Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking by Bill Buford

3.67 AVERAGE

saltydough's profile picture

saltydough's review against another edition

4.0
adventurous emotional funny hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced
I really enjoyed this book as a deep dive into a world I don't think about much -- that of food. I'm not much of a foodie, and although I do love to eat out on occasion, I would have no idea what to do with myself in an establishment of fine dining. But Bill Buford put me perfectly at ease in the Lyonnais kitchens, probably one of the most intimidating places in the world. This book was incredibly informative, well-researched, funny, and ultimately, super interesting. 700-something pages blew by in the blink of an eye, with Buford's well-informed but always down-to-earth voice to guide me through. The one concession I would make, and the reason this book did not receive five stars from me, is that I feel it may have been a bit too long. By the end, Buford was referencing names of writers or chefs who I knew he had mentioned before, but I had already forgotten the context surrounding them. I know that Buford,  having spent a long time in France and done tons upon tons of research for this book, probably left out more than he kept in. But I feel that the strong focus on storylines I was less interested in -- the origins of French cuisine, Buford's cuisine-inspired hiking trips -- often detracted from those that had real emotional impact for me. That being said, those storylines might appeal to other readers more than they would to me. Even if you think that this book is too long for you upon first glance, I would recommend giving it a try -- it'll suck you in.
karend's profile picture

karend's review against another edition

3.25
I would have like this better if the author were single, because I kept getting annoyed at how little engagement he seemed to have in raising his young twin sons, instead leaving them with his wife in NYC during the week while he worked at a restaurant in Washington DC; at least when they got to France he'd come home at night and did seem to spend at least a little time with boys. I would love for his wife to write a book about this time in their lives. I was also distracted by wondering how these adventures were funded … was the book advance so large as to allow them to afford to keep a place in NYC while they also paid for a place in France? All that said, the cooking and food parts were interesting; I've experimented with changing the way I crack eggs as a result, and I might very well read other things from this author.