This is Randi Hacker with another Postcard from Abroad from the KU Center for Global and International Studies.
A French pastry has been hotly contested for decades. The debate even got political. I refer to the multi-layered, buttery croissant with a chocolate center. You may call it pain au chocolat – 60% of France does. Yet 40% call it chocolatine. These people live in southwestern France and argue that their name is as important as pain au chocolat. They believe that chocolatine, along with the other, should become official names of the pastry. This would highlight the cultural significance of the region and draw attention to the area. The request was brought to the French Parliament but in the end, it was denied. More pressing problems needed to be solved, like eliminating pesticides and unethical treatment of animals. Compared to these issues, arguing over the name of a pastry seemed frivolous, peculiar, or some may even say … flaky.
With thanks to Jennifer Duhamel for this text, from the KU Center for Global and International Studies, this is Randi Hacker. Wish you were here.
