“- I actually thought a crocodile soup would taste better than that,” plate 7 from La Sopciété D'acclimatation 1858

Honoré Daumier created this lithograph as plate seven of La Societé d'Acclimatation. It encapsulates the zeitgeist of 19th-century France. It's a moment of culinary disappointment, but it speaks volumes about cultural aspirations and the era's complex relationship with the exotic. Daumier masterfully satirizes the bourgeois obsession with novelty and status. These men, who are obviously of means, hoped to expand their palates and social standing through exotic cuisine. The crocodile soup, a symbol of colonial ambition, falls short of expectations, exposing the absurdity of their desires. Daumier’s caricature is a biting commentary on cultural appropriation and the human tendency to seek validation through consumption. Daumier invites us to reflect on our own desires and pretensions. What do we seek from the world, and at what cost? The artist uses his skill to reveal the subtle ways in which identity, class, and culture intersect in our daily lives.