“The sharing of bread is an anchor at the dinner
table, at family meals,” she said. “We feel a need
to focus on family, on food, for life to go on.
It’s symbolic.”
But in the Mediterranean town of Sanary-sur-
Mer, buying only one baguette risks a police fine
of 135 euros ($146). Mayor Ferdinand Bernhard
says people shouldn’t be using the buying of
bread as an excuse to go out every day.
“Anyone caught coming out of a bakery with
just one loaf will be fined,” he said in a telephone
interview. “If you go once a week, you cut the
risk by a factor of seven — for you, the baker, his
entourage and yours.”
“This is no time for people’s moods. The priority
is to not get sick,” he said. “You can freeze bread.
You can even live without it.”
“It’s not a sacrifice. It’s an adaptation.”Image: Image: Michel Euler