French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew
by Peter Mayle

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Book Reviews of French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew

Book Review: Passport to Pleasure
Summary: 5 Stars

Even if you haven't read Mayle's other wonderful books (which I highly recommend), this is a great read for anyone who loves French food, French wine and has a good-natured sense of humor about the people who both produce and consume it. It's like a trip to France without the inconvenience of transatlantic travel. If you're a Francophile like I am, you'll be laughing hysterically and pulling out your passport at the same time!

If you are planning a trip to France, get the book as reference material, and a great way to get excited about your trip. On our honeymoon, my husband and I used Mayle's books as a guide to Provence and had a great time on our pilgrimage. If you are going to Paris and not the countryside however, I recommend reading "Paris to the Moon" by Adam Gopnik. Mayle is in love with the real French, not the Parisians (and if you've ever traveled both places you know exactly what I mean) so he spends his time in Burgundy, Provence and other countryside areas.

One warning to the serious reader though, you'll be done in a couple of hours with this book. You'll fully enjoy those hours, but it is very much a quick read. I think of books like French Lessons as a vacation for the brain. It's great fun and not much thinking. So give that big brain a rest and pull up a fork for what I consider one of the best books about life in France published to date.

Summary of French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew

Mayle's gastronomic baptism occurs when, as a 19-year-old, he dines for the first time in France. "At the first mouthful of French bread and French butter," he writes, "my taste buds, dormant until then, went into spasm." The paroxysm leads to serious food-and-wine perambulations--and, finally, to chapters including "The Thigh-Taster of Vitel" (a frog-eating fete); "Slow Food" (snail love in Martigny les Bains) and "The Guided Stomach" (an investigation of the Michelin Guide restaurant inspection), among others. Readers are also present for a debate on the secret of the perfect omelet; a search for the best possible chicken in Bourg-en-Bresse; and a visit to a St. Tropez restaurant notable for its scantily clad habitués. Those familiar with Mayle's work, and those yet to discover it, are in for a treat. --Arthur Boehm

Gastronomy Books

• Books > Subjects > Cookbooks, Food & Wine
• Regional & International > European > French
• Travel > Europe > France
• Reference & Tips > Food & Lodging > Dining