Mastering the Art of French Eating

I am rereading this book currently and thought that I might mention it here in case it might please others. Obviously the title is a take-off on Julia Child's famous cook book, but this one (available in an octavo sized Penguin edition) details the foodie life of a Chinese lady married to an American diplomat, living in France and travelling about the country on assignment.

Chapters include Paris/Steak frites, Troyes/andouillette, Brittany/crepes, Lyon/salade Lyonnaise, Provence/soup au pistou, Toulouse; cassoulet, Alsace/choucroute, Savoie/fondue, Burgundy/boeuf Bourguignon, and Aveyron/aligote.

Recommended for cooks and tourists alike.

See https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Mastering+th ... _sb_noss_1

[Jenise]

Love the sound of that and already placed an order. I'm in a new book group that gathers at dinner time, and the host provides food. I'm so excited about it--and a book like this would be a great way to host my first meeting.

Jenise, good for you...those dinner gatherings can be a lot of fun. A family member of mine joined one years ago and participated for a long time. We also had one in our neighborhood for a while, and several of us who walked together in the morning started it. We had some memorable meals.

[Jenise]

Jenise, good for you...those dinner gatherings can be a lot of fun. A family member of mine joined one years ago and participated for a long time. We also had one in our neighborhood for a while, and several of us who walked together in the morning started it. We had some memorable meals.

Not everyone's a cook or a foodie. However one can be creative. The book we just read (my first with the group) was written by two local boys during the pandemic. The hostess served pizzas from that family's favorite pizzeria and homemade ice cream, a treat often described in the book. Unfortunately I missed it as I was stuck elsewhere in the massive grounding of Alaska Airlines flights last weekend, but I'll probably host in October.

Another one I haven't got around to reading is Appetite for Life, a bio of Julia Child.

And another one I have been keeping an eye out for is Provence, 1970 : M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the reinvention of American taste. I must get around to it soon - anyone else read it?

I fondly remember a wonderful dish of Alsatian choucroute garni that I had in France. The serving portion was enormous--clearly intended for multiple diners. I had no idea of this when I ordered it. When they put the plate down in front of me the title of B. Kliban's book of drawings immediately came to mind: "Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head".

-Paul W.

Yes, when we were touring the Alsace, we sat down to a grande choucroute garni - took us about 2 1/2 hours to do it justice and three bottes of wine - and a nearby motel to check into!

P.S, seehttps://www.seriouseats.com/choucrou ... age-recipe

[Jenise]

Another one I haven't got around to reading is Appetite for Life, a bio of Julia Child.

And another one I have been keeping an eye out for is Provence, 1970 : M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, and the reinvention of American taste. I must get around to it soon - anyone else read it?

I didn't find the latter in my bookcase but I do believe I read it. The former, no.

My aunt was a fan of Julia Child and made many of her recipes. I was fascinated by what she cooked, and as I got older, I bought Julia Child's French Cooking and later her From Julia Child's Kitchen, which she signed.
Fascinating reading, but sadly, I have made very few of her recipes. I found them complicated, with many steps, and although I spent many hours in the kitchen feeding my busy family, I needed simpler cooking methods. Many of her recipes cover two, three, or more pages and have no photos, which I love as I can see the outcome. I did watch her cooking shows and found her down-to-earth and a lovely person.
My aunt raised 5 kids, had a beautiful, huge home with many acres. Horses, dogs, cats, and an outdoor BBQ room where they entertained people like Roy Rogers, Sons of the Pioneers, Hollywood folks, as my uncle was a doctor to the stars. He moved to Eureka, where he could have his private practice in a small town and his horses. My aunt spent most of her time in the kitchen and her huge garden, growing and picking the results. She had an assistant for many years who helped with housework and cooking.
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My mother watched the original broadcasts of The French Chef religiously. The thing she liked best about it is that, since it was a low-budget production that couldn't afford retakes, things often went wrong. Mom found Julia's workarounds and solutions to be very valuable. An example: a cake that came out slanted. Julia's solution: cut the cake in half and turn the top part 180 degrees. Diners are far less likely to notice the slanted icing between the layers than they would a lopsided cake.

-Paul W.