Book Review - Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France

Before getting into my review of Michael Steinberger's fascinating exploration of the French food and wine culture, I want to take a moment to wish all of you who care for children, in whatever capacity, a happy Mother's Day. I hope your day is bright and that you are showered with the affection you are due. You deserve every accolade that comes your way. I'm not cooking today, so I thought that rather than reprise an old recipe, I'd use this post to share my thoughts regarding Steinberger's book Au Revoir to All That: Food, Wine, and the End of France.

Make no mistake about it, while this book is a eulogy, it orchestrates a funeral that respect and curiosity for the deceased will prod you to attend. Three decades ago the French food establishment ruled the culinary world. Nowadays, the world's most influential chefs and most sought after restaurants are no longer French. Segments of the French wine industry have been in shambles since the Judgement of Paris favored American over French wines, and the French artisanal cheese industry is fighting for its life. Cost, consumption and complacency have all contributed to the decline, but the root causes are more pervasive and Michael Steinberger takes a look at them all.

He begins with a brief history of French food and the great chefs who codified its recipes and service. He moves on to interview today's top chefs and a handful of bright young chefs who are attempting to stay the decline. Even the once untouchable Michelin Guide is examined and its role in the decline is explored. There are, of course, visits to vineyards and a dissection of the appellation system that has actually contributed to the problems it was designed to prevent. And then there is McDonald's and its influence on French food culture. France, which has become a fast food nation, is the 2nd most profitable market in the world for McDonald's and other food conglomerates are bringing artisanal cheese makers to their knees.

All this gloom and doom, in the hands of a lesser writer, would be too academic to enjoy or find even passably interesting. Fortunately, Michael Steinberger is a gourmand who has a way with words. He knows what he is talking about and he manages to ferret out truly interesting and humorous characters to flesh out his tale. This is a funny book that takes a hard look at what went wrong in France. It is obvious that Steinberger loves France and has an affinity for its people, and while he may report the funeral, you get the feeling he wants to be wrong and would rather not attend. I urge all of you who love food and/or France to read this sharp and witty dissection of French food culture.

                    

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Book Review - Lisa Abend's The Sorcerer's Apprentices

In January of 2010, Ferran Adria announced he would be closing his restaurant, elBulli. News that the world's most famous chef was closing what many considered to be the world's greatest restaurant shook the culinary world. It came as a surprise to most, but Lisa Abend, a journalist based in Madrid, Spain, had received an early warning, though she did not know it at the time. Abend wanted to write a book that explored why food, once viewed only as sustenance, had captured the imagination of the public. To that end, she went to Adria, explained her intent and was granted unprecedented access to elBulli and the talents that had made it culinary mecca. She spent the season of 2009 at the restaurant, watching the operation and interviewing members of the staff. At the heart of her tale are the stagiaires, whose stories and interactions with senior staff unveil the creative process as it works in this restaurant. A stage is a training program, much like an apprenticeship, and at elBulli it lasts for one season. Each year, approximately 30 men and women are chosen from an applicant pool of 3000. Those who make it to elBulli will work 14 hours a day and, in return, receive a place to sleep and one meal a day. They receive no salary. While a few of the stagiaires come directly from culinary school, the others are experienced chefs who have put their lives on hold to learn and watch the master at work. Their experience and backgrounds are varied and their personalities are as different as the countries from which they come. Their challenges, interactions and aspirations bring this tale to life. I suspect that those of you who love food and cooking will enjoy this book. Abend is a more a reporter than a storyteller so there is an emotional detachment in her book that some might find off-putting. If, however, you'd like a look behind the scenes at the operations of elBulli and want to see the creative process of a master at work, you will love this book. I heartily recommend it. The Sorcerer's Apprentices is now available in paperback.

While I received a free copy of The Sorcerer's Apprentices from Simon and Schuster, the opinions in this post are my own.

Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper : A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China - Food for Thought

Food for Thought is a new blog developed by Jain of Once In a Blue Moon and Food with Style. She sees this as "a place where pages from your book magically mix with the kitchen and your camera......to make a more memorable book review." I hope you'll stop by and see what's happening and what others are reading.

How can you not love a memoir written by the woman who was the first Westerner to train at the Sichuan Institute of Higher Cuisine? Fushia Dunlop's work at the BBC took her to China in 1992. She returned in 1994 to continue language studies and, as her skills improved, directed her interest to the cooking of Sichuan province. From her first encounters with the fiery food of Sichuan, to her brushes with corruption and greed, she tells a tale that enlightens and entertains and provides one of the best travel narratives I've ever read. It's the story of an English girl who went to China, ate everything that came her way and was surprised by the wonders of the country, its people and its cuisine. Her ability to evoke place and atmosphere place her on a level plane with other literary food writers and her cook books, and this memoir, establish her as an acknowledged expert on the food of China. The best way to catch your interest is to let you see its Table of Contents. While each chapter contains a recipe, you'll quickly find that this is not a cookbook.

CONTENTS

Prologue: The Chinese Eat Everything
1. Mouths That Love Eating
2. Dan Dan Noodles
3. First Kill Your Fish
4. Only Barbarians Eat Salad
5. The Cutting Edge
6. The Root of Tastes
7. The Hungry Dead
8. The Rubber Factory
9. Sickness Enters Through the Mouth
10. Revolution Is Not a Dinner Party
11. Chanel and Chickens' Feet
12. Feeding the Emperor
13. Guilt and Pepper
14. Journey to the West
15. Of Paw and Bone
16. Scary Crabs
17. A Dream of Red Mansions
Epilogue: The Caterpillar

I dare you to try the hotpot from Guilt and Pepper. The dumplings from The Hungry Dead are delicious, too, but do go easy with the chili oil or you might be. If you love stories of singular and gutsy women, you'll love Fushia Dunlops's Shark's Fin and Sichuan Pepper - A Sweet-Sour Memoir of Eating in China.