Politics and Cheese clash again. In his last week in office, George W. Bush was not as idle as you'd imagine. Au contraire! He had just enough time to triple the tax on Roquefort cheese imported from France. The UK Telegraph reports that José Bové has threatened to take symbolic action against America. Doesn't seem like much of a threat? Do you remember the 1999 incident of a McDonalds in France being dismantled bolt by bolt (ny times)? That was when Roquefort tax doubled. And yep, that was Bové.
French government has promised to take action; possibly in the form of a similarly symbolic coca-cola tax. But first, lets try a bit of bribery: The Obama's can expect a 4.5 pound package of the pungent cheese. "Michel Barnier, the Agriculture Minister, has urged Obama to reverse the roquefort decision and head off another French campaign against the symbols of US fast food. 'I hope that he will avoid mediocre little measures like the one just taken against roquefort,' Barnier said."(times online). Could that sentence even be said with out a French accent and a slight dismissive wave of the hand?