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Съвършената вечеря
В търсене на изгубените вкусове на Франция.
"Съвършената вечеря" е вълнуващ и апетитен тур из Франция, свързан с историята на френската гастрономия - едно пътешествие от Париж до Прованс и от Кот д'Азур до Нормандия по следите на изчезващите вкусове на една велика кухня. Роденият в Австралия жител на Париж - Джон Бакстър (мемоарист и критик, известен и с книгата си "Най-хубавата разходка на света: един пешеходец в Париж" от 2011), изследва Франция чрез нейната кухня.
След разочароващ и претенциозен обяд в ресторанта на величественото парижко Гран Пале, авторът си задава въпроса какво се случва с грандиозната френска кухня отпреди 50 години. Дали някой някъде все още пече вол и дали още се помнят класическите рецепти, предавани от поколение на поколение? Авторът решава да създаде съвършеното меню за една велика вечеря - меню, което да е съизмеримо с архитектурното величие на Гран Пале и с репутацията на френската класическа кухня, заради която тя е обявена от UNESCO за нематериално културно наследство. Бакстър започва с намирането на стари менюта от вехтошарски пазар и се впуска да пътува из страната, за да се запознае задълбочено с традиционните ястия и съставки, пропити с гастрономическата история на Франция. Чрез неговия богат и забавен изказ, читателят научава любопитни истории за сладките мадлени, вдъхновявали някога Марсел Пруст, за легендарните черни трюфели от Перигор, за стария начин да приготвиш френска лучена супа, за грозния скорпид - тайната на автентичния буябез, за някогашния култ към яденето на градински овесарки - големи колкото палец птичета, и за още много френски кулинарни символи.
Книгата увлича и образова по един лек и забавен начин, още повече, че покрай историите за храната, авторът разказва за френската култура и за хората, които среща по пътя си и вплита епизоди за знаменити готвачи от историята като Франсоа Вател или Ескофие. "Ловът" на Бакстър за автентични френски вкусове и истории се увенчава и с намирането на селски празник в Нормандия, където наистина пекат вол! А книгата завършва със самото меню за дълго замисляната съвършена вечеря.
Прекрасно четиво за любознателни хора и франкофили, за готвачи и фенове на кулинарната култура, "Съвършената вечеря" е носител на престижната награда в категорията кулинарни пътешествия на IACP (Международна асоциация на кулинарните професионалисти) за 2014.
"Книгата на Джон Бакстър е следващото най-хубаво преживяване след ваканция в Париж."
Boston Globe
"Истинско удоволствие! "Съвършената вечеря" е от онези книги, които гъделичкат душата, съблазняват сетивата и неусетно разширяват интелекта."
Publishers Weekly
"Съвършената вечеря" е вълнуващ и апетитен тур из Франция, свързан с историята на френската гастрономия - едно пътешествие от Париж до Прованс и от Кот д'Азур до Нормандия по следите на изчезващите вкусове на една велика кухня. Роденият в Австралия жител на Париж - Джон Бакстър (мемоарист и критик, известен и с книгата си "Най-хубавата разходка на света: един пешеходец в Париж" от 2011), изследва Франция чрез нейната кухня.
След разочароващ и претенциозен обяд в ресторанта на величественото парижко Гран Пале, авторът си задава въпроса какво се случва с грандиозната френска кухня отпреди 50 години. Дали някой някъде все още пече вол и дали още се помнят класическите рецепти, предавани от поколение на поколение? Авторът решава да създаде съвършеното меню за една велика вечеря - меню, което да е съизмеримо с архитектурното величие на Гран Пале и с репутацията на френската класическа кухня, заради която тя е обявена от UNESCO за нематериално културно наследство. Бакстър започва с намирането на стари менюта от вехтошарски пазар и се впуска да пътува из страната, за да се запознае задълбочено с традиционните ястия и съставки, пропити с гастрономическата история на Франция. Чрез неговия богат и забавен изказ, читателят научава любопитни истории за сладките мадлени, вдъхновявали някога Марсел Пруст, за легендарните черни трюфели от Перигор, за стария начин да приготвиш френска лучена супа, за грозния скорпид - тайната на автентичния буябез, за някогашния култ към яденето на градински овесарки - големи колкото палец птичета, и за още много френски кулинарни символи.
Книгата увлича и образова по един лек и забавен начин, още повече, че покрай историите за храната, авторът разказва за френската култура и за хората, които среща по пътя си и вплита епизоди за знаменити готвачи от историята като Франсоа Вател или Ескофие. "Ловът" на Бакстър за автентични френски вкусове и истории се увенчава и с намирането на селски празник в Нормандия, където наистина пекат вол! А книгата завършва със самото меню за дълго замисляната съвършена вечеря.
Прекрасно четиво за любознателни хора и франкофили, за готвачи и фенове на кулинарната култура, "Съвършената вечеря" е носител на престижната награда в категорията кулинарни пътешествия на IACP (Международна асоциация на кулинарните професионалисти) за 2014.
"Книгата на Джон Бакстър е следващото най-хубаво преживяване след ваканция в Париж."
Boston Globe
"Истинско удоволствие! "Съвършената вечеря" е от онези книги, които гъделичкат душата, съблазняват сетивата и неусетно разширяват интелекта."
Publishers Weekly
296 pages, Paperback
First published February 26, 2013
About the author
John Baxter
200 books116 followersJohn Baxter (born 1939 in Randwick, New South Wales) is an Australian-born writer, journalist, and film-maker.
Baxter has lived in Britain and the United States as well as in his native Sydney, but has made his home in Paris since 1989, where he is married to the film-maker Marie-Dominique Montel. They have one daughter, Louise.
He began writing science fiction in the early 1960s for New Worlds, Science Fantasy and other British magazines. His first novel, though serialised in New Worlds as THE GOD KILLERS, was published as a book in the US by Ace as The Off-Worlders. He was Visiting Professor at Hollins College in Virginia in 1975-1976. He has written a number of short stories and novels in that genre and a book about SF in the movies, as well as editing collections of Australian science fiction.
Baxter has also written a large number of other works dealing with the movies, including biographies of film personalities, including Federico Fellini, Luis Buñuel, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, George Lucas and Robert De Niro. He has written a number of documentaries, including a survey of the life and work of the painter Fernando Botero. He also co-produced, wrote and presented three television series for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Filmstruck, First Take and The Cutting Room, and was co-editor of the ABC book programme Books And Writing.
In the 1960s, he was a member of the WEA Film Study Group with such notable people as Ian Klava, Frank Moorhouse, Michael Thornhill, John Flaus and Ken Quinnell. From July 1965 to December 1967 the WEA Film Study Group published the cinema journal FILM DIGEST. This journal was edited by John Baxter.
For a number of years in the sixties, he was active in the Sydney Film Festival, and during the 1980s served in a consulting capacity on a number of film-funding bodies, as well as writing film criticism for The Australian and other periodicals. Some of his books have been translated into various languages, including Japanese and Chinese.
Since moving to Paris, he has written four books of autobiography, A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict, We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light, Immoveable feast : a Paris Christmas, and The Most Beautiful Walk in the World : a Pedestrian in Paris.
Since 2007 he has been co-director of the annual Paris Writers Workshop.
Baxter has lived in Britain and the United States as well as in his native Sydney, but has made his home in Paris since 1989, where he is married to the film-maker Marie-Dominique Montel. They have one daughter, Louise.
He began writing science fiction in the early 1960s for New Worlds, Science Fantasy and other British magazines. His first novel, though serialised in New Worlds as THE GOD KILLERS, was published as a book in the US by Ace as The Off-Worlders. He was Visiting Professor at Hollins College in Virginia in 1975-1976. He has written a number of short stories and novels in that genre and a book about SF in the movies, as well as editing collections of Australian science fiction.
Baxter has also written a large number of other works dealing with the movies, including biographies of film personalities, including Federico Fellini, Luis Buñuel, Steven Spielberg, Stanley Kubrick, Woody Allen, George Lucas and Robert De Niro. He has written a number of documentaries, including a survey of the life and work of the painter Fernando Botero. He also co-produced, wrote and presented three television series for the Australian Broadcasting Commission, Filmstruck, First Take and The Cutting Room, and was co-editor of the ABC book programme Books And Writing.
In the 1960s, he was a member of the WEA Film Study Group with such notable people as Ian Klava, Frank Moorhouse, Michael Thornhill, John Flaus and Ken Quinnell. From July 1965 to December 1967 the WEA Film Study Group published the cinema journal FILM DIGEST. This journal was edited by John Baxter.
For a number of years in the sixties, he was active in the Sydney Film Festival, and during the 1980s served in a consulting capacity on a number of film-funding bodies, as well as writing film criticism for The Australian and other periodicals. Some of his books have been translated into various languages, including Japanese and Chinese.
Since moving to Paris, he has written four books of autobiography, A Pound of Paper: Confessions of a Book Addict, We'll Always Have Paris: Sex and Love in the City of Light, Immoveable feast : a Paris Christmas, and The Most Beautiful Walk in the World : a Pedestrian in Paris.
Since 2007 he has been co-director of the annual Paris Writers Workshop.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 61 reviews
May 28, 2013
In The Perfect Meal, John Baxter recounts some of his France memories as he imagines a feast celebrating the most iconic French foods. And he travels to locales best known for the dishes he wishes to serve in his imaginary repas. The premise of the book allows Baxter to be raconteur and travel guide, historian and amateur chef.
I enjoyed reading anecdotes about “France’s greatest chef” Georges Auguste Escoffier’s ascendancy to demi-deity by way of German prison camp in 1870; about the invention of the “perfect aperitif,” Kir, by Dijon mayor Félix Kir to welcome his many Sister Cities visitors while promoting local vintners and crème de cassis makers; and about the flight of the tiny ortolan bunting from delicacy to protected species.
The Perfect Meal gives little history vignettes along Baxter’s various journeys. Readers get to see the invention of the fork; visit 1671 Chateau Chantilly in the days of Louis XIV; and witness Baron Haussmann’s 1850 transformation of Paris’s meat and produce market, Les Halles, from haphazard sheds dating to 1183 to metal and glass pavilions.
Baxter’s stories are also personal. Some hinge on his wife’s home region. Sometimes he contrasts France with his native Australia. Some stories include friends, including Boris, the mysterious mentor of Baxter’s quest. Baxter’s style is rich in humorous observations.
The Perfect Meal includes some recipes and an index. Foodies, Francophiles, and history buffs would all enjoy this book.
I enjoyed reading anecdotes about “France’s greatest chef” Georges Auguste Escoffier’s ascendancy to demi-deity by way of German prison camp in 1870; about the invention of the “perfect aperitif,” Kir, by Dijon mayor Félix Kir to welcome his many Sister Cities visitors while promoting local vintners and crème de cassis makers; and about the flight of the tiny ortolan bunting from delicacy to protected species.
The Perfect Meal gives little history vignettes along Baxter’s various journeys. Readers get to see the invention of the fork; visit 1671 Chateau Chantilly in the days of Louis XIV; and witness Baron Haussmann’s 1850 transformation of Paris’s meat and produce market, Les Halles, from haphazard sheds dating to 1183 to metal and glass pavilions.
Baxter’s stories are also personal. Some hinge on his wife’s home region. Sometimes he contrasts France with his native Australia. Some stories include friends, including Boris, the mysterious mentor of Baxter’s quest. Baxter’s style is rich in humorous observations.
The Perfect Meal includes some recipes and an index. Foodies, Francophiles, and history buffs would all enjoy this book.
May 27, 2020
Baxter writes about France as a long-time resident who has never quite lost an outsider's giddy awe for France. In The Perfect Meal, he explores the very idea of why French food is supposed to be the best in the world. He does this by researching what to include in his own ultimate French meal, considering options such as onion soup, whole-cooked ox, and vegetables, in what is partly a historical and cultural overview, and part travelogue. It is entertaining throughout--truly, a breezy yet informative read.
October 18, 2013
As a lover of both food books and travel books this was right up my alley. I appreciated the thoroughness in which he studied the cuisines from the past and tried to find them in the present day. I loved reading about how food we eat today got that way and why. Made me want to go traipsing about France again.
July 27, 2013
The author writes in an entertaining and enthusiastic style which really carries the reader along. He sets out to create the perfect meal from traditional French cooking. He travels throughout France to try and find the forgotten byways of French cooking. He tracks down such delicacies as lampreys, and mussels cooked by igniting pine needles and after much research he gets to hear of a village roasting a whole ox.
We hear about Proust, madeleines and lime flower tea as well as reading about the author’s visit with his daughter to Illiers – Combray to Proust. We explore the further reaches of caviar and the different types of it as well as read about where anchovies are caught and packed. I think for me the piece de resistance was the chapter about onion soup and how it should be made. I’m not sure I would ever have the motivation to make it like that but just to read about it made this reader salivate.
Illustrated with black and white illustrations within the text and including the final menu for the feast together with some recipes this is a fascinating book and I read it in a couple of days. I shall definitely be trying out the recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon as it sounds absolutely delicious. If you like reading about food, history, geography and people then read this book.
We hear about Proust, madeleines and lime flower tea as well as reading about the author’s visit with his daughter to Illiers – Combray to Proust. We explore the further reaches of caviar and the different types of it as well as read about where anchovies are caught and packed. I think for me the piece de resistance was the chapter about onion soup and how it should be made. I’m not sure I would ever have the motivation to make it like that but just to read about it made this reader salivate.
Illustrated with black and white illustrations within the text and including the final menu for the feast together with some recipes this is a fascinating book and I read it in a couple of days. I shall definitely be trying out the recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon as it sounds absolutely delicious. If you like reading about food, history, geography and people then read this book.
March 16, 2013
A five star review for "The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France" by John Baxter
John Baxter's The Perfect Meal is part grand tour of France, part history of French cuisine, taking readers on a journey to discover and savor some of the world's great cultural achievements before they disappear completely.
Some of the most revered and complex elements of French cuisine are in danger of disappearing as old ways of agriculture, butchering, and cooking fade and are forgotten. In this charming culinary travel memoir, John Baxter follows up his bestselling The Most Beautiful Walk in the World by taking his readers on the hunt for some of the most delicious and bizarre endangered foods of France.
The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France is the perfect read for foodies and Francophiles, cooks and gastronomists, and fans of food culture.
Dear Readers: Full of humor, insight, and mouth-watering details, "The Perfect Meal" is a delightful tour of French culture and cuisine. It is a delightful book that tickles the psyche, seduces the senses, and effortlessly enlarges the intellect simultaneously!
John Baxter's The Perfect Meal is part grand tour of France, part history of French cuisine, taking readers on a journey to discover and savor some of the world's great cultural achievements before they disappear completely.
Some of the most revered and complex elements of French cuisine are in danger of disappearing as old ways of agriculture, butchering, and cooking fade and are forgotten. In this charming culinary travel memoir, John Baxter follows up his bestselling The Most Beautiful Walk in the World by taking his readers on the hunt for some of the most delicious and bizarre endangered foods of France.
The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France is the perfect read for foodies and Francophiles, cooks and gastronomists, and fans of food culture.
Dear Readers: Full of humor, insight, and mouth-watering details, "The Perfect Meal" is a delightful tour of French culture and cuisine. It is a delightful book that tickles the psyche, seduces the senses, and effortlessly enlarges the intellect simultaneously!
August 14, 2013
This was an informative, likable story about one man's quest to indulge in the original French dishes before they disappear. He scours the countryside tasting dishes, finding ingredients and people who make fresh, hearty "authentic" food.
Along the way, the author entertains us with background information and facts on French cooking and eating.
I always enjoy books about food and the dedication and effort that goes into creating and then savoring a simple, but delicious meal. I liked the history that John Baxter included, as well.
I received a complimentary copy through the Goodreads giveaway program.
Along the way, the author entertains us with background information and facts on French cooking and eating.
I always enjoy books about food and the dedication and effort that goes into creating and then savoring a simple, but delicious meal. I liked the history that John Baxter included, as well.
I received a complimentary copy through the Goodreads giveaway program.
July 12, 2016
An interesting yarn about French cuisine and small towns and regions of France that are unknown even to Francophiles like me. If you enjoy cooking and food, you will enjoy this book. If you enjoy France and travel-writing, you will enjoy this book. (If you fit both categories, you'll definitely like this book.)
I wouldn't take his "quest" for the perfect meal too seriously. I think it's just a plot device to tie together interesting and funny anecdotes about the food specialties of various parts of France. No matter. It's a fun, easy read. Definitely good for a beach weekend or a long flight.
I wouldn't take his "quest" for the perfect meal too seriously. I think it's just a plot device to tie together interesting and funny anecdotes about the food specialties of various parts of France. No matter. It's a fun, easy read. Definitely good for a beach weekend or a long flight.
March 17, 2013
This book has taught me far more than I ever thought I would know about French cuisine. John Baxter takes us on a trip across both time and France itself on a quest to discover the great lost recipes of France. From all corners of France he reports on the both the history of certain dishes as well as where we might find them today. France is a nation that is very proud of their cuisine and Mr. Baxter's love of it shows through in every story he tells. This often humorous book is a great introduction to a cuisine I've never tried, but now might just have to try it for myself.
August 14, 2016
This book showed flashes of genius. To me, John Baxter's voice feels like Peter Mayle crossed with Jeffrey Steingarten. Ultimately, though, something about the historical anecdotes just dragged too much to keep me interested enough to power through - I finished the book in spurts, almost as a bedtime story.
The story is an intriguing one and some of the stories are hilarious, touching and interesting. I just couldn't get into it enough to give it more than 3 stars.
The story is an intriguing one and some of the stories are hilarious, touching and interesting. I just couldn't get into it enough to give it more than 3 stars.
November 13, 2016
John Baxter is an Australian who has lived in Paris for more than twenty years and gives literary walking tours through the city. The result of those tours is contained in The Most Beautiful Walk in the World.
In The Perfect Meal which Amazon calls “part grand tour of France, part history of French cuisine” he takes “readers on a journey to discover and savor some of the world’s great cultural achievements before they disappear completely.”
The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France by John Baxter photo daa6d910-dd3e-4c57-9c10-1e145bea02e9_zpsqltdspxr.jpg Thus he tracks down and eats bouillabaisse, foie gras and truffles and many other delights. I learned the right way to eat a croissant (it’s “not eaten dry—it is dipped in coffee”), what fleur de sel is (“dust-fine ‘flower of the salt’ skimmed from the topmost layer of the pans where seawater is evaporated”) and when to drink café crème (“one never drinks café crème after midday any more than we eat cornflakes”) among a host of fascinating tidbits. (He also mentions how “sweet, cold white wine such as Monbazillac . . . marr[ies] so perfectly with goose liver”.)
This is a wonderful treat for foodies, Francophiles, and readers of mysteries set in various parts of the French countryside. 4 stars
In The Perfect Meal which Amazon calls “part grand tour of France, part history of French cuisine” he takes “readers on a journey to discover and savor some of the world’s great cultural achievements before they disappear completely.”
The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France by John Baxter photo daa6d910-dd3e-4c57-9c10-1e145bea02e9_zpsqltdspxr.jpg Thus he tracks down and eats bouillabaisse, foie gras and truffles and many other delights. I learned the right way to eat a croissant (it’s “not eaten dry—it is dipped in coffee”), what fleur de sel is (“dust-fine ‘flower of the salt’ skimmed from the topmost layer of the pans where seawater is evaporated”) and when to drink café crème (“one never drinks café crème after midday any more than we eat cornflakes”) among a host of fascinating tidbits. (He also mentions how “sweet, cold white wine such as Monbazillac . . . marr[ies] so perfectly with goose liver”.)
This is a wonderful treat for foodies, Francophiles, and readers of mysteries set in various parts of the French countryside. 4 stars
March 16, 2016
Some writers have all the fun. John Baxter, an expat twenty-year Paris-ite and writer, decides to set off around France in search of all the wonderful classic French dishes which are gradually becoming extinct. He seeks out kir and pineau and pastis and absinthe. He looks for the very best caviar. He samples macarons and cannelé and madeleines. He checks out truffles and lamphrey eels and bouillabaisse and soupe à l'oignon (onion soup) and even le bœuf en broche (an ox on a spit).
Even I, who love books more than real life at times, know the limits of reading. And this is where even a bibliophile must draw the line; I wish I could have been with traveling with John Baxter on his real journey, eating these amazing foods and dallying about the country with him. It is not to be, sadly. But this book, with Baxter's little sidetrip stories about the cook who committed suicide when his meal crashed and burned and the time Paris-under-siege had to eat zoo animals, is a lovely consolation prize.
Even I, who love books more than real life at times, know the limits of reading. And this is where even a bibliophile must draw the line; I wish I could have been with traveling with John Baxter on his real journey, eating these amazing foods and dallying about the country with him. It is not to be, sadly. But this book, with Baxter's little sidetrip stories about the cook who committed suicide when his meal crashed and burned and the time Paris-under-siege had to eat zoo animals, is a lovely consolation prize.
February 4, 2013
Have you ever wondered what it would have been like to sit at a French table in the early 1900's? What type of food would you have been served? What would it have taken to prepare the food? This wonderful story challenges the imagination and answers all of those questions and so much more.
This is the story of a man in search of a special meal. The reader travels with him as he completes the research, samples numerous foods, and learns the history of so many foods. Many of these foods are seldom enjoyed today. The preparations alone would take too long in our hurry up and serve the food mentality. Reading about the foods and the hard work of our ancestors in the preparation of these foods left me in awe, and feeling just a little bit lazy. Our lives are very different today and allow few of us the opportunity to delve into the fine art of French tastes such as these.
The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France is a enticing book; it left me with dreams of an excellent meal.
This is the story of a man in search of a special meal. The reader travels with him as he completes the research, samples numerous foods, and learns the history of so many foods. Many of these foods are seldom enjoyed today. The preparations alone would take too long in our hurry up and serve the food mentality. Reading about the foods and the hard work of our ancestors in the preparation of these foods left me in awe, and feeling just a little bit lazy. Our lives are very different today and allow few of us the opportunity to delve into the fine art of French tastes such as these.
The Perfect Meal: In Search of the Lost Tastes of France is a enticing book; it left me with dreams of an excellent meal.
July 31, 2016
I liked it. No stronger feelings either way.
John Baxter sets out to plan (but not implement) the menu for an old-fashioned, multi-course French feast. He includes, among other things, the aperitif, seafood, soups, and beef. The cover copy made me think he was going to list specific traditional French foods and go in search of them in Paris and throughout the country, and he sort of does that, but with digressions into actually trying to prepare some of the dishes himself and his personal history with some of the food and drink, coffee, for example. I'm a sucker for France and for all things French, so while this didn't live up to my expectations, I still enjoyed the book.
French teacher quibble: There are spelling and grammar mistakes in the French which appears here and there in the book that really bothered me. Another example of sloppiness in what passes for editing/proofing these days.
John Baxter sets out to plan (but not implement) the menu for an old-fashioned, multi-course French feast. He includes, among other things, the aperitif, seafood, soups, and beef. The cover copy made me think he was going to list specific traditional French foods and go in search of them in Paris and throughout the country, and he sort of does that, but with digressions into actually trying to prepare some of the dishes himself and his personal history with some of the food and drink, coffee, for example. I'm a sucker for France and for all things French, so while this didn't live up to my expectations, I still enjoyed the book.
French teacher quibble: There are spelling and grammar mistakes in the French which appears here and there in the book that really bothered me. Another example of sloppiness in what passes for editing/proofing these days.
April 28, 2013
I almost gave up on this book on page 33 where Baxter misspells the name of French politician Jean Jaurès as Juarès not once, not twice, but THREE TIMES on the same page. The fourth time, it's spelled correctly, so clearly this is just horribly bad editing. But I continued to read anyway. The book is a delightful culinary romp through France, every bit as educational and entertaining as Baxter always is. Most of the food described is a little outside the realm of normal tastes nowadays, so I'm not sure the book made me hungry, but the chapter on coffee definitely left me dreaming of café terrace. Compared to the other John Baxter books I've read, I'd rank this one above "We'll Always Have Paris" but below "The Most Beautiful Walk in the World."
March 5, 2014
Something about this book drove me crazy and I couldn't put my finger on why until I got to the section where he wrote about Tzimmes a famous Jewish dish that I grew up eating, have made, and have read about in countless Jewish cookbooks. Everything he wrote was incorrect, Tzimmes is not just a way to combine and use up leftovers and certainly isn't "carrot soup." If he is wrong about something that is as easy to research as Tzimmes then what else was incorrect? Then I realized what I didn't like, I got the impression that he was just talking off the top his head through out the book and didn't really know the individual topics he was writing about. I suppose were I on one of his walking tours of Paris he would be a good raconteur but as a book it was just a little to off the cuff.
January 3, 2020
DNF'd about halfway through. This book is unassumingly atrocious. Every chapter is a vacuous a-historical recollection of the history of a certain foodstuff, clearly written by a man who considers himself Learn-ed and Cultur-ed, but composed in the style of a fifth grader with a Current Affairs item due the next day, who knows that they can get away with producing the bare minimum of effort and not getting a note home about it. Part personal memoir and part non-fiction-ish, it ends up being a very particular, not particularly exciting, sort of navel gazing. The caviar chapter was interesting. But I'd just rather read a book about caviar.
February 22, 2013
Baxter is at it again, taking up knife and fork on our behalf. This time he is traversing the French hexagon in search of The Perfect Meal-a banquet of lost and unusual recipes, Along the way he savors a whole roast ox-no, not the entire ox, pintade à l’Escoffier and some items that seem to only appear in The New York Times crossword puzzle-lamprey.
John Baxter’s The Perfect Meal is part grand tour of France, part history of French cuisine, taking readers on a journey to discover and savor some of the world’s great cultural achievements before they disappear completely.
John Baxter’s The Perfect Meal is part grand tour of France, part history of French cuisine, taking readers on a journey to discover and savor some of the world’s great cultural achievements before they disappear completely.
September 4, 2013
If you like France and French food, this book, written by an Aussie with a quick sense of humor is sure to satisfy. I think I would need to take a month off from work to prepare to execute the perfect menu and another month to clean up and recover, but it would be a worthy endeavor. My favorite quote in this book is that of Antoine de Saint Exupery, author of The Little Prince. He observed "Perfection is achieved, not when there is nothing more to add, but when the is nothing more to take away." Nuff said!
May 17, 2017
This is not a particularly memorable book. There are bits and pieces of interesting anecdotes to the traditional, regional French cuisine, but overall the content itself is quite forgettable. I did enjoy reading about how people from a different culture than mine utilized locally-sourced food traditionally and how they improvised in times of need. I thought it was pretty amusing to learn how restaurants would serve street animals and zoo animals during hard times and yet be insulted if customers asked for some fresh garden salad.
July 30, 2014
The author sets out on a quest to create an imaginary menu encompassing the most representational foods of France, some of which have fallen out of fashion, like lampreys. It seemed like a thin premise for a book, an intellectual exercise, since he never intended to put this meal together. Baxter recounts some familiar tales, such as Mitterand's last meal, but includes enough new material and interesting anecdotes that I kept reading. His writing is also personable, and sometimes even fun.
October 22, 2014
Just loved this book as would anyone who loves Paris and French food. John has this great writing style that is very engaging and he weaves stories for the reader encompassing real time experience and history. And then on top of that, he builds in such interesting characters. One of the things I like most about John's writing style is that he takes you with him on the journey, makes for a real page turner but you are sad to say goodbye.
August 29, 2017
Several years ago, I went on a tour of the 6th arrondissement led by author John Baxter, courtesy of the Paris Writers Workshop. He's genial, but I had no idea what a magnificent writer he is. He's got VOICE, so much so I might well recognize his writing if I saw a few unattributed sentences. Nothing here is dry. Nothing gives the feel of fact-checking. It reads like a charm.
May 9, 2013
If you like food, France, history, cultural milestones in gastronomy, Dali or Alice B. Toklas, read this book. The author is Australian (a whole other dimension). I thoroughly enjoyed this, enough to keep going back to it after my reading was derailed for days or weeks at a time. MMMMM for the book.
April 30, 2013
The author is an Australian by birth but has lived in Europe for decades. He decides to try to make the perfect meal not so much in real but mostly in his mind. He is looking for the perfect French meal that uses real food like it used to be cooked in France. He journeys to various parts of France researching the various dishes. The book just flows.
December 30, 2013
An interesting book written by an Australian long resident in Paris. It seemed to be more like a series of articles than a book though. Baxter imagines what a long and perfect French banquet would be and travels the country side investigating food, cooking and customs. An interesting read for those who love France and French food.
June 8, 2013
A delicious historical trip through France. Learned so much about Escoffier - didn't know he created the military-style line cooking that kitchens still employ today! Loved all of the different parts of France that Baxter introduces the reader to.
August 22, 2013
Loved every second of this book. Entertaining, informative and hunger inducing. Baxter is a very engaging writer, imparting interesting facts along with his views on food and eating.
I'll certainly be keeping my eye out for more of his work.
I'll certainly be keeping my eye out for more of his work.
August 4, 2014
A marvellous memory for detail, little unexpected facts, snatches of history and menus that sound better to read than eat. I have read a number of his books, all very easy to read, this is one of the better ones.
August 18, 2015
A delicious trip through France focusing on the dishes that have had major culinary significance over the years. Witty, interesting and well-written, with a sprinkling of historical tidbits that remind me of some of the nuggets I found when writing the Thousand Dollar Dinner. An entertaining read.
September 12, 2015
Witty, sarcastic and the part with the flaming Brazilian barbecue skewers was a laugh out loud till I cry moment. Good, entertaining read and picking up new knowledge on food is a definite plus point.
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