i heart the french

Chirac's latest remarks may not be very diplomatic, but they are hilarious: Chirac mocks Britain for mad cow, bad food.

French President Jacques Chirac cracked jokes to Russian and German leaders about bad British food and mad cow disease, a Paris daily said on Monday, in comments that could further strain Anglo-French relations.

“The only thing they (the English) have ever done for European agriculture is mad cow,” Chirac quipped, according to the paper, prompting laughter from Schroeder and Putin.

When asked about Chirac’s reported comments, French government spokesman Jean-Francois Cope told reporters, “I have nothing particular to say.”

Relations between France and Britain were already at a low point, with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Chirac blaming each other for the failure of June talks on the European Union’s long-term budget talks.

Chirac took the opportunity of a receptive audience to snipe at British food. “You can’t trust people who cook as badly as that,” he joked, the paper said.

“After Finland, it’s the country with the worst food.”