Retail Refugees

It seems that the streets of Paris are no longer paved with paté and fromage. The latest craze according to the Economist is sandwiches!

French people ate 1.3 billion sandwiches last year, a rise of 50 million from 2007. The trend represents the changing tastes of the nation, which have drifted away from the traditional plat du jour at a brasserie to embrace more convenient and affordable alternatives.The proof? Bankruptcies of restaurants and cafes in France are up by a quarter, while new low-priced sandwich chains such as Dailymonop’ – which offers boutique sandwiches with fancy fillings like foie gras – and Goütu, with sandwiches for as little as one euro, have flourished. Sample one-euro sandwich: Pâté de foie with cornichons. Perfect for backpackers.

Underscoring the nation’s newest predilection in food, Paris will host the European Sandwich & Snack Show next month, where the 2009 Sandwich World Cup will draw sandwich chefs from around the world. It’s a rather haughty venue for a humble meal, but leave it to France to elevate the quotidian to an art form.