World Food France

The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafes, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour

Average customer rating:

The Origin Of Our Modern Concept Of Style
Frivolous
A good read, but lacks depth
Vive La France!
fluff history

The Essence of Style: How the French Invented High Fashion, Fine Food, Chic Cafes, Style, Sophistication, and Glamour
Joan DeJean
Manufacturer: Free Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0743264134

Book Description

What makes fashionistas willing to pay a small fortune for a particular designer accessory -- a luxe handbag, for example? Why is it that people all over the world share the conviction that a special occasion only becomes really special when a champagne cork pops -- and even more special when that cork comes from a bottle of Dom Pérignon? Why are diamonds the status symbol gemstone, instantly signifying wealth, power, and even emotional commitment?

One of the foremost authorities on seventeenth-century French culture provides the answer to these and other fascinating questions in her account of how, at one glittering moment in history, the French under Louis XIV set the standards of sophistication, style, and glamour that still rule our lives today.

Joan DeJean explains how a handsome and charismatic young king with a great sense of style and an even greater sense of history decided to make both himself and his country legendary. When the reign of Louis XIV began, his nation had no particular association with elegance, yet by its end, the French had become accepted all over the world as the arbiters in matters of taste and style and had established a dominance in the luxury trade that continues to this day. DeJean takes us back to the birth of haute cuisine, the first appearance of celebrity hairdressers, chic cafes, nightlife, and fashion in elegant dress that extended well beyond the limited confines of court circles. And Paris was the magical center -- the destination of travelers all across Europe.

As the author observes, without the Sun King's program for redefining France as the land of luxury and glamour, there might never have been a Stork Club, a Bergdorf Goodman, a Chez Panisse, or a Cristophe of Beverly Hills -- and President Clinton would never have dreamed of holding Air Force One on the tarmac of LAX for an hour while Cristophe worked his styling genius on the president's hair.

Written with wit, dash, and élan by an author who knows this astonishing true story better than virtually anyone, The Essence of Style will delight fans of history and everybody who wonders about the elusive definition of good taste.

Customer Reviews:

The Origin Of Our Modern Concept Of Style.......2007-06-04

This is not really a book, but more of a collection of essays examining the origin of various modern concepts of style: hair, culture, fashion, marketing/tourism, footwear, fine dining, coffee, champagne, diamonds, mirrors, nightlife, umbrellas, shopping, perfumes, and entertaining.

As a scholar of French history and culture, the unifying theme of Joan DeJean's work is that the origins of these parts of our modern society came in the reign of Loius XIV of France, and fairly amazing are largly unchanged since their implementation.

By this I mean not the specifics of style, but in the way they function in the greater culture.

DeJean speaks well to the technology being developed at the time as well as the reasons that the late 1600's were the first time these aspects of life could be mass consumed, instead of say, the 1200's.

Frivolous.......2007-05-24

I wasted an hour searching for something of substantive interest in this work. It was time spent in vain. A frivolous book about frivolous things.

A good read, but lacks depth.......2007-05-15

Topic Selection: B+ Although the book may seem a little all over the place to some, focusing on such diverse aspects of culture as food, clothing, champagne, perfume, parties, and even umbrellas, DeJean does a good job of relating the different parts of the book to one another. She ties them all to a very specific period of history and especially to Louis XIV.

Scholarship: C- DeJean seems to rely fairly heavily on a rather small number of sources, despite the fact that the total number of sources is pretty good. Also, at least some footnotes would help the book.

Readability: A- This book was obviously written to be consumed by a general audience. DeJean's style is very easy to read, although some of the chapters seem repetitive, as she often comes to the same conclusion.

Impartiality: C I detected a definite "France is great" tone to this book that could sometimes be a little distracting. One also gets the impression that DeJean thinks that the move towards rapidly changing fashions was inevitably a good thing, for which she does not give a reason. She was not biased in an overbearing way, but there is definitely a bias there.

Overall: B- I really enjoyed the book and for beginners to this area of history, I think it is ideal. You learn a lot of those little things that you always wondered about, such as where the concept of dessert comes from. DeJean's style is readable and she is obviously passionate about the subject. Serious scholars should stay away, as the book does not always adequately cite it's sources and does not prove its argument as adequately as it could.

Vive La France!.......2006-06-01

Is not the words "Joie de Vivre" French for joy of life? Qui!

The French work to live while North Americans live to work. Life is short and no wonder Hemingway said that those who know Paris never forget it.

An interesting take on the Gaulle of living.

fluff history.......2006-03-03

Some more rigorous historical analysis would have turned this 'lite' read into something worthwhile. The crude translations of 17th-century France into modern-day America, irrespective of different economic systems and radically discrete cultures, turn what could have been an inspired thesis into the kind of chatter you'd expect to hear from grandma.

Average customer rating:

This book can be used as a fertilizer
"Famines are not natural disasters,but social disasters"
Invaluable, Illuminating, Empowering
An excellent resource
Excellent Warning Against Market Fundamentalism

World Hunger: Twelve Myths
Frances Moore Lappe , Joseph Collins , Peter Rosset , and Luis Esparza
Manufacturer: Grove Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0802135919

Customer Reviews:

This book can be used as a fertilizer.......2006-06-19

A friend of me, who lives in Europe, lent this book to me, some months ago.I'm an agronomist and I live in Brazil.As an agronomist, I found this book so bad, that I didn't read all of it.
On chapter 5, this book claims that "Green Revolution" wasn't an answer.In fact the "Green Revolution" gave food fo billions of people in the world.Today, because of modern agronomy there's more per capita food than any other time in world history.
On chapter 7, this book is against free market, as a good solution.Well even recognizing the failures of free market, I should tell you that any other possiblity is far worse.We must remember that Lenin, Stalin,Hitler and Mao Tse-Tung killed more than 100,000,000 people, by hungry.And any of these marxist was using "free market" to produce all this famine.
In fact,modern agronomy ( mecanization, fertilizers, bigger farms, transgenic seeds,etc.) gave to the mankind better and cheaper food.
Another fact is that old agriculture produces food at a very high price and low quality also.If we return to agriculture from about 100 years ago, the majority of world population will be sentenced to death by famine.
Claiming absurds about agriculture, this book can be used as a fertilizer.

"Famines are not natural disasters,but social disasters".......2005-09-09

This book is only 270 pages including about 75 pages of notes and references and tries to cover a massive issue.Not only is the solution to hunger a huge problem but is different all over the world,even different issues within a single country or area.Therefore it will require the wisdom of Methusala and the strength of Goliath to make inroads.
The world abounds in theories and agendas of how to end hunger and all efforts are hampered by power structures,politics and on top of all that,injustice.
The authors tackle what they claim are generally accepted myths about hunger.They are:
1 There's Simply Not Enough Food.
2 Nature's to Blame.
3 Too Many Mouths to Feed.
4 Food vs. Our Enviroment.
5 The Green Revolution is the Answer.
6 Justice vs.Production.
7 The Free Market is the Answer.
8 Free Trade is the Answer.
9 Too Hungry to Revolt.
10 More US Aid will Help The Hungry.
11 We Benefit From Their Hunger.
12 Food vs. Freedom
Overall an excellent effort to dispel many commonly accepted myths.

Invaluable, Illuminating, Empowering.......2002-09-15

World Hunger: Twelve Myths clearly identifies the root causes of hunger as stemming from inequity and lack of true democracy, dispelling entirely the common belief that inadaquate food production is to blame. In their plain spoken and positive eloquence, the authors overwhelmingly succeed in conveying otherwise dauntingly complex global social and economic dynamics that contribute to world hunger and how each must be changed to honestly address the plight of the poor.

World Hunger: 12 Myths should have a permanent home in school curricula, libraries, and in the hands of people of all ages wishing to better understand and improve the world in which they live.

An excellent resource.......2002-05-17

Over the years, many myths have emerged about the subject of world hunger. People think that if this or that should happen, hunger will disappear, and no longer will westerners have to look at pictures of starving babies in Africa. This book explodes many of those myths.

Some people think that population (or overpopulation) is the problem. Others think that there simply isn't enough food available, or that nature, with her floods and droughts, is the culprit. Still others think that the solution lies with free trade, or letting the market provide, or with the Green Revolution, with its heavy emphasis on pesticides and other chemicals. Other possibilities are that the poor are simply too hungry to revolt, or that the US should increase its stingy foreign aid budget.

The authors place the blame elsewhere. All over the world, there has been a huge concentration of land in fewer and fewer hands, forcing poor and middle-class peasants off the land (in the US, witness the decline of the family farmer). Structural adjustment programs from places like the World Bank and International Monetary Fund (part of the requirements when asking for a loan) require a country to reorient its agriculture toward items that are easily exportable rather than items that can feed their people. Another requirement is the removal of internal tariffs and other barriers to the import of grain and other foodstuffs. It results in a flood of cheaper (usually American) agricultural products reaching the market, driving local farmers out of business. The countries that one thinks of when hearing "famine" actually produce enough food to feed their people. The only problem is that much of it has to go overseas to help pay the foreign debt.

This book is excellent. It presents a potentially complex subject in a clear, easy to understand manner. It contains a list of addresses to contact for more information, and is a great activism reference.

Excellent Warning Against Market Fundamentalism.......2002-04-03

This book does an excellent job of showing how despite the economic growth that has been spurred worldwide thanks to deregulation, liberalization of trade and finance, and improvements in information technology, adherence to market fundamentalism has contributed to creating stark disparities in the distribution of wealth between developed and developing nations, as well as within those nations themselves.

Nevertheless, globalization, for whatever faults it possesses, has made the people of the nations of the world feel more connected than ever (In fact, I'm writing this from Japan, where I have lived for seven years). this book sensibly points out that In order to come up with a food policy that will minimize hunger worldwide, naturally poverty must also be reined in. It seems to me that in order to significantly reduce poverty, all nations must make a fundamental shift in their foreign policy away from acting for the benefit of national interests and toward the benefits of the human race as a whole. I cannot say whether mankind is ready for such a change at this juncture.

However, The book concludes that the freedom to eke out a living (the problem of the poor) supersedes the right to accumulate unlimited wealth (the hoarding of wealth by a small number of people). While this is most certainly true, it also seemed to oversimplify the problem of disparity of income based on the very facts presented in the book. While the book did denounce communist regimes at one point in the book, I felt that the conclusion of the book unneccessarily demonized wealthy individuals and major companies and called the proletariat of the world to unite.

Book Description

French cooking has been seen as the pinnacle of gastronomy. Food Culture in France provides an accessible tour of haute cuisine but also mainly the everyday food culture that sustains the populace. It illuminates the French way of life as well as showing what the popular cooking shows, such as Julia Child's, were based on. Readers will find the basics discussed in narrative chapters on food history, major foods and ingredients, cooking, typical meals, eating out, and diet and health. The information-packed volume is also indispensable for learning about regional cultivation and specialties that France is so famous for. The French appreciation for seasonal food is illuminated in descriptions of shopping, cooking, and eating habits. All students of French culture and language and Francophiles will benefit from the overview presented here.

World Food France (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)

Average customer rating:

GREAT Info!
A must-have in France
A must-have in France

World Food France (Lonely Planet World Food Guides)
Steve Fallon , and Michael Rothschild
Manufacturer: Lonely Planet Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1864500212

Book Description

Home of Champagne, croissants and cafés, France is the birthplace of cuisine as we know it. But French food goes beyond ratatouille and reputation. It has a beating heart that you'll discover in the crowds of Marseille markets, Bordeaux wine cellars and within this book. Whether you crave the creamiest goat's milk cheese or want to create your own crêpes, this guide shares the secret ingredients behind France's culinary culture. <ul>

an exploration of the regions and their specialities </li>

an extensive guide to wines and wine regions </li>

shopping the street markets of Paris </li>

tasting truffles, terrines and foie gras </li>

the definitive culinary dictionary, a quick reference glossary and useful phrases for every food & drink occasion </li>

tantalising photography and recipes </li></ul>

Customer Reviews:

GREAT Info!.......2007-05-09

This book is a wonderful intoduction to different types of cuisine that is avaiable in france. Its real insight to the interesting combinations of food and preparation techniques, not to mention a great cursory intro to the wine regions in France. I would definately recommend this book to the first time novice in French cuisine!

A must-have in France.......2002-01-29

On a recent trip to Paris, my father-in-law brought along the dictionary part of this book. A bit excessive, I had thought. However, we used it in just about every restaurant we visited - French, Moroccan, Vietnamese, you name it. It defines every imaginable food and preparation type. The English to French translation is not quite as complete, but it doesn't diminish the book's value. Well worth the money and the trouble carrying it (at least the dictionary section). I'm buying this one and the Italian one for myself.

A must-have in France.......2002-01-29

Williams Sonoma Paris: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World (Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World)

Average customer rating:

Tried two recipes and failed miserably
Nice Paris Overview from a Purely Culinary Eye
Straightforward recipe book -- good for beginners
Combo of armchair travel with good recipes
More reference than cookbook

Williams Sonoma Paris: Authentic Recipes Celebrating the Foods of the World (Williams-Sonoma Foods of the World)
Marlene Spieler
Manufacturer: Oxmoor House
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0848728548
Release Date: 2004-10-15

Book Description

An insider's guide to the recipes, ingredients, and traditions that define international city cuisine, the Foods of the World series is the definitive cookbook collection for anyone passionate about food and travel. Richly photographed, with over 45 authentic recipes and in-depth culinary features, each book brings readers closer to the best eating experiences each city has to offer from a culinary authority Americans trust.

Paris, the culinary heart of France, is renowned for its markets, bakeries, and cafés. Traditional and innovative dishes such as Boeuf en Daube, Frisée Salad with Bacon, and Strawberry Soup exemplify the city's remarkable cuisine.

Key Features:

* Learn to make the perfect steak frites or Crème Brûlée, fit for a Parisian bistro

* Go behind the scenes to see how Brie and Champagne are made

* Read about the bistros, brasseries, restaurants, and specialty shops that make Paris one of the most renowned culinary destinations in the world

Customer Reviews:

Tried two recipes and failed miserably.......2007-02-06

I think this series (I also have the Florence book) gives a nice overview of the typical dishes for the city, but I am not going to trust their recipes again, after trying two and failing miserably. They simply do not list all the necessary ingredients. I challenge anyone to try to make the crust for the raspberry tart described in the Florence book. It just doesn't contain enough liquid to be anything but a couple of cupfuls of floury dust.

Nice Paris Overview from a Purely Culinary Eye.......2006-07-27

I've enjoyed and successfully used the recipes from the San Francisco volume for nearly two years now, so I decided to branch out and get the Paris one. The Williams-Sonoma collection of cookbooks is always well-designed and executed, and the set focused on the world's culinary capitals appears to be no exception. Author Marlene Spieler, a UK-based American food columnist and cookbook author, certainly knows Paris as she starts in the third century B.C. and moves right along chronologically to nouvelle and contemporary cuisine. She acutely describes the priority the French has put on food and even conveys the nuances in the flavors to be found within each of the city's twenty arrondissements (districts). There is an essential "Best of Paris" section that breaks down the culinary dimensions in neat categories - la boulangerie (bakery); le café (coffee); la charcuteries (butcher shop); la fromage (cheese); specialty shops focused on oils, caviar and truffles among other necessities; le vin (wines); la pâtisserie (pastry) and le chocolat.

The context provides a nice leaping-off point to the recipes, which actually don't begin until page 74, but the 47 selections all look tasty and not overly complex to prepare. There are simple basic dishes like an herb omelet to heartier fare such as Roast Duck Legs with Savoy Cabbage and Steak with Shallot Sauce. There are foolproof recipes for French Onion Soup and Pomme Frites (French fries) that basically go with any of the entrees. Unsurprisingly, the desserts are tantalizing but not overly fussy, the most complicated probably being the Charlotte aux Framboises (raspberry charlotte). The most luscious-looking one, in my opinion, is the Tarte Tatin (upside-down apple tart). Speaking of which, the book has an abundance of Willaims-Sonoma's sharp color photography courtesy of Jean-Blaise Hall, who did similar honors with the San Francisco volume. Chuck Williams has yet again done justice to a city renowned for its food by providing this evocative culinary guide. It is certainly not the most comprehensive one compiled, but it is perfect for the home chef and armchair traveler.

Straightforward recipe book -- good for beginners.......2006-03-13

I used this book to prepare a French dinner party and everything went over wonderfully. My friends raved about the food and I raved about the book.

Combo of armchair travel with good recipes.......2005-12-02

This is a great book, but it's a little hard to quantify. It has only 45 recipes, so it's not an extensive overview of Parisian cooking.

The recipes are a little on the simplistic side, but in this case that's a good thing. I can easily contemplate making this beef stewed in red wine (boeuf en daube) for an ordinary family dinner, rather than making a big deal out of authenticity (and putting off the experience until I had a spare weekend in which to do it). Like many Williams Sonoma recipes, these are non-intimidating and *very* tasty versions of much more complex dishes. I've had good luck with their recipes before, and these give me no reason to doubt their quality.

The choice of recipes are very nice, too. They're all evocative of Paris: frisee salad with bacon, sauteed chicken with riesling, warm lentils with vinaigrette, apple tarte tatin. Every one has a photo, too. It's impossible to read through them without checking on the price of flights to France.

Half the book is given over to a foodie's overview of the city, with photos and text about La Boulangerie, Le Vin, Le Chocolat. It wouldn't exactly be a guidebook; this is more inspiration for what you might find as you wander the streets of Paris, in search of a perfect cheese, or to get a sense of the scope of French winemaking. It has lots and lots of lovely photos... and I've had to wipe the drool off more than a few.

I'm sure to make several of these recipes, over the next few months. But I think I'll spend more time looking at the pictures.

If you're looking for an introduction to French cooking that captures the mood as well as the recipes, this is a great choice. Or if you're stuck for a holiday gift for someone who likes exotic cuisine, this would be really wonderful.

Personally, I'm going to look for the other books in this Williams Sonoma series; I like it a lot.

More reference than cookbook.......2005-01-25

This cookbook was an enjoyable read, but more as a reference work on the food of Paris than a comprehensive cookbook of Parisian dishes. The pictures are gorgeous and inspiring, but the recipes limited in number. It covers in great detail the everyday foods that make Paris so wonderful --- the different types of cheese, bread, coffee, etc.

As a cookbook, it's quite limited and far from comprehensive. It is, however, quite refreshing to have a cookbook with such detailed information on the regional background of Paris to whet your appetite for the recipes.

Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet

Average customer rating:

2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner featured in the book
Hope Gained From Insight and Diligence
Be gentle on the earth
Goes into my life's top 5
Honest Hope

Hope's Edge: The Next Diet for a Small Planet
Frances Moore Lappe , and Anna Lappe
Manufacturer: Tarcher
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Sustainable Development | Economics | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1585421499
Release Date: 2002-01-31

Amazon.com

Thirty years after Frances Lappe's Diet for a Small Planet changed eating habits around the world, she and her daughter Anna bring us a new round of iconoclastic recommendations that break overwhelming issues down to a simple matter of personal choice. Hope's Edge presents many of the same issues of the original title, but it also provides a wealth of new discoveries and possibilities in this era of genetically engineered foods, worldwide famine, and growing rates of obesity-related health issues.

Beyond discussing a wide range of reasons to become a vegetarian (and that means no fish or chicken either, folks), the authors introduce you to a number of individual reasons for hope--Bob, the Wisconsin cheese maker; Jean-Yves, the farmer from Brittany who created the Sustainable Agriculture Network; and Muhammad Yunas, who has changed the lives of countless living in poverty with his remarkable microcredit programs. Along with these stories and the theories they're based on, you'll also find luscious recipes calling for grains, fruits, vegetables, and a handful of dairy products that will delight your taste buds and your conscience.

The Lappes firmly believe that the choices of low-level consumers have the potential to make positive changes, both in the world economy and in our physical health. By eating a vegetarian diet, shopping with care, and cooking with love, we might all brighten our future tremendously. --Jill Lightner

Book Description

The author of the classic Diet for a Small Planet and her daughter travel the world, discovering practical visionaries who are making a difference in world hunger, sometimes one village at a time.

Thirty years ago Frances Moore Lappé started a revolution in the way Americans think about food and hunger. Now Frances and her daughter, Anna, pick up where Diet for a Small Planet left off. Together, they set out on an around-the-world journey to explore the greatest challenges we face at the new millennium. Traveling to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and Europe, they discovered answers to the most urgent issue of our time: Whether we are able to transcend today's consumerism and the isolation of "me-first" capitalism and find the paths that each of us can follow to heal our lives and the planet. Featuring nearly seventy recipes from celebrated vegetarian culinary pioneers-including Alice Waters, Mollie Katzen, Laurel Robertson, Nora Pouillon, and Anna Thomas-Hope's Edge highlights true trailblazers engaged in social, environmental, and economic transformations.

Customer Reviews:

2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner featured in the book.......2006-10-13

This is a very interesting book. It features in one part a detailed description of 2006 Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank, who used microloans to help Bangladeshis, especially women, get out of poverty and earn for themselves. By issuing very small loans, the people of Bangladesh are able to build their businesses or working conditions and change their lives. I recommend this book.

Hope Gained From Insight and Diligence.......2006-08-16

Thirty years after the publication of the highly acclaimed "Diet For A Small Planet", Frances and her daughter Anna Lappe have come out with a potent sequel and a beautiful statement of hope for a more equitable world through the world-wide spread of organic and sustainable agriculture techniques and locally controlled "fair" market modalities now challenging the status quo of chemical fed, toxic pesticide/GMO laden crops, and the lopsided "free" market capitalist WTO agenda that has been reaping havoc on the environment and small farmers everywhere.

The Lappes traveled to 5 continents while researching this book and their travels are both fascinating and uplifting as they report on people all over the world demonstrating that going organic and controlling their own markets are reaping major benefits in healthy, abundant food production while cleaning up the environment.

The Lappes do not reject world trade or capitalism, rather, they demonstrate how unregulated "free" markets monopolized by huge international corporations have been inadvertently causing food scarcity, bankrupting and polluting people all over the world, yet with an injection of regulation in the form ethics, strict fair trade measures, etc., they believe capitalism can "evolve" to a more sustainable, equitable, and healthy method of food distribution- a similar optimistic view shared by Lovins and Hawken in their book, "Natural Capitalism".

The inefficiencies of nutrient and food distribution is brought home in quantifying the huge amount of crops, water, and land required to feed cattle. The amount of energy necessary to produce an ounce of meat could feed hundreds of people on a much healthier vegetarian diet, hence, the myth of food scarcity and the need to grow more food to feed the world.

Every chapter finishes with a recipe and there are many more at the end of the book along with several pages of resources and contact information on a host of organizations advocating social responsibility.

Be gentle on the earth.......2006-02-22

Good copy. Excellent vegetarian recipes. Explains why we need to eat lower on the food chain. If we do, we can feed the world's hungry people.

Goes into my life's top 5.......2004-11-21

I won't say much here, because the other reviewers have described the book well. All I will say is that this is one of the very best books I have ever read. Not only does Lappe have an incredible way with words, but she summarizes her profound insights in such a way that really organizes one's thoughts for genuine reflection. Add to that a well-documented and researched approach, as well as fascinating stories of different communities around the world which they themselves visited.

Honest Hope.......2004-05-25

Hope's Edge is a Must Read for Everyone! The book puts it all together in an easy-to-understand, personal and honest fashion: the connection between consumerism, 'brainwashing', oppression, global economy, poverty, exploitation etc. etc. The concepts presented in this book are sophisticated and have depth. I liked the personal tone of the book, the story telling. The book is very honest, the stories told utterly inspiring. Frances and Anna never 'whitewash' the porlbmes the projects they are describing are facing. This truth-telling makes the stories even more impressive, more credible. The very existence of these projects defy the global systems as we know them. The way they do 'business' defies the global system of exploitation and competition. This book makes us take an honest look at ourselves, our values, the daily choices we make, what we consume, how we live. This is not just 'about food' or poverty or world hunger, this is truly food for thought and inspiration of how to create a better world."

The Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture (Harvard Historical Studies)

Average customer rating:

Illuminating and fascinating

The Invention of the Restaurant: Paris and Modern Gastronomic Culture (Harvard Historical Studies)
Rebecca L. Spang
Manufacturer: Harvard University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0674006852

Book Description

Why are there restaurants? Why would anybody consider eating to be an enjoyable leisure activity or even a serious pastime? To find the answer to these questions, we must accompany Rebecca Spang back to France in the eighteenth century, when a restaurant was not a place to eat but a thing to eat: a quasi-medicinal bouillon that formed an essential element of prerevolutionary France's nouvelle cuisine. This is a book about the French Revolution in taste and of the table--a book about how Parisians invented the modern culture of food, thereby changing their own social life and that of the world. </p>

During the 1760s and 1770s, those who were sensitive and supposedly suffering made public show of their delicacy by going to the new establishments known as "restaurateurs' rooms" and there sipping their bouillons. By the 1790s, though, the table was variously seen as a place of decadent corruption or democratic solidarity. The Revolution's tables were sites for extending frugal, politically correct hospitality, and a delicate appetite was a sign of counter-revolutionary tendencies. The restaurants that had begun as purveyors of health food became symbols of aristocratic greed. In the early nineteenth century, however, the new genre of gastronomic literature worked within the strictures of the Napoleonic police state to transform the notion of restaurants and to confer star status upon oysters and champagne. Thus, the stage was set for the arrival of British and American tourists keen on discovering the mysteries of Frenchness in the capital's restaurants. From restoratives to Restoration, Spang establishes the restaurant at the very intersection of public and private in French culture--the first public place where people went to be private. </p>

Customer Reviews:

Illuminating and fascinating.......2000-07-13

This is an eminently readable piece of scholarlship. The information is well-organized, well-expressed, and utterly fascinating. Congratulations to the author. Well done!

Hidden Kitchens: Stories and More from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva) and Jay Allison

Average customer rating:

More than just the chronicle of the beloved National Public Radio Morning Edition series
Hidden Kitchens: Stories , Recipes and more from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters arrived fast and in excellent condition.
A cookbook worth owning
PURE DELIGHT !
Start the Car Now

Hidden Kitchens: Stories and More from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson and Nikki Silva) and Jay Allison
Davia Nelson , and Nikki Silva
Manufacturer: Audio Renaissance
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Audio CD

General | Cooking, Food & Wine | Subjects | Books

General | World | History | Subjects | Books

Social History | Historical Study | History | Subjects | Books

Cooking, Food & Wine | Books on CD | Formats | Books

Nonfiction | Books on CD | Formats | Books

United States | History | Books on CD | Formats | Books

General | Books on CD | Formats | Books
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The Elements of Style Illustrated

ASIN: 1593978332
Release Date: 2005-10-13

Book Description

The saga of the Chili Queens of San Antonio, NASCAR kitchens tucked away in the crew pits at race tracks, the story of an unexpected kitchen the George Foreman Grillthese stories and more from Hidden Kitchens, the popular and highly acclaimed radio series on NPRs morning edition, are being released as an audio. Produced by the Peabody Award winning radio team, The Kitchen Sisters, Davia Nelson Nikki Silva, (creators of NPRs Lost Found Sound and The Sonic Memorial Project) with Jay Allison, Hidden Kitchens explores the world of street corner cooking, kitchen traditions and visionaries, and how communities come together through food. These stories of secret, underground, unofficial and off the radar kitchens come alive in these sound rich stories full of an array of voices, music, and archival audio that capture a strong sense of place and timestories that travel the country chronicling kitchen cultures past and present. Hundreds of listeners called the NPR Hidden Kitchens Hotline with intriguing messages and hot tips about underground kitchens at nuclear test sites, secret civil rights kitchen, family recipes and more. Many of these funny, passionate and poignant messages are featured on this beautifully crafted, richly layered audio edi

Customer Reviews:

More than just the chronicle of the beloved National Public Radio Morning Edition series.......2006-04-03

Recipes pepper Hidden Kitchens: Stories, Recipes, and More from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters, but Hidden Kitchens is more than just the chronicle of the beloved National Public Radio Morning Edition series. As part of the Hidden Kitchen project, two women called The Kitchen Sisters put forth an NPR hotline and asked listeners, "What food traditions are disappearing from your life? Who glues your community together through food? What should be captured and documented before it disappears or changes beyond recognition?" The response came like an avalanche. Hundreds of humorous, profound, wistful, and heart-rending true stories were submitted; the best of them are presented in Hidden Kitchens, along with recipes, color photographs, and illustrations. From food in the galleys of Great Lakes ships to a secret civil rights kitchen in Montgomery, Alabama, the stories Hidden Kitchens all have in common the zest to create great food, and through taste, help human beings connect with one another. Highly recommended.

Hidden Kitchens: Stories , Recipes and more from NPR's The Kitchen Sisters arrived fast and in excellent condition........2006-03-09

The book arrived fast and in excellent condition, but many of the recipes weren't that interesting, better to check out Clementine Paddleford's classic book How America Eats !

A cookbook worth owning.......2005-11-16

This is definitely a cookbook worth owning. And great for gift giving.

Janet Sue Terry author of "A Rich, Deliciously Satisfying, Collection of Breakfast Recipes".

PURE DELIGHT !.......2005-10-21

Someone has said that a kitchen is the heart of a home - it's certainly the heart of this delightful audio book splendidly read by Academy Award winning actress Frances McDormand. Few who saw "Fargo" will forget her command of the screen; few who listen to "Hidden Kitchens" will not be enchanted by her command of the stories, whether they're funny, moving or absurd.

Renowned chef Alice Waters contributes a special commentary in which she notes: "The curious and wonderful thing about the stories in this book is how much they resemble good things to eat. They can be surprising and they can be reassuringly familiar and they can be comforting and they can be outrageous."

How true!

The audio is taken in part from NPR's Hidden Kitchen Hotline, which hundreds of listeners have called with a plethora of messages regarding recipes, kitchen happenings, and cooking successes and failures. There is also a good deal of new material which Nelson and Silva have gathered from a variety of sources.

Listeners will be amazed to hear of the doings in a San Francisco cab yard, or by the lakes of Minnesota, or in a NASCAR kitchen paralleling a race track. And, there's more.

"Hidden Kitchens" is pure delight.

- Gail Cooke

Start the Car Now.......2005-10-19

Because you're going to want to take off immediately for a trip that will cram in as many Hidden Kitchens as possible. A fantastic idea, thoughtfully and intelligently written. I loved it!

Average customer rating:

World hunger: Ten myths
Frances Moore Lappe
Manufacturer: Institute for Food and Development Policy
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Production & Operations | Management & Leadership | Business & Investing | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0935028005

Recipes: The Cooking of Provincial France (Foods of the World)

Average customer rating:

Recipes: The Cooking of Provincial France (Foods of the World)
Time Life Books
Manufacturer: Time Life Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Spiral-bound
ASIN: B000BYSWKK

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Lonely Planet Books

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