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We should all be able to vote in France
Readers argue that their contribution to society justifies their right to take part
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Updated: French passport queue rules not being applied consistently
French residency card holders share their passport queue experiences
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Why French astronauts don’t get the same hero treatment as in the US or UK
The first female French astronaut was met with a rather muted reception at home
True stars in the kitchen
Michelin’s system of giving restaurants stars has gone far beyond its initial purpose of indicating somewhere reliable to eat
The restaurant business in France has become a pressurised contest to produce extraordinary dishes using idiosyncratic combinations of novelty ingredients. Top chefs can only try to push ‘best-chef-ness’ beyond its outer limits.
Most diners, however, want something else. They know – although it is heresy to suggest it – that you cannot beat a traditional dish home-cooked by someone who knows what he/she is doing using local ingredients and served in agreeable but unpretentious surroundings.
Anyone who stumbles across such a restaurant does not care whether it has stars or not.