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King Charles’ €500K lobster dinner blows hole in French presidency’s budget (www.politico.eu)

submitted 2 months ago by MicroWave@lemmy.world to c/world@lemmy.world

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A decadent dinner costing nearly €475,000 for the U.K.’s King Charles III helped push France’s Élysée Palace — the office of President Emmanuel Macron —to a record high deficit last year.

France’s love for grand gestures and opulent dining are fully in evidence in the pages of a damning yearly audit of the Élysée’s budget, released on Monday by the Cour des Comptes, France’s top audit court.

The Élysée’s spending, which includes costs related to the president’s diplomatic and presidential duties as well as administration, personnel, security and estate management, reached a whopping €125 million, plunging the books €8.3 million into the red.

Among the biggest deficit drivers were two luxurious state dinners, with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and King Charles III.

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[-] Pooptimist@lemmy.world 150 points 2 months ago

A few hundred years ago they chopped heads off of kings and queens for spending too much on everything, and now they do it for them

[-] filtoid@lemmy.ml 4 points 2 months ago

plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose

(The more things change, the more they stay the same)

[-] andrewta@lemmy.world 105 points 2 months ago

I'm all for eating a nice dinner. But how do you get to a dinner bill that size?

[-] Bassman1805@lemmy.world 89 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Famous chefs who have more people requesting them than they have time in the day, so they go to whoever pays the most.

Like, Gordon Ramsey still does private events, but only if they pay more than he could be making with his TV deals.

[-] bluGill@kbin.run 61 points 2 months ago

Meanwhile just as good chefs that didn't get the fame break (or possibly better but their personality means they shouldn't be let out of the kitchen) are struggling to make ends meet.

[-] funkless_eck@sh.itjust.works 39 points 2 months ago

same as it ever was.

Pick an industry that is also the case. In marketing There are people earning 7 figures for configuring a Google ads deck that a talented undergrad could do in half the time

In acting you can just throw a dart at the SAG directory.

Painting, music, business administration, politics. You name it.

[-] TriPolarBearz@lemmy.world 24 points 2 months ago

Gordon: welcome to my fancy private dinner experience. What can I make for you?

Guest: I would like your finest grilled cheese sandwich please.

Gordon: oh fuck, oh shit!

[-] Glowy@lemmy.world 9 points 2 months ago

You may have to be more specific with the definition of grilled cheese for him.

Ramsay's "ultimate" grilled cheese

[-] deranger@sh.itjust.works 11 points 2 months ago

What the fuck was that?? I was hoping for some chronic grilly chee but that was an abomination. I’ve seen children make better grilled cheese sandwiches.

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[-] UselesslyBrisk@infosec.pub 4 points 2 months ago

For one...thats a melt. And it doesnt look great. But I think there in lies the rub. even the best chefs get there by experimenting and trying new things and even then, when they get outside their wheelhouse, they arent any better than that dude at your local diner.

[-] Obi@sopuli.xyz 13 points 2 months ago

You people make me sick.

A grilled cheese consists of only these following items. Cheese. Bread with spread (usually butter). This entire subreddit consist of "melts". Almost every "grilled cheese" sandwich i see on here has other items added to it. The fact that this subreddit is called "grilledcheese" is nothing short of utter blasphemy.

Let me start out by saying I have nothing against melts, I just hate their association with sandwiches that are not grilled cheeses. Adding cheese to your tuna sandwich? It's called a Tuna melt. Totally different. Want to add bacon and some pretentious bread crumbs with spinach? I don't know what the hell you'd call that but it's not a grilled cheese.

I would be more than willing to wager I've eaten more grilled cheeses in my 21 years than any of you had in your entire lives. I have one almost everyday and sometimes more than just one sandwich. Want to personalize your grilled cheese? Use a mix of different cheeses or use sourdough or french bread. But if you want to add some pulled pork and take a picture of it, make your own subreddit entitled "melts" because that is not a fucking grilled cheese.

I'm not a religious man nor am I anything close to a culinary expert. But as a bland white mid-western male I am honestly the most passionate person when it comes to grilled cheese and mac & cheese. All of you foodies stay the hell away from our grilled cheeses and stop associating your sandwich melts with them. Yet again, it is utter blasphemy and it rocks me to the core of my pale being.

Shit, I stopped lurking after 3 years and made this account for the sole purpose of posting this. I've seen post after post of peoples "grilled cheeses" all over reddit and it's been driving me insane. The moment I saw this subreddit this morning I finally snapped. Hell, I may even start my own subreddit just because I know this one exists now.

You god damn heretics. Respect the grilled cheese and stop changing it into whatever you like and love it for it what it is. Or make your damn melt sandwich and call it for what it is. A melt.

[-] dch82@lemmy.zip 4 points 2 months ago

Honey wake up new copypasta just dropped

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[-] andrewta@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

Lol I can hear him saying that.

Also for good measure

"for dessert I'd like, a banana freshly peeled with a small glass of grocery store orange juice."

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[-] snooggums@midwest.social 28 points 2 months ago

Perfection costs a whole lot more than really, really good because costs go up exponentially.

You need multiple times the staff on hand to cook and server everything at the same time, and they should be highly paid professionals. You need to be able to discard the majority of your food supplies, which already cost a lot more than normal, to have the perfect version of every dish. The setting probably costs a lot to set up and clean up after, and attention to detail costs time and money.

It is a huge waste, but that is why it costs so much.

[-] BakerBagel@midwest.social 8 points 2 months ago

Everyone also has to pass a bunch of security and background checks, which costs money as well. And i am sure the supply chains for staye dinners are more expensive for the same reason

[-] andrewta@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

Good explanation. Still having a hard time on seeing that much, but good explanation

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[-] catloaf@lemm.ee 24 points 2 months ago

Mark up everything by 500%

[-] MenacingPerson@lemm.ee 25 points 2 months ago

Do you mean 500x? Because that looks like 500x.

[-] jqubed@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago

Step one is probably hosting it at the Palace of Versailles

[-] Deestan@lemmy.world 17 points 2 months ago

They felt they had money to burn after cutting pensions?

[-] andrewta@lemmy.world 6 points 2 months ago

I misread that at first and thought you said "cutting peasants".

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[-] tiefling 6 points 2 months ago

Hand fished, gold coated lobster: $1,000 Cooking the lobster: $474,000

[-] ieatpwns@lemmy.world 63 points 2 months ago

Why didn’t the king foot the bill he’s the king and he’s rich.

Let the heads roll.

[-] Agent641@lemmy.world 18 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Kings aint get rich by paying for shit.

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[-] PumpkinEscobar@lemmy.world 60 points 2 months ago

I guess this solves part of the mystery about why the French rioted when they raised the retirement age last year

[-] p0windah@lemmy.world 34 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

This breaks down into a nightmare in my mind.

What are the components of a meal and the service attached to it that can be stretched to the maximum for someone who "has everything".

Honestly, expensive produce doesn't generate this sort of expense.

Must the catering staff all hold MBA's? Each fork is hundreds of years old and polished to a mirror finish?

The carpet and underlay, is freshly laid for the meal; and then immediately ripped up and destroyed afterwards.

I doubt Charles passed along the edict that he requires an outrageously ostentatious meal, but the French "just knew" that was the right thing to do.

I want to believe heads of state would be content eating the same meals that are served in the Olympic village.

This is the worst form of consumerism, you just point to your nose and people scramble to pamper you with praise, favour and treats.

What a truly wonderful way to outsource waste, without feeling any personal responsibility towards the consequences of your lifestyle.

[-] trolololol@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

And that's to please a king, so it's not like a political favor. Macron is getting nothing out of this.

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[-] StereoTrespasser@lemmy.world 32 points 2 months ago

Peasants have been complaining about royal feasts throughout history. You're just one scrap going through a long line of machines that chew you up, squeeze taxes out of you, and spit you out the other end to dig another hole.

[-] hark@lemmy.world 27 points 2 months ago

Then the rich act shocked and appalled when people talk about a violent uprising.

[-] reagansrottencorpse@lemmy.ml 27 points 2 months ago

Why would you waste all that money on a king who is a figurehead at best ?

[-] bobs_monkey@lemm.ee 16 points 2 months ago

Because it's big club and we ain't in it

[-] mecfs@lemmy.world 5 points 2 months ago

I think it was a 100 person dinner full of french and english celebrities, including macron, and the king.

[-] Beaver@lemmy.ca 22 points 2 months ago

France should’ve elected a left wing majority. Now you’re stuck with Macron’s classist attitude.

[-] TacticsConsort@yiffit.net 19 points 2 months ago

What. How do you even spend that much on a dinner, even for 1000 people.

And like. It's King Charles. I loved the Queen and thought she was iconic, and even I don't really care about Charles. All of my friends in my circle actively despise him and what he represents. Literally why are you trying to curry favour with him that hard.

[-] SkunkWorkz@lemmy.world 19 points 2 months ago

A Frenchman wining and dining an English monarch. What has the world come to.

[-] MediaBiasFactChecker@lemmy.world 14 points 2 months ago

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[-] naught@sh.itjust.works 6 points 2 months ago

Curious why this bot gathers downvotes - can anyone say?

[-] RCTreeFiddy@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

Personally, it’s absolutely maddening to see this long ass reply in every thread. I know I can block it, but I choose to downvote instead. Perhaps the bot creator could shorten the reply to a single line and a link?

Just my $0.02

[-] FlyingSquid@lemmy.world 11 points 2 months ago

It's only a long reply because whatever client your using doesn't parse spoiler tags.

This is what it should look like:

Not one line, but also not especially obtrusive.

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[-] breakingcups@lemmy.world 7 points 2 months ago

I dunno. I think it adds something of value without being obtrusive.

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[-] Agent641@lemmy.world 13 points 2 months ago

Should of got maccas, it would only cost $250,000.

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[-] bad_alloc@lemmy.dbzer0.com 13 points 2 months ago

You were the Chosen One! You were supposed to guillotine the monarchs, not dine with them!

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[-] cygnus@lemmy.ca 13 points 2 months ago

This works out to 2500 euros per person, which is expensive but not that bad in context. It's easily possible to drop hundreds at a restaurant in my medium-sized city, and an event like this is obviously at a whole other level.

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[-] hungryphrog 11 points 2 months ago

Can we just eat the rich already? I think I've worked up an appetite for it.

[-] kirbowo808@kbin.melroy.org 9 points 2 months ago

Another reason why the monarchy should not exist

[-] nightwatch_admin@feddit.nl 9 points 2 months ago

Let him eat cake next time!

[-] octopus_ink@lemmy.ml 8 points 2 months ago

Well they seem to have saved a lot by not providing reasonable quarters for the Olympic village so it probably works out in the end.

[-] Quacksalber@sh.itjust.works 7 points 2 months ago

Imagine you get a dish worth probably tens of thousands alone and you don't like it.

[-] wewbull@feddit.uk 5 points 2 months ago

Those damn French. They just love the aristocracy.

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this post was submitted on 30 Jul 2024

383 points (100.0% liked)

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