Anyone suggesting the French can’t cook would clearly be deemed mad. Rightly so. It must be said though that there is nothing like the same choice available for casual diners as in the UK, or even in many other European countries. The French are lovely people but they are extremely conservative when it comes to their culinary habits. Fare on offer is also very regionalised. What might appear on menus in the Dordogne for example is unlikely to even have been heard of here in Brittany. There are exceptions of course. Here in Brittany we are fortunate to have some of the finest haute Cuisine in the world. But at a price. Not like a quick stroll down to ‘the local’ for a Beef in Guinness pie or an equally short walk perhaps in the opposite direction for a choice of Chinese, Indian, Italian, Mexican, Thai and yes, French!

Thus it was with much excitement that we read last week in our local rag about a new Indian Take-Away opening ‘in a town nearby’ (best it remains nameless!).

So last Monday evening we turned up at the restaurant's door. With eagerness bordering upon the desperate.

“A Beef Vindaloo with plain rice please. A Chicken Biriyani and plain rice again please, a Nahm and two Poppadoms. Thank you. When will it be ready?” All spoken in French. Naturally.

“Wednesday. What time would you like to collect it Sir?” Came the polite response.

The unexpurgated version of my reply would not add constructively to the reasons I wrote this story. Suffice to say that the extremely well mannered and polite Asian man must have spent a long time living in France already. He had therefore totally assimilated with the ways of the natives.

Walking back to our car (hungry), past rows of very similar French restaurants, each displaying practically identical menus in their windows or on boards outside on the wall (why?!), a thought crossed my mind. Had my recent encounter with the Asian gentleman happened in England then:-

The customer would have replied that eight thirty PM on Wednesday would do fine. Then just not bothered to turn up two days later to collect it.

Had it been in Germany the customer would have confirmed that he would like it available at eight twenty six precisely and then turned up to collect it at eight twenty four. Complaining bitterly if it wasn’t ready.

Had it been in the USA the customer would most likely simply have shot him.

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