If there is one country where you do not laugh with cheese, it's France.
Ben McPartland, the editor of in France, wanted to buy three kinds of cheese for a fondue he planned to make. But the owner of the cheese factory he visited refused to sell him some of his 2015 Beaufort because he thought it was "too tasty" to be melted.
The discussion became quite lively, but finally, the cheesemaker agreed to sell some of the Beaufort, provided it was not used in the fondue. For Mr Partland, the episode sums up both the French attitude towards food and its contempt for the fact that the customer is always right.
The social media sphere Twitter has seised the case using the hashtag #fonduegate, with many French commentators who have defended their compatriot.
Je déteste le nationalisme, mais si il y a bien une chose qui me rend fier de la France, c'est ça.
The French newspaper covered the story with a touch of irony at the reaction of the English journalist and the proportions of his tweet. Even David Cvach, the French ambassador in Sweden gave his opinion:
I have sympathy for both protagonists. Pains me to admit as a diplomat but sometimes 2 legitimate positions just cannot be reconciled.
