Elaine Sciolino’s article  “A French Dining Staple Is Losing Its Place at the Table”  published in The New York Times on July 30, 2013 discusses how the French are eating less bread than they had throughout history. Bread is the staple food in Europe. According to the article, “The average Frenchman these days eats only half a baguette a day compared with almost a whole baguette in 1970 and more than three in 1900. Women… eat about a third less than men, and young people almost 30 percent less than  decade ago.” This decline has gotten many worried. In particular, Onservatoire du Pain which is the bakers’ and millers’ lobby is so worried about the topic that they have started a nationwide campaign. In their campaign, they are promoting the benefits of eating bread, including the fact that it leads to good health. Their slogan is similar to the American Slogan “Got Milk?” Some of the reasonings behind why eating bread is declining includes losing weight, saving time, and skipping breakfast. Bread is losing its place to “rivals like breakfast cereals , pasta, and rice.” The article also includes another reason which researchers and bakers believe is one of the main reasons why the decline is taking place. According to the article, the methods for making the bread has changed greatly throughout the past century. The quality of bread has gone down greatly since the 1920s. This is because of the mechanization which contribute to “the making of bread that lacked taste and aroma” as well as “the transition from slow breadmaking with a sourdough base to a quick process using yeast.” Also, these days the bread is artificial compared to the traditional French bread. These breads are full of additives. Thus, the traditional baguette is more expensive than the ordinary baguette. Aside from discussing the decline of the bread in France, the article also discusses how important bread is to the country buy talking about the national bread festival and an annual contest. The national bread festival is “held every May around the feast of Saint Honore (the patron saint of bakers) so that the French can sample different breads, learn how bread is made and even learn how to become a baker.” Aside from this, the city of Paris holds an annual contest “to select the city’s best artisanal baguette maker, with winner’s breads then gracing the tables of President Francois Hollande at the Elysee Palace for a year.” Both these events emphasize how important bread is to the country.