A la Carte: French Astronaut Plans to Eat High on the Hare

Beef and noodles may be good enough for Americans in space, but French astronaut Patrick Baudry turned up his Gallic nose at such fare and brought along crab mousse, jugged hare and pates de fruit Monday when he was launched aboard Discovery.

Baudry, the first Frenchman to ride on a U.S. spacecraft, said he also tried to get some wine on board, “but it was not possible because you have a problem with NASA about that.”

While the five American astronauts eat chicken a la king or beef and noodles, Baudry will be dining on jugged hare a l’Alsacienne--a stewed dish typically cooked in an earthenware container--or lobster. He also took along French bread, a candied dessert called pates de fruit, cheese and a chocolate pudding.

His meals were prepared in France, canned and shipped to the Johnson Space Center, where they passed NASA tests and were loaded aboard for this week’s mission.

Baudry planned to share his food with Prince Sultan ibn Salman al Saud, who also is aboard.

Baudry said he ordered the meals after discovering the U.S. astronauts’ casual attitude toward food.

He said Daniel C. Brandenstein, the mission commander, told him that “a meal is a waste of time.”

Baudry said that, as a Frenchman, he does not agree.

“Our food tradition is very ancient,” he said. “It is part of our civilization. It is very important. In America, you don’t have that same concept about food.

“I don’t think a meal is a waste of time,” he said. “A meal is not only food. It is much more than that. The meal is the moment when everybody is together and there is a discussion of the activities. It is a very good moment for friendship.”

The prince, inspired by Baudry, also arranged for a food that is representative of his country--he took along Saudi dates for snacks.

The prince, a Muslim, was fasting on the first day of the mission because it was the last day of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month. He said he would eat with the crew on the remainder of the mission.

The prince said he sampled the American space food and found it satisfactory, perhaps even an improvement over some meals he had while training at the Johnson Space Center near Houston.

“The space food is fine,” he said. “The food actually is better than some in the restaurants in this area.”