Bread of Three Rivers: The Story of a French Loaf
Frustrated with the hectic Washington, DC, lifestyle and  disappointed with the perpetually busy lives of Americans, Taber  attempts to find delight in a simple, honest loaf of French  bread. As many others before her, she flees to France to immerse  herself in the cuisine of the country and to write about it.  Unlike others, she concentrates solely on the search for "a  wonderful French loaf" and the story behind it. Traveling across  France to research each ingredient salt, wheat, water, and  yeast she interviews the individuals who provide each ingredient  to the baker of her perfect loaf. What results is a romanticized  book that is equal parts history, travel narrative, and culinary  scientific process. A former university professor and  participant in the 1996 Bread Loaf Writers' Conference, Taber  has written a literary title filled with metaphor, but her  irritation with the American way of life and its global  influence detracts from what is an otherwise fascinating look  into the complexities of seemingly mundane ingredients. Readers  interested in food writing are more likely to be entertained by  Peter Mayle's French Lessons (Knopf, 2001). Recommended for  larger collections. Pauline Baughman, Multnomah Cty. Lib.,  Portland, ORCopyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.