Pate du Chef Delicatessen

During the Royal Wedding media blitz, I read a magazine profile of Kate Middleton which reported that, “She eats pâté.” It was unclear to me exactly what the author was trying to say about the future duchess. That she’s not as down-to-earth as everybody thinks she is? Or maybe he meant just the opposite: Will’s wife’s affinity for spreadable meat makes her accessible. Herein lies the problem with classifying pâté—I’m forever undecided if it’s a luxury delicacy or rustic snack. We never had pâté growing up. Much to my teenage disgust, my parents occasionally bought liverwurst and braunschweiger from the supermarket deli; later in life I sampled and enjoyed silky pâté at an upscale party or two. Then I moved to Prague and while orienting myself to the grocery stores, i.e. spending hours circling Delvita in a food-induced fugue, I discovered that pâté is a national obsession.