Michelin, Schadenfreude and Remy

[John Talbott]

Update December 14th, New York Times, (in fact, probably secondary to the French papers such as Liberation's reportage entitled "Game Tied"), M. Remy lost a lawsuit of illegal dismissal by Michelin and owes the Big B 1,000 Euros. He's appealing. To be continued.

[Robin Shuster]

John,

Where did you post your notes on these two books? I have not been able to find them. Thanks

Robin

Thanks Paul.

At your suggestion I read and just posted notes (Book Notes on Food Guides Rounds 2 & 3) on the Olivier Morteau book as well.  In some places it's just as amusing as Remy.

Also John Whiting has provided me with an idea re: an American publisher for Remy which I'll pass on to my friends.  It may yet happen.

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[John Talbott]

John,

Where did you post your notes on these two books?  I have not been able to find them.  Thanks

Robin

Thanks Paul.

At your suggestion I read and just posted notes (Book Notes on Food Guides Rounds 2 & 3) on the Olivier Morteau book as well.  In some places it's just as amusing as Remy.

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Here

[Jeanne Geraci]

Loiseau's wife was interviewed on Tv, and she said he did have a history of depression.

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Well, for heaven's sakes, she gave him a gun as a gift. Why on earth would she do that, knowing and living with his highs and lows????

[Ptipois]

Well, for heaven's sakes, she gave him a gun as a gift.  Why on earth would she do that, knowing and living with his highs and lows????

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The gun was, to my knowledge, given to B. Loiseau by a gentleman friend of his.

Besides, many people in the countryside are hunters and own guns. Some of them may be chronically depressed and hunters at the same time.

[Busboy]

Well, for heaven's sakes, she gave him a gun as a gift.  Why on earth would she do that, knowing and living with his highs and lows????

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The gun was, to my knowledge, given to B. Loiseau by a gentleman friend of his.

Besides, many people in the countryside are hunters and own guns. Some of them may be chronically depressed and hunters at the same time.

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In "The Perfectionist," Rudolph Chelminski's recently published biography of Loiseau, Cheminsky writes that the shotgun was a gift from Mme Loiseau. I suspect, however, that a country boy like Loiseau had others others at hand, whoever gave him the one he chose to use in the end.

[magnolia]

A little corollary to this -

1) I seem to recall that it was the Gault Millau rating with which the Loiseau affair was linked, not that of Michelin (not that it makes much of a difference).

2) Another very fun read (in French) is François Simon's "Comment se faire passer pour un critique gastronomique sans rien y connaître", {How to pass for a food critic without knowing anything (about food)} - a few years old.

[MobyP]

Well, for heaven's sakes, she gave him a gun as a gift.  Why on earth would she do that, knowing and living with his highs and lows????

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The gun was, to my knowledge, given to B. Loiseau by a gentleman friend of his.

Besides, many people in the countryside are hunters and own guns. Some of them may be chronically depressed and hunters at the same time.

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I understand that Ernest Hemingway's wife gave him the key to his gun cabinet, she having held it for some time, the night before he shot himself.

[John Talbott]

Well, for heaven's sakes, she gave him a gun as a gift.  Why on earth would she do that, knowing and living with his highs and lows????

←

The gun was, to my knowledge, given to B. Loiseau by a gentleman friend of his.

Besides, many people in the countryside are hunters and own guns. Some of them may be chronically depressed and hunters at the same time.

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I understand that Ernest Hemingway's wife gave him the key to his gun cabinet, she having held it for some time, the night before he shot himself.

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Gentle reminder, this being a food site let's stick to the topic; OK? Thanks

[Hectorp]

In "The Perfectionist" I read a paragraph from Pascal Remy's book about the extent to which service impacts Michelin ratings.

" When we test a restaurant we take into account the environment, the quality of the welcome on arrival and departure, the surroundings, the general setup, the service and the atmosphere. For the client, a relaxed and considerate welcome is the first pleasure of a meal. The first duty of the restaurateur is to set his clients at ease. The inspector reacts to the warmth and efficiency of the first person he encounters in an establishment. The proper welcome does not improve or alter the taste of the dishes, but it puts us in a good frame of mind."

How well said that is...

I loved this passage because it uses clear language to describe an emotional effect (which means the writer is not having the feelings for you). The diction is irony-free and in some ways has the same innocent clarity as Homer.

I was sad to see that the entire book hadn't yet been transalated into English.

It doesn't seem possible that this group wouldn't be familiar with the story of Pascal Remy, but just in case, here's a link to the story:

http://www.grumpygourmetusa.com/michelin.htm