After England lost 2-1 to France in the 2022 FIFA World Cup quarterfinals Saturday, there were plenty of reactions across the world. But one of the most notable came in the stadium, where a French fan ate a baguette in celebration. That prompted a lot of reaction:
man smuggled in a full baguette, waited for his moment, and nailed it pic.twitter.com/fXSPQgSgYN
— Brian Floyd (@BrianMFloyd) December 10, 2022
This comes as part of a great month for the baguette, as United Nations heritage agency UNESCO added it to an “intangible cultural heritage” list earlier in December. Here’s more from Catherine Porter and Constant Méheut of The New York Times on the significance of that move:
The decision captured more than the craft knowledge of making bread — it also honored a way of life that the thin crusty loaf has long symbolized and that recent economic upheavals have put under threat. UNESCO’s choice came as boulangeries in rural areas are vanishing, hammered by economic forces like the slow hollowing out of France’s villages, and as the economic crisis gripping Europe has pushed the baguette’s price higher than ever.
“It’s a good news in a complicated environment,” said Dominique Anract, the president of the National Federation of French Bakeries and Patisseries, who led the effort to get the baguette on the UNESCO heritage list.
“When a baby cuts his teeth, his parents give him a stump of baguette to chew off,” Mr. Anract added. “When a child grows up, the first errand he runs on his own is to buy a baguette at the bakery.”
And now, the baguette has appeared in a World Cup celebration, and been commented on around the world afterwards. We’ll see if it again makes an appearance in France’s semifinal clash with Morocco on Dec. 14.
About Andrew Bucholtz
Andrew Bucholtz has been covering sports media for Awful Announcing since 2012. He is also a staff writer for The Comeback. His previous work includes time at Yahoo! Sports Canada and Black Press.