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Sunday, September 05, 2004

Paris Prep: Recommended Reading

posted by Margaret Magnus @ 2:40 PM

Paris to the Moon : If you are interested in French food and its evolution (or lack of it), there's an interesting essay, "The Crisis in French Cooking," in the book Paris to the Moon (Random House: 2000) by Adam Gopnik. It's a collection of articles written by Gopnik for The New Yorker magazine when he and his family lived in Paris from 1995 to 2000. In this essay he discusses why more food innovation has taken place outside of France, how being close to the source of food has influenced French cooking, the connection between being a food leader and a world power - and a few topics in between. Other essays related to food and restaurants are "The Balzar Wars" and "A Handful of Cherries" which focus on what happens to a neighborhood French brasserie when it is purchased by restaurant conglomerate and how the locals fought and came to a standstill. Finally, there's a fun-to-read discussion of "Alice in Paris" about the famous Chez Panisse founder and chef, Alice Waters. Gopnik goes shopping with her in the market and then makes dinner for her.

The Road from the Past: I thought this was a fascinating read for the traveler in France, and I recommend Ina Caro's book, The Road from the Past: Traveling through History in France (Harcourt Brace & Company: 1994). She drives from southern France to Paris and traces French history from Roman times to Louis XIV through her travels. She makes the history come alive by tying it into the places she visits and manages to mention a few of her favorite eating spots along the way.

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