Hoax cooked up by French leaves Bush's chef with egg on his face

The Telegraph (U.K.) ^ | 08/29/03 | Philip Delves Broughton

[Pokey78]

President George W Bush's personal chef has been humiliated by a team of French practical jokers who tempted him with a job offer to desert his employer and go to work for President Jacques Chirac.

The stunt, which is threatening to spiral into a diplomatic incident, happened when Walter Scheib visited Paris in his capacity as president of the Chefs des Chefs d'Etat, a club for those who cook for the world's heads of state.

On Wednesday evening he was due to attend a party at the Elysee Palace given by the French leader's wife, Bernadette. That afternoon a French television company dispatched a Mme Chirac look-alike to his hotel, the Plaza Athenee. The look-alike was accompanied by a producer, doubling as her secretary, and hidden cameras.

When they arrived, the supposed secretary asked Mr Scheib to go to the hotel lobby as Mme Chirac needed to see him urgently about a very delicate matter. Mr Scheib arrived and greeted the look-alike warmly.

M Chirac, she said, was sick of French food. He had once mentioned that he liked calves' head and he had been eating snouts and lips at official dinners ever since. What he longed for was some good American cooking, hamburgers and barbecue. Would Mr Scheib agree to leave Mr Bush and come to work at the Elysee?

The jokers had been sent by We've Tried Everything, a daily early evening programme, which mixes interviews with pranks. Frederic Siaud, the editor-in-chief of the show, said Mr Scheib seemed overwhelmed by the offer. "He fell completely into the trap. He said, 'I can't leave George Bush just like that, I must think, this is a great honour for me'. But he did not refuse." The phoney Mme Chirac pressed him, saying her husband wanted a reply at the party in the evening, in three hours' time. Mr Scheib said he needed half an hour to think, if she could wait.

"After 20 minutes, we thought he had almost decided to come over and work for the Chiracs," said M Siaud, "but one of the hotel staff recognised the producer and the joke was over." Mr Scheib, he added, "took it very badly. He was extremely angry and told us this was going to create a diplomatic incident".

Franco-American relations have plunged to their lowest point in decades over the war in Iraq but earlier in the week, Mr Scheib had been hailed for his tact by French gastronomes after he said he felt like a "young priest before the Pope" when he met the top French chefs.

Half an hour after the prank was exposed, the Plaza Athenee told Mr Siaud that the chef had been on the telephone to the White House. In turn, Washington called the Elysee, which then asked France 2, the television station involved, not to broadcast the stunt. It has yet to make up its mind.

The unfortunate Mr Scheib flew back to the United States yesterday.

[dandelion]

What an ugly thing to do to this dedicated chef. Anyone who abuses workers this way - to offer them jobs without any job being available - is despicable. To do it to humiliate someone, or to cause them to lose their job, is beyond evil. What if he had called to discuss it, or told the White House he was leaving pending a better offer?

I don't care that this man is well paid, or high-ranking. Since when did it become funny to publicly make a person lose their job?

[kayak]

[xJones]

If the French think something as petty as that is funny it's no wonder they love Jerry Lewis.

[JeepInMazar]

LOL. This is great. Now let's brainstorm as to what we can do in return to the French. If we all put our heads together we can create a lot of ideas in this thread. Hopefully, some of us will take a few of the ideas and run with them. Let's see what happens.

[kitkat]

I agree.

Alan Funt used to do the same thing to people on Candid Camera when they were desperate for jobs. Yes, I know they had to sign a release to have it on television, but in the meantime they thought they were applying for jobs when there was no job being offered. I always thought Funt should have been fired.

[McGavin999]

Since when did it become funny to publicly make a person lose their job?

We're talking about the french, they'd have to climb up the evolutionary ladder just to reach the level of animal. Remember, these are the people who leave their old folks to die of neglect while they scurry off to the beaches.

[not_apathetic_anymore]

I've made a pledge not to buy French products again. I've no intention of reneging on that. But every culture has it's jerks. We had the guys (sponsored by Sam Adams) who pressed the couple to have sex in the church. And the DJ's who wanted to date the recently deceased baseball player's wife....

Sadly these jerks are everywhere.

[nutmeg]

bump

[dr_lew]

Now let's brainstorm as to what we can do in return to the French.

I have a feeling there might be a spate of crank calls to the land of the intercontinentals come morning drive time.

[Ramius]

But it's the Telegraph. Not buyin' it.

[Libertina]

He worked for the administration but still hadn't learned you can't trust the French... sad, but a slow learner. It was a despicable "joke."

[Brandon]

That's easy -- send Chirac a C-130 loaded with calves' heads, with a note attached saying we heard from his fellow countrymen how much he likes them.

[woofie]

M Chirac, she said, was sick of French food. He had once mentioned that he liked calves' head and he had been eating snouts and lips at official dinners ever since. What he longed for was some good American cooking, hamburgers and barbecue. Would Mr Scheib agree to leave Mr Bush and come to work at the Elysee?

Im not buying it... The chef really thought Chirac wants hamburgers? dont think so

[weegee]

Some shock jocks ALREADY got Chirac himself. They conviced him that he got a phone call from Jerry Lewis. Jerry was not amused.

[weegee]

I don't care that this man is well paid, or high-ranking. Since when did it become funny to publicly make a person lose their job?

What about the Clinton staff making phoney allegations so that they could fire the White House travel staff and hire their's pals' relatives instead?

[RandallFlagg]

That's easy -- send Chirac a C-130 loaded with calves' heads, with a note attached saying we heard from his fellow countrymen how much he likes them.

Or bull balls. They might need them considering there's barely any there to begin with..

[aruanan]

We're talking about the french, they'd have to climb up the evolutionary ladder just to reach the level of animal. Remember, these are the people who leave their old folks to die of neglect while they scurry off to the beaches.

I remember someone telling me, "Los franceses comen toda clase de porqueria." I told a French woman I knew what he had said. "How dare he say that!" she exclaimed, digging out the guts of her raw sea urchin and slurping them off the spoon.

[Nam Vet]

I love your mug!!! Where can I get one? I will enjoy my morning coffee even MORE!

Nam Vet