# Why isn’t French food more popular? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** food-cooking\ **Created:** [October 12, 2025, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904 "2025-10-12T22:22:17Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 7
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/121 "2025-10-22T13:37:52Z")
I agree with you!!! ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 1:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/122 "2025-10-22T13:42:05Z")
I’ve heard of people collecting wild snails to eat, but they then feed them something like lettuce for a while before eating them. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/123 "2025-10-22T13:48:21Z")
This was a wiry old French dude chain-smoking Gauloises. Maybe’s he’s built up an immunity. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 2:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/124 "2025-10-22T14:37:23Z")
It worked for the basement apartment guy in _Delicatessen_… ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/125 "2025-10-22T16:51:12Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > I’ve heard of people collecting wild snails to eat, but they then feed them something like lettuce for a while before eating them. Purging with cornmeal is common. The snails that abound in coastal California are edible – descendants from ones brought in to eat, in fact. With all the poison bait people set out I would be cautious though. ---
**Author:** ![EinsteinsHund](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/einsteinshund/32/8400_2.png) [@EinsteinsHund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EinsteinsHund)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/126 "2025-10-22T18:33:19Z")
> [@SanVito](#): > > This was a wiry old French dude chain-smoking Gauloises. Maybe’s he’s built up an immunity. I’m sure the Gauloises did the job of killing all parasites… I used to taste some 80s Gauloises and also some Gitanes, and that was vile stuff. ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 6:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/127 "2025-10-22T18:54:11Z")
> [@Exapno\_Mapcase](#): > > The article is mostly about home cooking, but also says more casual style French restaurants are making a comeback. I noticed that a French restaurant was actually one of the sponsors of my local public radio station this morning, so I decided to check them out. Brasserie Du Monde does look to be a pretty “fancy” place, but they actually don’t really server any “stereotypical” French food and (unlike _La Chene_) they look to have a fairly short menu. Their own description says they take a more expansive view of French cuisine, and serve dishes from around the world that use French techniques or recipes. > **[Welcome To Brasserie Du Monde - Brasserie du Monde](https://brasseriedumonde.com/)** > >   If you’d prefer to call us about your reservations, call (or click to call):916.329.8033 Modal Popup – ID Click here to edit the "Modal Popup" settings. This text will not be visible on frontend. InspiredFrench Cuisinein Downtown Sacramento... But, while searching for that place Google also listed Chez Luc’s French Cafe, which looks to be on the opposite end of the spectrum – an affordable, casual, French style cafe just like that article mentions. They don’t seem to have a website, but it looks like they serve up simple dishes like ham and cheese croissants and croque monsieur. Since they don’t have a website, here’s their Yelp page: [https://www.yelp.com/biz/chez-luc-s-sacramento?utm\_campaign=www\_business\_share\_popup&utm\_medium=copy\_link&utm\_source=(direct)](https://www.yelp.com/biz/chez-luc-s-sacramento?utm_campaign=www_business_share_popup&utm_medium=copy_link&utm_source=(direct)) ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/128 "2025-10-22T19:23:03Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > Their own description says they take a more expansive view of French cuisine, and serve dishes from around the world that use French techniques or recipes. I don’t put a lot of creedence in it – All of Africa and the Middle-east is ignored – but I read there are two ‘mother cuisines’ from which the rest are derived, French and Chinese. The same source pointed out Vietnamese is a combination of the two. ---
**Author:** ![Tzigone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/839c29/32.png) [@Tzigone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tzigone)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 9:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/129 "2025-10-22T21:12:23Z")
On lamb in the US - the US, of course, does not have the wool industry that some countries do (especially after large tariffs were removed and Australian wool was so much cheaper after, I think 1894), so it makes sense we have less lamb (though there’s historical reasons well before that, of course). Also, a quick Google search tell me, Americans have per capita consumption of 14.7 to 15.3 pounds per capita of turkey (sources vary) and 1 to 1.5 pounds of lamb. Australia has a lamb consumption of 7.1 to 7.3 kilograms (15.6 to 16 pounds) per capita and a turkey consumption of .83 and 1.5 kg (1.8 to 3 pounds). It’s not weird that different countries, with different historical economies should eat different things. One of us isn’t weirder than the other. ---
**Author:** ![fedman1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e495f1/32.png) [@fedman1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fedman1)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/130 "2025-10-22T21:25:55Z")
also Indian cuisine ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/131 "2025-10-22T21:30:50Z")
and Greek. ---
**Author:** ![abcdefghij](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/43a26b/32.png) [@abcdefghij](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abcdefghij)\ **Post date:** [October 22, 2025, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/132 "2025-10-22T21:42:29Z")
> [@WildaBeast](#): > > but they actually don’t really server any “stereotypical” French food Really? PLATS PRINCIPAUX - LES SAINT-JACQUES - FRICASSÉ DE SAUMON - LE STEAK FRITES AU BEURRE PARISIENNE - LE FILET MIGNON SAUCE À LA MOUTARDE - SUPREME DE VOLAILLE - CONFIT DE CANARD A L’ORANGE - COTELETTE DE PORC - GNOCCHI AUX TRUFFES With the exception of the gnocchi, that all looks pretty French to me (and I don’t just mean the names). ---
**Author:** ![WildaBeast](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wildabeast/32/6_2.png) [@WildaBeast](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WildaBeast)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/133 "2025-10-23T17:53:12Z")
Yes, it is very French, but things like steaks, pork chops, and salmon aren’t exactly what most Americans picture when they think of “French food”. Most would probably think of things like escargot or frog legs, ie. things that are part of French cuisine but aren’t appealing to most Americans. That’s what I meant by “stereotypical French food”. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/134 "2025-10-23T19:28:36Z")
So, how often does your typical Frenchman eat escargot or frog legs? I would guess it’s not on the menu for whatever the French equivalent of Denny’s is. ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/135 "2025-10-23T19:56:20Z")
Saint-Denny’s? ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/136 "2025-10-23T19:58:28Z")
> [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](#): > > Saint-Denny’s Saint-Denis? 😉 ---
**Author:** ![peccavi](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peccavi/32/388_2.png) [@peccavi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/peccavi)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/137 "2025-10-23T20:02:07Z")
Who says French cooking isn’t popular in the US? [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/QhW7rpFhr2k/hqdefault.jpg "Better Off Dead French fries") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhW7rpFhr2k) ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/138 "2025-10-23T20:16:04Z")
> [@DesertDog](#): > > So, how often does your typical Frenchman eat escargot or frog legs? I would guess it’s not on the menu for whatever the French equivalent of Denny’s is. I don’t know about Denny’s French restaurants (perhaps serving crepes instead of pancakes or a Grand Chelem rather than a Grand Slam) but I read someplace that it’s the biggest market for Mcdonald’s restaurants after the US. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/139 "2025-10-23T20:46:19Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > it’s the biggest market for Mcdonald’s restaurants after the US It’s not the next most restaurants nor the next most restaurants per person. Another interesting thing is that there are 13 countries where there used to be McDonald’s but which no longer have any. In four of those countries, the locations are now run by a local company under a different name that serves basically the same food. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [October 23, 2025, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904/140 "2025-10-23T20:52:22Z")
> [@Wendell\_Wagner](#): > > It’s not the next most restaurants nor the next most restaurants per person. What does this mean? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904.md?page=6) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-isn-t-french-food-more-popular/1023904.md?page=8)