A secret network of posh, maskless restaurants was uncovered in Paris
In a scene straight out of “The Masque of the Red Death,” high-level French lawmakers stand accused of attending “secret dinners at clandestine luxury restaurants in Paris that served maskless guests champagne and caviar.” French restaurants have been closed since October, with no exceptions—but this past weekend, TV news channel M6 aired footage of a posh, underground Parisian restaurant where high-end patrons could toss their masks and remember what it was like to be pampered gentry. The restaurant’s owner compounded the scandal by bragging that he gets lots of French ministers as guests. Much like Gavin Newsom’s ill-advised dinner at French Laundry, this discovery provoked instant rage for anyone not powerful enough to flout important public health measures during a pandemic. Since the M6 report came out, “guillotine” has been trending on French Twitter—surely a coincidence. The Washington Post has more.
