Customer Reviews

Paris in a Basket: Markets in Paris (Cookery/Food and Drink)

5 star:		(15)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Yes,indeed Amanda & Nicolle really did it! Their superbly documented book (photos,history, recipes...)shows how much one can discover about his home town. You lover of Paris,open air markets and food do not hesitate a minute,get this book,it's pure delight! And you,who might not belong to one of the categories do likewise you will not regret it! While reading the book you have this unique feeling to be walking the streets of Paris with the authors. And you lucky traveller who might be coming through town in not to a distant future,take the book with you,go and see the places,the markets, taste the food,chat with the vendors,and you will marvel at the fact that you have been there before. Because nothing is missing in that book,the true feeling of the city,the noises,the colors and even the tastes and odors. Two thumbs up Amanda & Nicolle ! Where and when the next one ?

A fan (if you did not guess ! )

I love this book! The cover roped me right in and before I knew it I was buying it. I am so glad I did. The book is organized by arrondissement; each chapter is devoted to one of them. They tend to focus on the biggest or best market in each arrondissement but they devote paragraphs to the others. The text itself is gracefully written and yet very convivial. For each of the main markets, the authors start you out on a typical Parisian morning and gently suggest the path you might want to follow as you navigate that particular market; it is almost as though they are walking along with you. They tell you what's available at each market and what are each market's strengths and weaknesses. You will be introduced to a lot of people - the butcher at the Marché d'Aligre, the poissonier at the Richard Lenoir, the organic farmer at the Batignolles market, the interesting old fellow who hawks bath salts as he soaks his feet in green water... I feel as though I'd be able to walk up to them and say hi. There's some history mixed in there, too, so you'll get to see some nice old photos and learn about everday Parisians of the past. And of course there are the recipes. Most of them appear delicious and a few rather exotic. Many of them come from the very people that you "met" in the chapter preceding, so you know they're authentic and the human element makes you want to try the recipe all the more.

I love Paris. This book really gives you a sense of what it is like to be there - colorful, vibrant, stately, modern, classic, young, old... Paris is all of these things and more at once. I went there seven years ago and I don't think I hit a single market. This book makes me feel incredibly well-equipped; I think that without it I would feel a bit intimidated. I plan to go back and I'm gonna bring this book with me!

Beautiful photography and lively writing make this a perfect gift this holiday season (or any time) for anyone who likes to eat and loves Paris. Even for a longtime resident of the City of Lights like myself, this book brings another Paris to life, one you will want to explore again and again, in these pages and of course like the authors did themselves, bicycling through every arrodisement, leaving no quartier unvisited, no fromage untasted, no croissant unfinished! A magnificent and original hommage sure to earn its place among the classics of cuisine and travel.

Any lover of good food and great photographs will adore this book. Using over 50 Paris markets as a backdrop, recipes and pictures for wonderful cuisine bourgoise dishes are presented, as well as a plethora of historical vignettes, photographs of almost 50 cheeses, pictures of commonly encountered French seafood, and a drawing with explanation of French beef cuts, plus photos of Parisian scenes. Among the vignettes surrounding the history of Les Halles, who can forget the explanation by a turn-of-the-century father to his young daughter that all those seductive ladies lounging in the vicinity of Les Halles are "secretaries" to the local businessmen? This beautiful book is the next best thing to being in Paris on a sunny spring day with somebody you deeply love.

I've just had an incredible tour of Paris. I love the city, but I never appreciated the depth of the people and their everyday life as much as when walking through the wonderful markets with the Misses Smith and Meyer. This is a total effort, not just a beautiful picture book. It is for us who appreciate the food, people and, most of all, love for each other. We get a chance to interact with people just like us. This is the stuff that gives beauty to reality.

A must for anyone seeking out the real Paris, off the beaten track of tourist traps. Even if you can't visit more than two or three markets per visit to this wonderful city, this book will continue to be a major reference for seeking out these fascinating places of food, drink and 'objets'. Happy exploring!

The photography is beautiful and the content is very informative and well written. I would like to visit the markets in Paris more than ever now that I have this book.

This book makes a great gift for lovers of food and Paris, as the pictures are amazing and they coordinate beautifully with the recipes and the text. Highly recommend.

We wanted "Paris in a Basket" for a young man who is leaving to attend Cordon Bleu in Paris. When we discovered we could purchase a used edition for considerably less than a new one, we opted for that. The book arrived in truly excellent condition, and we were totally comfortable to give this as a gift.

I just got this book today and am very impressed. Lots of good reviews for a reason. Chock full of photos, information and even recipes, all arranged neatly in an easily accessible manner. I don't think this would be the kind of book you would initially want to lug to Paris on a holiday because of its size, but it's pretty tempting because of the information.

Highly recommended.