A review by reader3307
Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking by Bill Buford

4.0

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.