Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, And The Reinvention Of American Taste (2013) - Plot & Excerpts
This book is a mouth-watering ode to sensuous cooking set around a gathering of great chefs and wits, and a story of the times. Provence, December, 1970, to be specific: the gathering a veritable Who's Who in the American world of French Cuisine. The moment in time an intersection of a blossoming independent American cuisine amidst the fading of American fascination with the strictly French. Written by MFK Fisher's nephew, Luke Barr, the story draws from MFK Fisher's archive of letters and papers, and correspondence between MFK and Julia Child, James Beard, Richard Olney, and their intimates. The resulting book is a delight. Barr manages to both step out of the way as a narrator - recreating great moments of cooking and the vivid debates among the chefs, food writers, and their book agents - and weave himself seamlessly into the narrative, able to provide a personal biographical grounding using his memories of MFK. Barr's biographical sketches of these passionate and influential chefs is both intimate and fascinating. PROVENCE, 1970. If you love the world of food and food writing, you will thoroughly enjoy this read. The author, grandnephew of M.F.K. Fisher, has read his great aunt's treasure trove of letters from the cognoscenti of the epicurean realm. Filling in the blanks, the author has created this memoir about the moment in time when culinary style crossed the line from fussy haute cuisine to a more accessible and relaxed way of cooking. I enjoyed reading about the private lives of Julia and Paul Child, Craig Claiborne, Pierre Franey and James Beard as they related to their friend Mary Francis. They certainly had many memorable meals together - at times competitive, at other times cooperative in the shared passion of creating meals to please the palate.I often think back to my dad, who loved cooking. It was because of Julia Child and other early television chefs that dad honed his craft. Thanks to them for that.
What do You think about Provence, 1970: M.F.K. Fisher, Julia Child, James Beard, And The Reinvention Of American Taste (2013)?
What I wouldn't give to sit at a dinner table with the fine people featured in this delightful book.
—kearneya
I'm ecstatic that the information in this book is available.
—pajik
