Remembrance of Things Paris: Sixty Years of Writing from Gourmet (Modern Library) (Hardcover)

~ Gourmet Magazine Editors (Author), Ruth Reichl (Editor) "The year was 1921. The month was May..." (more)
Key Phrases: metal bowl set, candy thermometer registers, moderately hot oven, Les Halles, New York, Christian Dior (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Gourmet magazine has been delivering tasty reports on France's restaurants and cuisine to Americans ever since the end of World War II. This anthology collects the magazine's best essays, which document Paris's transformation over the years, and includes descriptions of such momentous events as the demise of the market at Les Halles and the development of nouvelle cuisine. The selection is heavy on Joseph Wechsberg, a frequent contributor during the '70s, and on Naomi Barry, the magazine's first resident correspondent, but it also includes the work of Michael Lewis and Diane Johnson. The book covers everything from chocolate shops to legendary restaurants to instructions on how to make a perfect cassoulet. And it's not just food writing-there are also pieces on haute couture, flower markets and Paris icon Alice B. Toklas, making this is a charming, nostalgic collection for francophiles of all stripes.
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Review

Praise for Remembrance of Things Paris:

?With selections from the last six decades, this book gives the reader snapshots of Paris that are crisp, clear, and often poignant, proof that things really have changed in the temple of food. The cameos of the sleeves-rolled-up individuals behind the big names?including Berthillon and Lenôtre?read like fiction and remind us of a fundamental truth: creating magic in the kitchen is hard work, and the French have been at it far longer than others. An entrancing book.?
?Thad Carhart, New York Times-bestselling author of The Piano Shop on the Left Bank -- Review

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 368 pages
• Publisher: Modern Library; Modern Library Ed edition (March 16, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679643095
• ISBN-13: 978-0679643098
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #731,717 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Reading and Remembering Why I'm an Armchair Traveler, August 20, 2005

By	Janet M. Sanders "Armchair Traveler" (Canfield, OHio) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

What a great opportunity to learn more about the Paris I love, and French food which I do not prepare at home. I wait for my trips. I am not intimidated with the snooty waiters, as I did my "homework." I'm prepared to ask questions about loaves and wine and anything else. The set-up of the chapters was easy reading, too. I trusted the writers. I discovered more secrets in Paris via their investigations and risky ventures. I didn't have to suffer the frustrations of getting lost on the metro nor the pains of tusseling with those Parisian cabbies. I especially enjoyed the trips to the new and modern Paris as described by Paul Goldberger. Do you want to loaf with a loaf, drink a bottle away from the bottlenecks? Read this book. Also, I will read other books in the Modern Library Food series based on my enjoyment of Ruth Reichl choices.