Vitalstatistix is taking his wife Impedimenta on a shopping trip to Lutetia (Paris), with Asterix and Obelix tagging along as his 'honour guard'. Unfortunately, the trip also includes a dinner invitation from Impedimenta's brother Homeopathix, a wealthy and successful merchant who looks down on Vitalstatistix. The chieftain soon gets into a drunken argument with his brother-in-law, and claims that he will serve him a stew garnished with Julius Caesar's laurel wreath. An equally drunk Obelix accepts the task, and he and Asterix are sent to Rome, where they plan to pose as slaves to gain access to Caesar's palace.
The way their plan backfires is pure hilarity. They offer themselves as slaves to Caesar's main supplier, Typhus, but then accidentally sell themselves to a patrician they mistake for Caesar's majordomo. When they realise their mistake, they try to get themselves dismissed, but their attempts backfire: they try cooking a deliberately horrible stew (which includes carbolic soap as an ingredient), but the patrician's alcoholic son finds it to be a great hangover cure; and an impromptu midnight percussion routine inspires the patrician's family to throw an all-night party.
They later get framed for treason by the patrician's jealous majordomo, and implicate themselves so they'll get fed to the lions because Caesar will be watching and it will give them a chance to steal his laurel wreath. The whole segment adds a new air of black comedy to the story.
I also think the greyer morality makes an interesting change. Our heroes are not trying to help a person in need or do something which preserves the safety of the village, but to help their chieftain win a game of one-upmanship with his brother-in-law. Speaking of which, Vitalstatistix provides some great snarky dialogue when dealing with Homeopathix.
This is another one which I'd rate quite highly. Sorting out my Top Five at the end of this is going to be Hell.
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