Au Revoir To All That

Whether you’re looking for green, local, or artisanal foods, French cuisine has long been the hallmark of gastronomy done right. Assembled with fresh ingredients and deep flavors, it isn’t uncommon for the French to spend hours indulging on a lunch of pâté, quiche lorraine and escargot with a glass or three of Bordeaux to wash it down.

Food and wine critic Mike Steinberger fell in love with French cuisine in his teens. He says it was tough to find a bad meal in France 25 years ago. Now, he argues, it’s sometimes a challenge to find a good one. His new book, Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine and the End of France charts what he sees as the demise of one of the world’s most celebrated cuisines.

Slate: Why Don't the French Cook Like They Used To?

(Photo by Luigi Anzivino via Flickr/Creative Commons)