LEGION of Honour is the most prestigious medal that is awarded to French citizens, but often also to foreigners, for their distinctive services in art, science and literature, or even in social work.
This year for the first time a French president also talked about withdrawing the magnanimous decoration when Emmanuel Macron, in his first live TV interview last week, hinted at the possibility of stripping the Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein of the Legion of Honour that was conferred upon him five years ago.
But our topic of the day is not Weinstein but Jean Bissonnet whom the media have already started calling the ‘Butcher of the Republic’, not ironically but in a rather affectionate manner.
Bissonnet, born in the town of Briar in Loire Valley and unable to find a proper job in a war-torn France, arrived in Paris in 1946 at age 17 to work at a butcher’s shop as apprentice.
He would soon be promoted as assistant to the chief and would learn all the arduous details of the profession for the next dozen years. Then, in 1959 he reached out of his humble position to take over a small and deficient butcher’s shop, at rue du Faubourg St Honoré in central Paris, as sole owner at a modest and affordable price.
Bissonet’s techniques were different from other run-of-the-mill butchers. He regularly travelled to his native Loire Valley to personally select cows, goats and sheep raised naturally in wide meadows. Soon enough he became so famous for the quality of his products that in 1967 he was given an exclusive contract to furnish meat to the Elysée Palace, the French presidential residence located only a few steps away from his shop on the same street.
Today, half a century later, Jean Bissonet has extended his contracts as main supplier of meats to the prime minister’s residence as well as to the National Assembly and Senate, not to speak of a number of top restaurants of the French capital reputed for their haute cuisine.
It may sound strange but the Bissonnet business has nothing of a modern, international enterprise. To start with, it is his wife Monique who takes hold of the cashbox at 6am every morning six days a week and business stays open until 8pm every day. More than 200 employees take care of not only the 20 shops all over France but also of the farms in the countryside where cattle are raised exclusively for meat.
The group’s annual business figure is around 45 million euros and supplies are principally taken care of by Jean Bissonnet’s sons, grandsons and great-grandsons.
His 65-year-old son Bernard Bissonnet says: “Meat is very tactile business. You have to touch it to feel the grains. Choosing the stuff for the Elysée Palace requires efficiency.”
Bernard further says: “President Charles de Gaulle used to pay personally for the meat he ordered for his private dinners. My father has kept many of the checks signed by De Gaulle as relics, without bothering to cash them.”
“Of course it is tough job to supply meats to National Assembly or Senate, sometimes at an hour’s notice,” he continues, “but our pride will always remain the Elysée Palace.”
In recognition of his unusual services to France, Jean Bissonnet was awarded the Legion of Honour in a special ceremony very recently. Modestly accepting the medal, the 88-year-old ‘Butcher of the Republic’ said: “Thank you all for being present. Now, if you allow me, I shall leave. I have to get up at four o’clock tomorrow morning!”
If you’re fascinated by the idea of buying a Bissonnet beefsteak while in Paris, go to 99 rue du Faubourg St. Honoré. It’ll cost you 40 euros a kilogram but will be worth it!
The writer is a journalist based in Paris
Published in Dawn, October 29th, 2017
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