American would translate that as
F**k off...*sshole"

No Rocket, a normal English speaker, who doesn't hate the French, would translate it as :

"Get lost, you poor sod"

[azloon]

[the man on the left says (in ungrammatical French): "Don't touch me". Sarko replies: "Then get lost". The man: "You dirty me when you touch me". Sarko: "Then get lost, pauvre con."]

Sarko truly is ushering in an Era of Good Feeling in France.

Didn't CB once write here that the French don't like or trust each other?

a better example?

[Pierre Bernardi]

Good for Sarko.

Re: rugby. Il me semble que face à l'Angleterre, nous manquons toujours de mémoire. Témoin cette phrase du Monde: "Mais cette fois la défense anglaise avait préparé son affaire." Quand la défense anglaise n'a-t-elle pas préparé son affaire?

[belka]

Drawbacks...
The president used the video com' as a professional and also with a good instinct.
For the citizens are overwhelmed any detail counts, specifically the worst, and even the prime minister the "assistante" seems very popular as compared to the "Boss". Not because the PM more efficient but because he was kept behind the scene, out of the frame.

[LucaD]

Notre président never stops with his effets d'annonce. Unesco and all that.... we behave like a Third World country.

On the insults, exchange, the guy who insulted Sarko deserved to be put-down, but that should be for someone else. It's not the president's job to slang it out with offensive members of the public. Can you imagine in your wildest dreams de Gaulle, Pompidou, Giscard, Mitterrand or Chirac saying: "Alors, casse-toi, pauvre con" ?

[rocket]

Valentin

My feelings toward you are quickly turning into pity.

We don't even use the word "sod" in America. So if you think you know something about the English language and it's use. Please think again.

"There's nothing of the punching and insulting they spoke about. There's no nastiness, no contempt, nothing offensive."
............

[Emlyn]

Sorry to be pedantic but "Casse-toi, pauvre con!" is nothing like as strong as "Piss off, punk!" much less "F... off, a --h...!". "Push off, you twerp!" would be a much closer equivalent.What the man said to Sarkozy, on the other hand, was extremely insulting. The retort was well-deserved, in my view.

[I disagree, Emlyn. Pauvre con is much stronger than twerp and casse-toi is stronger than push off. "Push off you twerp" sounds like 1950s English schoolboys. Sarko's words were maybe not in the f-off a-hole range, but they were still a real insult. CB]

[Emlyn]

I'll add something else: I'm fed up with all this Sarkozy-bashing in the press: he's the best we've got at present and instead of griping the French have got to get behind him or else it will be "the fire next time" in 2112 when there will be really something to grumble about.

[Jorg Andersen]

All this dissecting language misses the point. The president of France is head of state. He shouldn't be pushing and shoving and exchanging abuse with farmers. It makes him look even more petit -- and that's another problem: every time they show Sarkozy in a crowd you see how little he is, despite the elevatr shoes. No wonder Carla Bruni has to hunch when she walks beside him. Ok I am being heightist....

[Joëlle]

Rocket, in England we use "sod" a lot, Valentin's obviously heard it used tons of times by us Brits. But before any of us criticise his use of English, we should check our own: "it's use"
"its"=possessive, "it's"=contraction of 'it is'...

[rocket]

Valentin

"There's nothing of the punching and insulting they spoke about. There's no nastiness, no contempt, nothing offensive."

So in that case Valentin

c*sse to* pa*vre c*n

[Donald]

Not only is it ridiculous for UNESCO to label a cuisine as a "world heritage cuisine", all of its labels will become meaningless over time. Why? Because there will be so many things over time with that label that it will lack distinction. Does the Taj Mahal or Chartres take on added lustre with this label? It is dificult to see what it adds. In any case, give the UNESCO label another 10 - 15 years to be put on more things and whatever value it is thought to have will be dissipated. If the French receive this label for their cuisine, then what about the Italians, the Chinese, the Indians etc. ? UNESCO cannot afford poltically to ignore these cuisines, and then where do they draw the line? It shouldn't have been started in the first place.

As far as protecting cultural sites, if a particular people do not value their cultural treasures, whatever they may be, no amout of labeling will protect them. Cultural values have to be passed down from one generation to the next. It was ever thus ...

[rocket]

Lest we forget this little gem.

http://tinyurl.com/25fh5r

In this one it appears that the President of France wants to get in a fist fight.

[Mike]

The French President just wants to be like everyone else and not a distant and haughty aristocratic figure above French politics.

Of course it's a different style from the previous Presidents, but Sarko did promise to change France for the better, and why not? On the other hand, he may have a drinking problem we don't know about. At any rate, if a man insults the President in public, he deserves everything he gets, and he should count himself lucky that he was only told to get lost.

[Romain]

I'd bet anything you will see banners with "casse toi pauvre con" in the next demonstration in France.
lol

[rocket]

Joelle

Thank you s'o much for the englis'h les'son ( I didn't capitalize englis'h!!! mein got im himmel)

But I think you are s'plitting hair's.

Again I repeat. We do not us'e sod in American englis'h. Much a's we don't us'e boot and bonnet and trous'ers are different a's are many word's's.

Also in American english we spell it "critcize" So what. Big deal

So what's your point?

But thank you so much for you concern.

PS - It's time to make a movie of Sarkozy who goes into Columbian jungles alone and rescues Ingrid Betancourt. In the process he takes down the entire FARC organization. ALONE!

[isobel]

For all non British readers of this blog, here's a clip of John Prescott, Deputy Prime Minister during Tony Blair's premiership showing the typical British "stiff upper lip" and dealing with an attack from a member of the public
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRQDnGTcc4A

[rocket]

I am literally outraged that Sarkozy should suggest that French food be included in world heritage. What about American food? The hamburger that we invented and propagated all over the world is much more important than any sauce infested French cuisine.

Please help us to make American cuisine world heritage.

http://tinyurl.com/39elbd

[rocket]

Excuse me but I spoke too soon

http://tinyurl.com/2cphb4

Now this is world heritage stuff

[Valentin]

Rocket, my dear Rocket, the point is that it is YOU who would read the line as " f**k off ", and that's because of yourself, your état d'esprit, your negativity, and, may I be allowed, your absolute lack of manners.
I'm glad British people here confirm what I myself knew from other Brits.

Don't be a poor sod Rocket, cheer up, life is not THAT bad.

[Romain]

French gastronomy does not need that kind of endorsement.As to American food i'd find American and gastronomy are contradictory in terms.
lol

[JeanD22]

I watch all this Anglo-Saxon arguing over our dear President. I think you are envious....

[alan morgan]

The president of France represents the country and should display at all times honor and respect for human dignity.
Sarkozy's remarks diminish this high office and expose him as an unwise man.
To respect and protect human dignity is the primary duty of all state authorities in whatever form. My respect for him has fallen so far that I heard it hit the floor.

[Marguerite.]

Les Italiens ne sont pas contents et pretendent qu'ils ont plus de specialites culinaires que les Francais.
Carla et Nicolas vont-ils vont-ils s'envoyer des tiramisus et des millefeuilles a la figure ?

[Romain]

@JeanD22
Even the Royals are overshadowed by Sarko's press coverage.
I think if he continues to fall in the opinion polls, he might find some oil deposit.

[Daniel Strohl]

DOMINIQUE,

“This is the global emptiness of intellectual journalism nowadays”.

You are perfectly right – but one should say “FRENCH intellectual journalism”. And the adjective “intellectual” is totally incongruous in this context!

But our super journalists may be steering full speed ahead into serious problems, as soon as the capitalists financing them will be really fed up with losing always more money used to manufacture always more “intellectual” garbage.

And what will then be the solution for our high nosed “scribouillards”? Go to Canossa (i.e. Hotel Matignon) to beg for subsidies. They should however know, as the Prime Minister and after him the President have already said, that “les caisses sont vides”. And I am not sure that the French will be mourning them if a few papers sink.

ISOBEL,

Very instructive link – as far as I know, the French press didn’t report this.

ROCKET,

Rocket prend son pied. Chacun le prend comme il peut – LOL!

CHARLES,

« but they were still a real insult. CB]

Yes, but what was he supposed to do? Tendre l’autre joue? I find the qualification “pauvre con” perfectly adequate – this would however not have been the case if he had said “sale con”, which is much more often used as a real and dirty insult.

JORG ANDERSEN,

“every time they show Sarkozy in a crowd you see how little he is”

Jorg, are intelligence and courage related to body height in Austria? Sarkozy is French, not Austrian – LOL!

[selpoivre]

@Robert Marchenoir : Chirac's exact quote about Thatcher was 'What does the housewife wants ? My b...s on a platter ?'.

Once again, Sarkozy is blurring the borders beetween private and public. Chirac could certainly be rude and crude at times, but always seemed to do so for political purposes (think of his clash with Israeli security in '96). Here, it seems that the only benefit for the presidential reply is it's author own private satisfaction.

Moreover, CB is right in pointing out Sarko's uneasyness with le terroir : everybody in France knows about it, and my bet is the French would have been less interested in the incident, had it occurred elsewhere. There is no vacuity in the french media here : identité nationale is at stake, not the CAP reform...

Sarkozy scored very well in the rural districts during the '07 presidential election. I wonder wether this could impact the municipales and cantonales elections in those areas. Now, city and 'general' counsellors are members of the french senate's electoral college, along with regional counsellors.

Could the UMP and Nouveau Centre lose the upper house ? That would seriously slow down the government's action - or lead to the use of '49-3' procedure, ie bypassing the parliament.

[Jollyswagman]

Well all I can add is that he won the election on a platform of 'la rupture' - now he's making good on his promise!

We've just elected a very nice clean-cut ex-fonctionaire to be PM of Australia but I am a bit envious of France.. Politics are so sanitised here it's rather boring -- a head-kicking Sarkozy figure (like we had in Bob Hawke or Paul Keating) would be fun!

[The 3rd Column]

About time Sarkozy defended himself -- what gave that bugger, that pauvre con, that twerp the right to insult another and thought he could get away with it?

He was lucky, he only received a verbal tirade -- someone else would have punched him on the nose.

[The 3rd Column]

Azloon writes: "Didn't CB once write here that the French don't like or trust each other?"

CB's 'critiques' of the French, including the one you said he did is part and parcel of his job -- if he writes negative things about the French and France, he has to do it -- it's his bread and butter. Besides he works for Murdoch and Murdoch is not enamoured of the French (nor of the Brits for that matter.)

You must understand that Brits have an inbred hostility against the French, it's almost visceral. The French haven't as much -- they are more nuanced and if anything at all, the French have great respect for 'les Anglais' when they deserve it (I know this because my family is Anglo-French.) And even if CB is not English, I'm sure he feels that respect in France. Not sure CB returns the compliment.

[Mary Fernandez]

"I'd bet anything you will see banners with "casse toi pauvre con" in the next demonstration in France."

Jeanne Cherhal just woke up to another hit!

BTW, I love Rocket's comments, if only for the bee he puts in everyone else's bonnet. :-)

[Mary Fernandez]

BTW, AFP translated the exchange this way:

MAN: "Oh no, don't touch me."

SARKO: (smiling): "Go away, then."

MAN: "You disgust me."

SARKO: (still smiling) "Go away, you bloody idiot,"

[Yes, but news agencies always water down bad language for general consumption. CB]

[Romain]

@Daniel Strohl
C'est un peu sévère d'utiliser l'expression "intellectual garbage" pour le journalisme français.
Il me semble que 'intellectual wank" serait plus appropriée.Ca traduit un peu mieux son indigence et sa paresse.lol

[Ros]

Carla's keeping very quiet - why didn't she go to the Salon de l'Agriculture? Maybe things would have been different ----

[Cyrille]

"You disgust me"? No way salir means to disgust. He said "you dirty me". In other words, AFP watered down Sarkozy's language and made the man's language much, much worse. Very balanced...

Anyway Emlyn, Sarkozy is not the best we can have now, but close to the worst possible person in France, if you were to pick a train coach at random chances would be more than 50% that there would not be a worse person for the job than Sarkozy in it.
And it is the man's absolute right to refuse to be touched by him, a man who, for example, just proved he didn't care about the constitution he is supposed to protect.
Sarkozy wants a photo op to show that everyone is happy to meet him and if you're not you're supposed to pretend? No way. I would always refuse to shake his hand, with the possible exception that I would be in a professional context (ie, not acting as me but as representing my company, if so instructed).
That gives no right to Sarkozy to go into insults. He's the one who made himself totally unrespectable and "dirtying".

[Emlyn]

Sorry to disagree, Charles, but the words Sarkozy used were not "a real insult" and were indeed "50s playground language", which was why I translated thelm the way I did. One needs to know a foreign language very well indeed to be able to judge the level of its insults.

[christopher muir]

I certainly agree with Alan Mprgan There's no doubt that Sarkozy is going much too far in his unconventional approach to high office. What's the point of it all?

Doubtless, in a day or two there'll be a new song sweeping the French airwaves called Casse-toi, pauvre con... Having read a recent Putin speech which was sprinkled with repetitive vulgarity, it looks like Sarkozy is following the Czar down the same path.

[colin grayson]

brits have an inbred hostility against the french ? having lived long term in both countries , I must say that is not at all my experience

my feeling is that the british have no respect for the french especially after their performance as allies in 2 world wars , think their cuisine is mostly hype or peasant food , and that they are untrustworthy politically , preaching about the EU whilst caring only about french interests

but Champagne or the style of french rugby ? well that's another matter altogether!!
personally I spend my time in rural france where the people gave their lives for france as cannon fodder in the first world war , fought in the maquis in the 2nd , eat REAL food from local production , think french cuisine with a capital C is hype , and have as much trust in french politicians as the british do!! not fools , are they !