08/07/08 French Foods

I see London, I see France, French citizens will soon take it in the pants. Not quite how the old children's ditty goes but &.. . It appears that France will soon impose a fat tax on their citizens by increasing their value added tax on foods that are high in fat, sugar and salt from 5.5% to 19.6%. Snack foods will also targeted. The French, who have always had a healthy "ego" when it comes to their diet and physiques were recently shocked to find out that one in ten people in France could be considered obese. But will this fat tax back fire on the French nation, a nation well known for their cuisine; from their deliciously rich desserts, to their melt in your mouth cheeses? Are they going to be willing to change the quality of their culinary masterpieces? And how will the tourist trade fare? As most tourists in France will quickly admit, one of the prime reasons for visiting France is to partake of one of their greatest treasures, their rich cuisine. Has the centuries old French love affair with food just gone sour?