Mastering the Art of French Eating: Lessons in Food and Love from a Year in Paris
Mah gladly dons rose-colored glasses in this gastronomic travelogue of regional French cuisine. She revels in the essence of summer captured in Provence’s fresh and creamy soupe au pistou; the gooey decadence of Savoie’s fondue; and the buttery, toothsome chew of Brittany’s buckwheat crepes, attempting to distract herself with the history of classic French dishes after her diplomat husband is called away from their new post in Paris for a yearlong assignment in Iraq. Another diplomat’s wife, Julia Child, is invoked throughout the book for guidance in French cuisine and in dealing with the unsettling feeling of playing second fiddle to a spouse whose job requires regular moves about the globe. The real joy of this book, though, is in Mah’s mouthwatering, bite-by-bite descriptions of the plates set before her in Parisian cafés, country homes, and hole-in-the-wall foodie hideaways. Francophiles will delight in the smattering of French words and phrases sprinkled throughout every page, and serious cooks may endeavor to follow the lengthy recipes for a signature regional dish included at the end of each chapter. --Amye Day Ong