Purchase
Food, Wine, and the End of France
Bloomsbury Press
July 2009
On Sale: June 23, 2009
256 pages ISBN: 1596913533 EAN: 9781596913530 Hardcover
Add to Wish List
Non-Fiction
A rich, lively book about the upheaval in French gastronomy,
set against the backdrop of France’s diminishing fortunes as
a nation. France is in a rut, and so is French cuisine. Twenty-five
years ago it was hard to have a bad meal in France; now, in
some cities and towns, it is a challenge to find a good one.
For the first time in the annals of modern cooking, the most
influential chefs and the most talked-about restaurants in
the world are not French. Within France, large segments of
the wine industry are in crisis, cherished artisanal cheeses
are threatened with extinction, and bistros and brasseries
are disappearing at an alarming rate. But business is brisk
at some establishments: Astonishingly, France has become the
second-most-profitable market in the world for McDonald’s. How did this happen? To find out, Michael Steinberger takes
an enviable trip through the traditional pleasures of
France. He talks to top chefs—Alain Ducasse, Paul Gagnaire,
Paul Bocuse—winemakers, farmers, bakers, and other artisans.
He visits the Élysée Palace, interviews the head of
McDonald’s Europe, marches down a Paris boulevard with José
Bové, and breaks bread with the editorial director of the
powerful and secretive Michelin Guide. He spends hours with
some of France’s brightest young chefs and winemakers, who
are battling to reinvigorate the country’s rich culinary
heritage. The result is a sharp and funny book that will
give Francophiles everywhere an entirely new
perspective—political, economic, personal, and cultural—on
the crisis in the country and food they love.
Comments
No comments posted.
Registered users may leave comments.
Log in or register now!
|