France: The Snack v. La Grande Cuisine

Confronted with a menu offering him the choice of "Le Wimpy," "Le Super Wimpy," "Le Wimpy King Size" or "Le Super Wimpy King Size"—all hamburgers—a Frenchman might be expected to cry out for a double cognac and forget about lunch. In fact, more and more Frenchmen are gobbling a snack and forgoing a leisurely feast at lunchtime. The man leading the assault on gastronomical tradition is Jacques Borel, 39, proprietor of 107 snack bars and cafeterias in Paris.

Borel has nothing against grande cuisine but thinks the modern Frenchman and his overworked liver should be able to...