“A Breach of the EU Directive Against Egregious Cliché Embodiment”

Agence France-Press reports:

In a case that could have far-reaching consequences for restaurant critics, chef Marc Veyrat is claiming he was “dishonored” by the red guide when it stripped his flagship restaurant in the French Alps of its coveted third star in January.

Dubbed “Cheddargate” by wags, he claimed that an “incompetent” Michelin inspector mistakenly thought he had adulterated a soufflé with the much-maligned English cheese instead of using France’s Reblochon, Beaufort and Tomme varieties….

[Veyrat] said the Michelin review nearly broke him, sending him into an eight-month depression, and leaving his cooks in tears….

The larger-than-life figure, instantly recognizable for his wide-brimmed black Savoyard hat and dark glasses, told AFP that the case … is a matter of “honor” for him.

“That they said that my soufflé was full of cheddar … and that they took ‘my virtual scallops’ to be real coquilles Saint-Jacques when they were made from a base of burbot (fish) livers from Lake Geneva shows a lack of competence,” he said.

I sympathize with M. Veyrat, and even with his over-the-top reaction (though I can’t speak to the merits of the French lawsuit); nonetheless, it totally put me in mind of the quote that I’ve used as the title of the post. I highly recommend October Man, which is part of Aaronovitch’s charming Rivers of London fantasy-police-procedural series.