Today’s announcement that McDonald’s is opening in the Louvre Museum next month is very upsetting to me, although I can’t really say I’m surprised.

When I learned about the Louvre in high school history and French classes, there was never any mention of the modernization that now affects the Louvre.  That was because it was before I.M. Pei’s glass pyramid was ever constructed, and before fast-food giant McDonald’s decided to take up residence in the historical treasure.  We were taught to admire not only the museum’s collections, but also the history, architecture, and work of art that is the Louvre itself.

As an ardent traveler and a travel agent, I prize the historical significance and preservation of all sites such as the Louvre.  Just as I can understand that there was a need to better accommodate the Louvre’s thousands of visitors by excavating over the site of the pyramid, I can understand the need to provide more food service and amenities for visitors.  However, just as I will never understand the decision to build a modern glass pyramid in the middle of this ancient treasure of a site, I will never understand how or why McDonald’s is opening in the Louvre.

It’s been a long time since I lived in France, and even back then the French “destested” the idea of fast food, disdaining it as an American institution completely contrary to traditional French (and largely European) ideals of hearty foods, prepared with pride and respect for tradition.  When I say this, I’m not even speaking of the Haute Cuisine that France is so renowned for.  Instead, I’m speaking of everyday foods that bourgeois (upper middle to upper class) families enjoy at home.  I shudder to think how chefs in Haute Cuisine circles feel today.

In my personal experience, I remember trying hard to explain to French host families and others I came in contact with that fast food isn’t all that Americans eat, and that that portrayal on TV is erroneous.  The furthest I ever made it with that conversation was to have someone tell me “But there is no “American” food, it’s all imitations of European food!”

For Frenchmen to now hear that McDonald’s is about to become a fixture in their national museum, “Quel horreur!”  I can’t imagine what the museum leadership was thinking!

Here’s a look at what my idea of food is true cuisine, no matter where in the world your travels take you.

As a footnote of contrast, a bustling little restaurant I once visited just outside the Centre Georges Pompidou (the Museum of Modern Art in Paris) was much more befitting:  Au Pied de Cochon, “At the Pig’s Feet”, serving delectable French cuisine.  In my mind, that’s more like it!

What do you think of today’s news?  Post a message and let me know!