At the start of the war in Iraq, when it became clear that France would not support the US invasion of that country, some Americans were upset that a nation which they had twice liberated from the German army now refused to champion America's cause. Television news reports showed restaurants changing 'French fries' to 'freedom fries' and bartenders gleefully pouring bottles of merlot and Moet on to city pavements.
Most Americans have long since resumed sipping their chablis. And with the aid of a new (French-speaking) secretary of state, Franco-American relations seem to be on the road to a full recovery.
Yet now a different group of Americans, this one professed animal lovers, is hoping to stick the fork into the French for yet another perceived transgression: the Gallic love of horses. Not to ride on, but to dine on.
Renowned for their gastronomic fondness for fried ants, frog legs and foie gras, the French and Belgians are also the world's largest consumers of horsemeat. And the US is home to more horses than any other place on the planet - more than five million at the last count.
The market for horsemeat inside America is virtually non-existent. Only seven states allow the sale of pony patties for human consumption. In 2004, about 65,000 American horses were butchered. Some ended up, unglamorously, as dog or cat food, but many of the rendered animals were also sent to America's zoos and wildlife parks, where they are fed to large carnivores such as lions and tigers which require significant quantities of meat and bone to maintain their health.
An additional amount of horse-meat (specially approved by the government) is also sold overseas, mainly to Europe where it is found on restaurant menus and in butcher shops. And therein lies the daunting cultural and culinary chasm between Americans and Europeans.