French Lessons: Adventures With Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew - Hardcover

Peter Mayle has done it again--but differently. Travelling this time beyond his adopted Provence throughout France, the food and travel writer has produced French Lessons, a celebration of many of that country's gastronomic joys. Whether pursuing La Foire de Fromages, the annual cheese fair at Livarot; a Burgundian marathon offering runners Médoc refreshment; or a village truffle mass that concludes with a heady dégustation of the newly blessed tuber, Mayle takes his readers in hand and shows all. Wide-eyed yet knowing, ever affable but with a touch of mischief, he's an ideal companion, the best possible narrator of his lively food adventures.

Author of the bestselling A Year in Provence, Mayle's gastronomic baptism occurs when, as a 19-year-old, he dines for the first time in France. "At the first mouthful of French bread and French butter," he writes, "my taste buds, dormant until then, went into spasm." The paroxysm leads to serious food-and-wine perambulations--and, finally, to chapters including "The Thigh-Taster of Vitel" (a frog-eating fete); "Slow Food" (snail love in Martigny les Bains) and "The Guided Stomach" (an investigation of the Michelin Guide restaurant inspection), among others. Readers are also present for a debate on the secret of the perfect omelette; a search for the best possible chicken in Bourg-en-Bresse; and a visit to a St. Tropez restaurant notable for its scantily clad habitués. Those familiar with Mayle's work, and those yet to discover it, are in for a treat. --Arthur Boehm

Delectable . . . as satisfying as a meal in a Michelin-rated three-star restaurant. USA Today
Mayle s descriptions are as mouth watering as the food he samples. Rocky Mountain News
So evocative you can almost feel the bib tied around his chin and sip the last drop of Bordeaux at the bottom of his glass. The Washington Post

Charming. . . . [Peter Mayle] whets the reader s appetite for all things French. Even frog legs. Or especially frog legs. Nashville City Paper
Armchair diners will doubtless find the fourth volume as tasty as ever. New York Magazine
Savory, sensual, positively transporting stories about his encounters with Gallic gustatory delights and about his growing appreciation of the central place food occupies in French life . His descriptions of the meals they serve allow us to practically taste the frog legs and truffles right along with him. Booklist

Whether you re going to France or just to eat, Mayle is worth reading. San Jose Mercury News
Foodies and Francophiles will discover a like-minded devotee. And all but the strictest vegetarian will be made hungry by this book. Mayle s form is every bit as good as ever. The Associated Press"

"Delectable . . . as satisfying as a meal in a Michelin-rated three-star restaurant." --USA Today

"Mayle's descriptions are as mouth watering as the food he samples." --Rocky Mountain News

"So evocative you can almost feel the bib tied around his chin and sip the last drop of Bordeaux at the bottom of his glass." --The Washington Post

"Charming. . . . [Peter Mayle] whets the reader's appetite for all things French. Even frog legs. Or especially frog legs." --Nashville City Paper

"Armchair diners will doubtless find the fourth volume...as tasty as ever." --New York Magazine

"Savory, sensual, positively transporting stories about his encounters with Gallic gustatory delights and about his growing appreciation of the central place food occupies in French life.... His descriptions of the meals they serve allow us to practically taste the frog legs and truffles right along with him." --Booklist

"Whether you're going to France or just to eat, Mayle is worth reading." --San Jose Mercury News

"Foodies and Francophiles will discover a like-minded devotee. And all but the strictest vegetarian will be made hungry by this book. Mayle's form is every bit as good as ever." --The Associated Press