"A pie-throwing worthy of the name cannot be reduced to a hasty throw."

F or a politician – or anyone who prides themselves on regularly commenting on public affairs – receiving a cream pie in the face is something of an initiation rite. Being the victim of a pastry insult or the recipient of an egg (like Emmanuel Macron) , flour (like François Hollande) or banana milkshake (like Nigel Farage, the British far-right leader) enters you into the great brotherhood of "pie-takers" and establishes your notoriety.

The purpose of this exercise was defined by the Belgian Noël Godin, who has dozens of victims to his name, from Marguerite Duras to Nicolas Sarkozy, including Bill Gates, Jean-Luc Godard, PPDA... The cream pie is a public condemnation through ridicule, "a burlesque response" directed against "the annoying, the pompous pickles", pleads the man who, after having committed his crime, generally runs away shouting "gulp, gulp" . He is also nicknamed "the Gloupier".

The practice, which draws inspiration from many scenes from silent cinema—in particular the famous giant whipped cream brawl that punctuates The Battle of the Century (1927), starring Laurel and Hardy—must adhere to a certain ethic. A pie-throwing worthy of the name cannot be reduced to a hasty throw; the pie must be placed on the victim's face. Immaculately white, the material is noble; it will be whipped cream. There is no question of using shaving cream. Finally, a pastry commando must absolutely include a cameraman or photographer in its ranks if it intends to go down in history.

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