Letters From the Issue of Thursday, May 25, 2006

The story, which was brilliantly written, isn't that far away from Hannibal Lecter in The Silence of the Lambs. My point is, this is an idea that's already out there in fiction. Now that your article has come out, I fully expect to be reading that such a place as Le Menu exists somewhere in the world.

As you pointed out, the movie The Freshman already goes into the subject matter, though quite forgettably. Maybe you should have thought of all this before acting so irresponsibly, joke or no joke.
Harold Cuttain, Auckland, New Zealand

We can't take a joke: Why can't people in the United States take a joke?! It's so amazing to me how people are responding to "Xtreme Cuisine!"

The outrage that this story has generated is testament to how seriously people take themselves these days. They earnestly believe everything they read, if it's a compelling yarn. And "Xtreme Cuisine" was surely that!

I am an American living in France, and I saw this all over French TV. I understand from reading about the reaction over the Internet that animal-rights activists worldwide believed this malarkey, but here in France, where satire is more accepted, the broadcasters certainly got the joke.

What I've learned while living in France is that people outside America aren't so serious-minded about small things. They look for humor in everything, and when they find it, they're pleased. In France, people can own and love dogs but not find the eating of them so ghastly.
John Gibson, Marseille, France