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182 reviews for:
Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking
Bill Buford
3.67 AVERAGE
182 reviews for:
Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking
Bill Buford
3.67 AVERAGE
challenging
informative
reflective
slow-paced
I’ve never before witnessed an author ruining his own book by narrating it, but there’s a first time for everything. Buford’s narration is frequently more of a dramatic reading than a narration. It also drove me crazy that he treats his wife so terribly by divesting himself of all fatherly responsibilities in pursuit of his own wants & desires. His interest in learning French cooking doesn’t even seem genuine as he mentions from time to time that he just wants to learn this technique or that recipe so that he can put it in his book.
I love Bill Buford and will buy anything he writes. I don’t think this was as good as Heat, but it is still an excellent read that will inspire anyone meandering it’s pages to get in the kitchen.
What is the origin of French Cooking? I don’t know but Buford doesn’t do anything halfway. Lived in France 5 years and became a legitimate French chef researching this book.
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
medium-paced
I loved Heat. I really did not like Dirt, by the same author. Mainly from the audio reading my the author. It was described as a self-deprecating, but more like an arrogant ass who rants about everybody else. Heat was a great gook on his Italian cooking tour, which was amazing, but Dirt was his journey of going through a French cooking school, as a crass American. I really hated the book, skimmed the finale 2 chapters, i could not stomach it.
This didn’t grab me initially but by about a third of the way in, I didn’t want it to end. Buford‘s commitment (and his family’s, too) to learning French cooking is impressive. He’s obviously uniquely talented at making connections with people and drawing them into his mission, which I find endlessly fascinating. His writing is compelling, particularly his retelling of his interactions with others. I was expecting this to be filled with more cooking technique (which there is a fair amount) but it is much more relational, societal, and historical; but it is excellent. I wasn’t as compelled by some of the historical stuff about the influence of Italian on French food but I didn’t read his previous work (I will now!) so that may be why. One of my favorite reads this year.
Love it! Fast paced, well structured story about his quest to learn how to cook in a grand (Michelin) rated restaurant. Enough French cooking history to pique interest, plenty of kitchen gossip to keep it moving, and lots of humor. Very well written, of course, by a New Yorker editor. The only thing is it dragged at the end.
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
adventurous
informative
inspiring
medium-paced