At Manhattan’s Per Se restaurant one recent evening, star chef Thomas Keller addressed a group of gourmands waiting to tuck into a menu featuring fresh, black Australian truffles in every course. Luckily there were no Frenchmen present. For had there been, what Keller had to say would have surely made them toss their madeleines. Comparing the finest French black Perigord truffles to these interlopers from Down Under, Keller said: “It’s hard to tell which one is better.”  Read more  .….

 The issue of how many cheeks to kiss has gained further momentum.  A campaign has started in Brittany to adopt a “single kiss”.  The GRUBUB association claims the fashion of multiple kissing – a gesture called “faire la bise”, has gone too far and that its exponential growth is barbaric. In a “tongue-in-cheek” comment, the association insisted that the guardians of the “single kiss” were “not reactionary or political, even if they know this is one of the most important issues of our time”.  See our French Kissing exposé in our Insights section.