Au Bon Pain

An excerpt from an article in last month's Hemispheres, United Airlines' in-flight magazine:

When it comes to bread, the French know best.

Boulangeries can be found at almost every city street corner in France and are stocked with croissants, pain au chocolat, and the most famous bread of them all, baguettes.

. . . Celebrated around the world, the baguette has been a French standard since pre-Revolutionary days.

. . . Even during the devastating food shortages of the 18th century, Parisians refused to eat "bad bread." In May 1775, low-quality breads began popping up in the midst of riots, and Parisians began calling them "black breads."