Customer Reviews

Marling Menu-Master for France (Marling menu masters series)

5 star:		(9)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Don't be put off by the publish date on this book which seems a bit outdated. I just returned (6/2000) from France and found this book to be not only helpful but almost completely necessary. My French isn't bad, but this book even tells you what chicken "a la provencale" actually means. It doesn't just translate it as "chicken, prepared the way they do in Provence." I found it to be so reliable that I have just ordered the Italy Menu Master for my next trip. My only slight concern with it was the food is grouped only by "meat," "fish," etc. So if you don't know what type of food something on the menu is, it can be a little hard to find. But combining it with a pocket dictionary solved that problem.

This book (and the others in the series - Germany, Italy, Spain) can make the quite often mystifying process of ordering food in a foreign country understandable.

The book - more of a booklet - is small; so, both you and it will travel well together. So, don't miss out on one of the most important experiences of a country - it's food!

Remember in France, food is not an art, it's a religion! So before ordering the andouille, look it up - "sausage composed of strips of pig's small intestines." Umm, maybe something else.

Bon appetit.

No matter how well (or how poorly) you may speak French, this little book is an indispensable addition to your travel kit. It can help you navigate the dizzying varieties of delicious sauces, the hundreds of preparation styles, the regional specialities, and keep you from ordering kidneys when you thought you were asking for veal cutlets...Helpful pages, too, on money, numbers, basic traveller's phrases. Plus it's small enough to be consulted with discretion at cafes or bistros...and don't forget how helpful it would be for ordering with confidence in your favorite French restaurant back home.

The specialized terminology of French cuisine is rarely found in any pocket dictionary. I carry this little pocket guide not only in France, but also when dining in authentic French restaurants in the USA.

If you know little or no French, you can consult this guide and the menus posted outside most French restaurants, and decide what you're going to order before you even go inside.

The unfortunate use of "entrée" for "main course" may lead to confusion outside the USA.

I think this is a very handy book. It's thin, reasonably priced, and is a great help with inscrutable menus. I remember being embarrassed when some of my father's colleagues came to visit me in Strasbourg and we went out to eat and I was trying to help them with the menus. Despite my years of French and really good fluency in the spoken language, all I knew about "pommes dauphinois" was that it was Dauphin style potatoes, whatever that was! This little book would have come to my rescue in those situations.

Just stopped by to order the Marling Menu Masters for the other countries and thought I'd tell you not to leave home without it! I agree - I don't know how anyone survives eating in Europe without this. It has been reprinted every two or three years since 1971 and never gets outdated. It really is pocket sized, very slim - 1/4" max, light enough to carry in an evening bag, and has a light plastic cover. It is divided into seven categories (in French):horsd'oeurves, soups, eggs, fish, entrees, vegetables and desserts and fruits. Also, at the front, is a chapter on eating in France that will tell you all sorts of handy dandy info like the difference between a cafe, bistro and brasserie or how and when to tip. It is arranged by French to English so you can determine, for instance, that 'agneau' is lamb. You do not need to speak the language to use this - although I agree with the previous review on rare occasions needing to cross reference with a dictionary (this if you cannot determine from the menu that 'agneau' would come under the heading of entree. However, you can just quickly leaf through each of the seven sections under 'A' to find the food). It has a huge number of dishes referenced and more importantly, sauces. With this little book you will be able to choose and truly enjoy the foods of France from bistros to five star gourmet establishments.

With marginal knowledge of French, best expressed as "Parlez-vous Anglais?", thanks to our host we have discovered this valuable book and plan to buy our own copy in the US. Best to familiarize oneselves with French terms for common meats and fishes ahead of time. However, anyone has dined in French restaurants will find the added detail needed to decipher most French menus and preperations.

I rated it a "one" only because there is no zero or minus option. We just returned from three weeks in France and in our opinion this cute little book was nearly useless when trying to decode menus. We survived thanks to a combination of English-speaking wait-staffs and Rick Steves' French Phrase Book. The large number of omitted items is forgiveable--after all, this is a small book. What dooms this book is its unwieldy organization. Seven main sections, several of which are further subdivided, make the book a navigational nightmare. It is frustrating to have to wade through it page by page only to find that what you are looking for is not there. The book should be organized like Larousse Gastronomique--one global alphabetical list with pertinent cross-references. Also, we believe that the authors should actually visit Paris and Provence to observe the changes in menu lingo that has occurred since 1971 when the book was compiled. I say don't buy this book--instead, use the money to buy a bottle of wine. You'll get a lot more value from the wine.

Recently returned from a one week visit to Paris. I had taken the Marling Menu Master along thinking it would be invaluable in French restaurants. It turned that the menu-master is of very limited value. Here's why: #1 - upon closer examination of the menu-master I discovered that it was originally written in 1971 and has not been updated since. Well French cuisine has moved on quite a bit since 1971. #2 - surprisingly I found that about 80% of the French restaurants and cafe's that I visited during my week there had English language menus PLUS the staff had a decent command of English. By the way - this was true throughout my visit - in museums, stores and so on. English is truly becoming the world's primary second language. End result: while the menu-master provides some value - after all French cuisine has not changed 100% since 1971, it's value was quite limited. OK to have with you but most definitely not a requirement. Your choice.

This is an extremely usefull and helpfull book that i used recently on a trip to Paris. The book is small enough that you can carry it in your pocket and i used it a every meal.