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268 reviews for:
The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious---And Perplexing---City
David Lebovitz
3.68 AVERAGE
268 reviews for:
The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious---And Perplexing---City
David Lebovitz
3.68 AVERAGE
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
funny
informative
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
The writer did a great job of sharing tips for Americans traveling to Paris. Lots of food, language & cultural information.
I know he's a chef, but, as a non-cook, I wasn't interested in the recipes.
If you've used & enjoyed his cookbooks or are planning a trip to Paris, this is a good book. It's not something I would pick for my personal reading, though.
I know he's a chef, but, as a non-cook, I wasn't interested in the recipes.
If you've used & enjoyed his cookbooks or are planning a trip to Paris, this is a good book. It's not something I would pick for my personal reading, though.
I enjoy his style of writing, and his complaining is very French. It made me laugh. Having a French mother, and having been to France several times, it simply felt like home. Haven't tried any of the recipes, but some day I'll get to them. Some looked delish.
When my kids don't need me around anymore I'm definitely moving to Paris. The patisseries are calling me...
funny
lighthearted
reflective
I'm a traveler at heart and I think that is the main reason I loved this book. Not because I give a hoot about cooking and baking but because I LOVE learning about other cultures. I love reading about how other people go about their daily lives, it's so fascinating.
This book basically reads as a travel guide/cookbook. The author David recounts his first five years living and adjusting to life in one of the greatest cities in the world, Paris. Each chapter is a short story about some aspect of Parisian culture followed by an exquisite recipe or two (the likes of which I will never be able to replicate). You will learn how to properly eat cheese, cut in line, order coffee, go to the doctor, make an absinthe cake and much much more. It is a great book and a must read for anyone planning to travel or live abroad in Paris.
Also, if anyone can figure out the divine sounding recipes make a few and send them my way for sampling :)
This book basically reads as a travel guide/cookbook. The author David recounts his first five years living and adjusting to life in one of the greatest cities in the world, Paris. Each chapter is a short story about some aspect of Parisian culture followed by an exquisite recipe or two (the likes of which I will never be able to replicate). You will learn how to properly eat cheese, cut in line, order coffee, go to the doctor, make an absinthe cake and much much more. It is a great book and a must read for anyone planning to travel or live abroad in Paris.
Also, if anyone can figure out the divine sounding recipes make a few and send them my way for sampling :)
Très délicieux !
After 12 years of working as a pastry chef at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse, David Lebovitz moved to Paris, where he has now lived for several years. His book is an amusing and entertaining chronicle of becoming a Parisian — from getting along with other Parisians to finding the most delicious food, especially baked goodies, in the city. It means living in cramped quarters, being pushed and shoved in lines, dealing with grumpy sales clerks, learning how to dress, and what to do when you make an embarrassing faux pas: Leave the scene as fast as you can, muttering to yourself like a Parisian Il n'est pas de ma faute ! Il n'est pas de ma faute !
So many inscrutable French behaviors must be chalked up to cultural differences. So many perfectly normal requests are pas possible. And we Americans just don’t understand! Lebovitz offers a good many useful tips for anyone planning to take up residence in, or just visit, Paris. He also tells the best place to go for bread, for lemon-glazed madeleines, for cheeses, for steak frites, even microwave popcorn (if you must). As for the best chocolate? Lebovitz explains, that’s like going into a wine shop and asking, “What’s your best wine?” Nevertheless, he offers lots of useful information for chocoholics — how chocolate madness started in France, some of the myriad types and where to find them.
In addition to the engaging anecdotes are many mouth-watering recipes, most of which don’t look terribly complicated. Lebovitz has taken care to adjust them for American tastes and available ingredients. I am certain that I’ll soon be making Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds or Tomato and Sourdough Bread Salad. I’m not so sure about the Cinnamon Meringue with Espresso-Caramel Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce, and Candied Almonds (I feel as if I’ve gained weight just reading the recipe).
He also includes two great appendices: one a list of mail-order sources for hard-to-find French foods and ingredients, the other a list of many of his favorite French shops, bistros, and cafés (“Mes Bonnes Addresses”).
After 12 years of working as a pastry chef at Alice Waters’ Chez Panisse, David Lebovitz moved to Paris, where he has now lived for several years. His book is an amusing and entertaining chronicle of becoming a Parisian — from getting along with other Parisians to finding the most delicious food, especially baked goodies, in the city. It means living in cramped quarters, being pushed and shoved in lines, dealing with grumpy sales clerks, learning how to dress, and what to do when you make an embarrassing faux pas: Leave the scene as fast as you can, muttering to yourself like a Parisian Il n'est pas de ma faute ! Il n'est pas de ma faute !
So many inscrutable French behaviors must be chalked up to cultural differences. So many perfectly normal requests are pas possible. And we Americans just don’t understand! Lebovitz offers a good many useful tips for anyone planning to take up residence in, or just visit, Paris. He also tells the best place to go for bread, for lemon-glazed madeleines, for cheeses, for steak frites, even microwave popcorn (if you must). As for the best chocolate? Lebovitz explains, that’s like going into a wine shop and asking, “What’s your best wine?” Nevertheless, he offers lots of useful information for chocoholics — how chocolate madness started in France, some of the myriad types and where to find them.
In addition to the engaging anecdotes are many mouth-watering recipes, most of which don’t look terribly complicated. Lebovitz has taken care to adjust them for American tastes and available ingredients. I am certain that I’ll soon be making Chicken Tagine with Apricots and Almonds or Tomato and Sourdough Bread Salad. I’m not so sure about the Cinnamon Meringue with Espresso-Caramel Ice Cream, Chocolate Sauce, and Candied Almonds (I feel as if I’ve gained weight just reading the recipe).
He also includes two great appendices: one a list of mail-order sources for hard-to-find French foods and ingredients, the other a list of many of his favorite French shops, bistros, and cafés (“Mes Bonnes Addresses”).
It was light but enjoyable. if you know Paris well, there won't be any surprises here. The anecdotes and observations seem pretty spot on, but they start to feel a little repetitive and whiny when read all together. Probably would be more enjoyable to read as a blog. The recipes are an interesting addition.
I like snobby food memoirs, but this one pushed it for *me.* Good recipes, some interesting quippy essays, but I wanted more of a narrative.