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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
about the joys and trials of living in paris by one of my favorite food bloggers. totally hilarious at some points - his chapter on how to deal with lines made me lol.
What fun--Lebovitz is such a character, there were lots of times I felt as if I was reading a Bemelmans story--and the recipes. Can't wait to try many, starting with the absinthe cake, the fromage blanc souffle, the Breton buckwheat cake...
If you have ever lived in Paris for any length of time, visited Paris or simply dream of living there, this book will crack you up. the author is a well-respected chef who, in a mid-life crisis, moves from San Francisco to Paris with no plan other than to be some place new. he did not speak much French, but he knew how to cook and, perhaps more importantly, how to bake. the author describes the adventures of this first years in Paris, interleaved with some very good-looking recipes that i do plan to try. the anecdotes about visiting the doctor in France, standing in lines...or not, trying to find a specific product to buy, figuring out how to dress are all hilarious. in the end, the author wins over even the sausage shop lady, who deigns to acknowledge his presence after 5 years of patronage. a win for the Americans!
I borrowed this book from the library, but I think I need my own copy! I love the recipes I've tried (just 2 so far, but there were many more that sounded delicious) and I truly enjoyed reading of the difficulties and joys of being a transplant in Paris. Nice to know that chocolate desserts smooth the way!
Read as audiobook
Some of my fav quotes:
“Making food meant to inspire not be mindlessly ingested”
“I wasn’t running...I was heading in a new direction”
“Where one might traditionally find, say, ceilings-“
“You don’t want to ruin things [by being ‘pas jolie’]”
“I believe in taking advantage of my decision to live in a foreign country by making myself open to new adventures whenever the opportunity arises”
“Plus there was free parking! And whose dying wish isn’t free parking?”
“The worst thing that could happen to anyone in Paris happened: I had to go to the bathroom”
“Somewhere in the city of Paris, there exists a shop dedicated to anything you might ever want, no matter how strange or obscure”
“Become fluent? Even the French aren’t fluent in French!”
Some general notes:
This is the PERFECT book for trying to understand parisian culture
This dude is an ARTIST with words
Paris sounds TERRIBLY stressful! This guy says people really judge you, you have to be so polite all the time, so careful. WHY ARE PARISIANS SO JUDGY?
All in all:
I really really loved this. This is the first book I’ve read that has provided me with such an overarching view of the culture. THIS is the genre I live for. Witty, creative, informative, delightful, and hilarious. One of my favorite books of the year, and I found it completely by accident.
Some of my fav quotes:
“Making food meant to inspire not be mindlessly ingested”
“I wasn’t running...I was heading in a new direction”
“Where one might traditionally find, say, ceilings-“
“You don’t want to ruin things [by being ‘pas jolie’]”
“I believe in taking advantage of my decision to live in a foreign country by making myself open to new adventures whenever the opportunity arises”
“Plus there was free parking! And whose dying wish isn’t free parking?”
“The worst thing that could happen to anyone in Paris happened: I had to go to the bathroom”
“Somewhere in the city of Paris, there exists a shop dedicated to anything you might ever want, no matter how strange or obscure”
“Become fluent? Even the French aren’t fluent in French!”
Some general notes:
This is the PERFECT book for trying to understand parisian culture
This dude is an ARTIST with words
Paris sounds TERRIBLY stressful! This guy says people really judge you, you have to be so polite all the time, so careful. WHY ARE PARISIANS SO JUDGY?
All in all:
I really really loved this. This is the first book I’ve read that has provided me with such an overarching view of the culture. THIS is the genre I live for. Witty, creative, informative, delightful, and hilarious. One of my favorite books of the year, and I found it completely by accident.
A fun read about our cultural differences and THE FOOD MY GOD THE FOOD. I am excited to try some of these recipes and will keep many of the tips in mind when I visit Paris in a few years.
A nice 3.5 star read. Food and Parisians and a self-deprecating author. Breezy and fun.
A thoroughly enjoyable read with accompanying recipes. My only problem is: now I’m hungry and missing Paris!
This was an interesting and easy read to get me in the mood for a trip to Paris. It includes recipes that I skipped as I read, although seeing them embedded helped me visualize his work in the midst of the way he described his living conditions. He gives a really realistic picture of Parisian life, ups and downs. You can appreciate the nuances and the differences between French and American culture including some good reminders for any traveler who seeks to be polite and respectful of their host country. I laughed out loud in a few places. Short but worthwhile read.
Disappointing. More stories about how he’s annoyed with Paris than the joys of it. That’s not what I expected nor what I was looking for. Also, seemed very dated. Which is not necessarily the author’s fault.