Standard & Poor’s decided to downgrade France’s credit rating to AA+. The news comes as no surprise. As early as last summer, Nicolas Sarkozy already had to interrupt his holiday to deal with the rumours about a possible downgrade. But there is no reason for the French to get worried: it is the only country in the world that will always keep its AAAAA rating.
On the menu of many traditional French restaurants, you can find the abbreviation A.A.A.A.A.. The five A’s stand for Association amicale des amateurs d’andouillette authentique, or something like the Circle of Lovers of the Authentic Andouillette. The Club was founded at the end of the sixties by a group of culinary journalists, all lovers of meat products in general and of the andouillette in particular. The members of the A.A.A.A.A. are elected by co-optation, and reunite twice a year to taste and to attribute their awards. The Club also gives diploma’s to the butchers who make high quality andouilletes, which can be renewed if the sausages keep the same, high quality. These certificates are used by butchers and restaurants to lure customers to order the stinky dish.
An andouillette is indeed a delicacy, but eating it requires a strong stomach. The sausages have a very strong faeces odor and smell remarkably similar to the credit rating agencies…
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