A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City
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- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-08-12 10:19:37
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Edward Chisholm
- ISBN：B09RX5F2WT
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
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Summary
An evocative portrait of the underbelly of contemporary Paris as seen through the eyes of a young waiter scraping out a living in the City of Light。
A waiter's job is to deceive you。 They want you to believe in a luxurious calm because on the other side of that door 。 。 。 is hell。
Edward Chisholm's spellbinding memoir of his time as a Parisian waiter takes you beneath the surface of one of the most iconic cities in the world—and right into its glorious underbelly。
He inhabits a world of inhuman hours， snatched sleep and dive bars; scraping by on coffee， bread and cigarettes， often under sadistic managers， with a wage so low you're fighting your colleagues for tips。 Your colleagues—including thieves， narcissists， ex-soldiers， immigrants， wannabe actors， and drug dealers—are the closest thing to family that you've got。
It's physically demanding， frequently humiliating and incredibly competitive。 But it doesn't matter because you're in Paris， the center of the universe， and there's nowhere else you'd rather be in the world。
A waiter's job is to deceive you。 They want you to believe in a luxurious calm because on the other side of that door 。 。 。 is hell。
Edward Chisholm's spellbinding memoir of his time as a Parisian waiter takes you beneath the surface of one of the most iconic cities in the world—and right into its glorious underbelly。
He inhabits a world of inhuman hours， snatched sleep and dive bars; scraping by on coffee， bread and cigarettes， often under sadistic managers， with a wage so low you're fighting your colleagues for tips。 Your colleagues—including thieves， narcissists， ex-soldiers， immigrants， wannabe actors， and drug dealers—are the closest thing to family that you've got。
It's physically demanding， frequently humiliating and incredibly competitive。 But it doesn't matter because you're in Paris， the center of the universe， and there's nowhere else you'd rather be in the world。
Reviews
Charlie
，
A fantastic and well observed tale of life in Paris。 The detail of the people Ed met and the situations he found himself in are marvellous， albeit harrowing。 It has a distinctly Conrad feel in the way he tells the story of his time there。
Anton Forte
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Some nice writing about starting out as a waiter and living in Paris。 But the passion for the craft of waiting isn't there， it's an outsider's perspective。 Some nice writing about starting out as a waiter and living in Paris。 But the passion for the craft of waiting isn't there， it's an outsider's perspective。 。。。more
Golem
，
I was engaged by the subject matter and writing early on; a real contemporary 'Down and Out in Paris and London' with all the associated bleakness showing that very little has changed over the years。 A real eye-opener to me of what goes on behind the scenes。Some excellent observations， musings， and turns of phrase。 A more thorough editing would have trimmed it neatly by about 50 pages; getting rid of some unnecessary repetition of ideas and slightly cliched sentences （for example， "the sound of I was engaged by the subject matter and writing early on; a real contemporary 'Down and Out in Paris and London' with all the associated bleakness showing that very little has changed over the years。 A real eye-opener to me of what goes on behind the scenes。Some excellent observations， musings， and turns of phrase。 A more thorough editing would have trimmed it neatly by about 50 pages; getting rid of some unnecessary repetition of ideas and slightly cliched sentences （for example， "the sound of a woman's heels clipping along the pavement" too many times; and the continual explosive anger of a low-level manager became wearisome （although not as wearisome as it was for the author no doubt！））， and fixing some typos。I read it in three days - （that's a good sign of how much I enjoyed it）I'm glad Mr Chisholm has been able to realize his true calling 。。。more
Jake
，
A vivid description of year in the life of a Parisian waiter served cold with a moxie amuse bouche。
Bruna
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I would vividly recommend this book！ （And I promise I’m not biased） Even though I already knew how good Edward is at telling stories， my expectations were surpassed。 I was transported into the Parisian waiting world and as I was reading it I was relating to every character， deeply understanding their struggles of working in a high stress environment， where exploitation overcomes fairness。 I think the book mostly touched me because of the character’s multiculturalism and the fact that they’re abl I would vividly recommend this book！ （And I promise I’m not biased） Even though I already knew how good Edward is at telling stories， my expectations were surpassed。 I was transported into the Parisian waiting world and as I was reading it I was relating to every character， deeply understanding their struggles of working in a high stress environment， where exploitation overcomes fairness。 I think the book mostly touched me because of the character’s multiculturalism and the fact that they’re able to come together despite their different walks of life。 The way immigrants are able to build families away from home through the good and the bad is an inherent European story that this book is able to reflect in a beautiful way。 NOW！ Allow me to pitch the sequel it’s called “A Writer in Cannes” and trust me when I say， it isn’t as boring as it sounds。 。。。more
Mrs C
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No holds barred look at what happens when a determined English humanities graduate in his 20s （and who doesn't speak French） decides to stick it out in Paris as a waiter。 Eye-opening and melancholic; it can't get any more real than this。 Review access provided by the publisher。 No holds barred look at what happens when a determined English humanities graduate in his 20s （and who doesn't speak French） decides to stick it out in Paris as a waiter。 Eye-opening and melancholic; it can't get any more real than this。 Review access provided by the publisher。 。。。more
Lois
，
I ate this book up， it was captivating。 All i can think about is taking myself to Paris， ordering a small meal and leaving a huge tip。 Hoping someone like Lucien gets to take it all home。 Read this， if i can recommend one book to anyone， it’s this。
Fran Matthews
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Really enjoyed this book， certainly shows the life of French waiters in a new light and makes me wonder if it is the same the world over？ Loved the many characters and personalities。
Marco-Antonio Grubben
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Grabbed me from start to end！ A whole sector of the service industry that goes completely unnoticed in our day-to-day， but Edward Chisholm rips out the carpet and exposes the dark underbelly of the waitering/restaurant business。 I'm aware not all institutions operate as the infamous bistrot mentioned in the book， but it definitely opened my eyes to what's happening behind the scenes。 Power struggles， abuse and fear are told through a humorous and stoic tone， giving us as viewers a window into a Grabbed me from start to end！ A whole sector of the service industry that goes completely unnoticed in our day-to-day， but Edward Chisholm rips out the carpet and exposes the dark underbelly of the waitering/restaurant business。 I'm aware not all institutions operate as the infamous bistrot mentioned in the book， but it definitely opened my eyes to what's happening behind the scenes。 Power struggles， abuse and fear are told through a humorous and stoic tone， giving us as viewers a window into a world of brotherhood and thievery。 The unsung heroes with chunky black wallets and disdainful looks keep our appetite for life going every time we get that 'let's go out to eat and drink and be merry！' feeling。 As the pages trickle by and we dig deeper under the well-worn cobblestones of Paris with Edward， the anecdotes become more personal， vivid and a wholly authentic representation of what the real Paris looks， feels， smells and tastes like。 There's nothing romantic about the City of Love， yet it's as undeniably French as a 'jambon beurre'。 Just recently I was in a Japanese restaurant and because of 'A Waiter in Paris' I could pick out the holes， understand the hierarchal dynamics between the staff and get a feel for the culture of the establishment。 A few hours later after some terrible food poisoning， Edward's accounts came flooding back into my mind and I was imagining all the ways my food had been mishandled。 Trust me you will never see restaurants the same！ Bon Appétit！ 。。。more
Abbé Faria
，
Chisholm is a great story teller and you’re instantly swept up in the adventure of moving to a foreign city。 But what’s clever though is how he weaves in a complex social commentary。 Which really opened my eyes to the parts of Paris I never saw when I’ve visited。 By the end of the book I was left with a lot of questions about our society and relationship with food。 And I guarantee you will never not leave a waiter a tip again！ From now atleast！
Mike Sumner
，
Covering the life of an English graduate who， after working at dead-end jobs in London， travels to Paris where his girlfriend has moved to move in with her and find employment。 It doesn't work out and she returns to London leaving him without accommodation and little money。 He eventually gets a job as a runner at an upmarket restaurant and this is when the true underbelly of Paris is revealed。 The life of the waiter。 Overworked， underpaid， having to rely on tips to get by。 Life is hard for Edwar Covering the life of an English graduate who， after working at dead-end jobs in London， travels to Paris where his girlfriend has moved to move in with her and find employment。 It doesn't work out and she returns to London leaving him without accommodation and little money。 He eventually gets a job as a runner at an upmarket restaurant and this is when the true underbelly of Paris is revealed。 The life of the waiter。 Overworked， underpaid， having to rely on tips to get by。 Life is hard for Edward l'Anglais as he struggles with the language and the management， who dislike him with a vengeance。 Most of the book is spent discussing the other waiters and it did become tedious and repetitive。 Could have been a lot shorter。 。。。more
Lauralai
，
This is genuinely one of the best books I’ve ever read。 Paris， to a lot of us， is seen as a romantic， dreamy and luxurious place…and it is！ For some。 But A Waiter in Paris shows us the reality of what it’s really like to live and work in the heart of a city， doing most of the work with little payoff as those at the top reap all the benefits。 I felt like I knew all the waiters personally by the end of the book and rooted for/adored nearly every single one of them。 I’d highly recommend it if you’r This is genuinely one of the best books I’ve ever read。 Paris， to a lot of us， is seen as a romantic， dreamy and luxurious place…and it is！ For some。 But A Waiter in Paris shows us the reality of what it’s really like to live and work in the heart of a city， doing most of the work with little payoff as those at the top reap all the benefits。 I felt like I knew all the waiters personally by the end of the book and rooted for/adored nearly every single one of them。 I’d highly recommend it if you’re looking for a new memoir to read！ 4。5/5 stars 🍶🥖☕️ 。。。more
Ewan
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Death of the social life， ruinous financial warfare and a genuine drive to be something are all topics contained in writer Edward Chisholm， who recounts his experiences as a runner， waiter and restaurant hand in A Waiter in Paris。 It is the dying， noble profession that so many have tried to document and bring to life through various pieces of media， failing to do so because a blemish is missing or a character is out of place。 To take it from the source is the best-case scenario， a scattering of Death of the social life， ruinous financial warfare and a genuine drive to be something are all topics contained in writer Edward Chisholm， who recounts his experiences as a runner， waiter and restaurant hand in A Waiter in Paris。 It is the dying， noble profession that so many have tried to document and bring to life through various pieces of media， failing to do so because a blemish is missing or a character is out of place。 To take it from the source is the best-case scenario， a scattering of scenes that add detail to a scattershot life in a Parisian restaurant。 The ins and outs of the filthy business put in the limelight with an effective gaze on what it really means to be a waiter。 What a nightmare。A foodie’s nightmare is A Waiter in Paris。 There is a definitive， dreamlike stature to dining out in The City of Light。 Will A Waiter in Paris be responsible for second-hand Paris syndrome？ It is doubtful because those enjoying brief trips to Paris are not finding the camaraderie of the early morning coffee house， the late-night climbs through narrow stairways， all beautifully developed by Chisholm’s strong prose。 For all the infectiously intense moments and the genuine interest Chisholm drags out of his experience， it is still unclear why anyone would wish to become a waiter in such a bustling city。 The pride is observed， and the cutthroat world behind the staff-only door is revealed， but little of it makes sense to a passing reader because it is hard to wrap the mind around why anyone would choose to be a waiter。The hours are long， the work is hard， harder still if， like Chisholm， French is not a native language。 It is a tactful exploration of how to leverage others into getting what you want， or in the case of Chisholm， what is needed。 A Waiter in Paris has effective bits of dialogue that turn out as quick riposte that further develops the worry and tensions of a man without cash or friends。 A Waiter in Paris is more about the comradery of the kitchen and the political state of Paris which dictates the waiters and cooks than it is about the survival of such a stressful role。 That is prevalent， and Chisholm does well to balance the two， but they are so intertwined， well-explored and crossing over at every turn that separating the two becomes an impossibility。Cutting and intense， but equally measured to give a perspective of an outsider trying to break into a culture that has an active distaste for him。 A Waiter in Paris is not just a powerful piece that documents perseverance in the face of stubborn doubt， but also a strong companion piece to Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell。 As much as Chisholm tries to make the comparison as clear as possible， the smaller moments and details make it very， very clear。 Paris has not changed since its days of crooked alleyways leading to miserable kitchens and despondent chefs。 Chisholm has the unenviable job of painting that picture but does so with broad strokes and interesting results。 As much an exercise in trust of the fellow man as it is a nervy and exciting dash through the underbelly of culinary experiences。If you enjoyed this review， more of my work can be found on my website， Cult Following。 。。。more
=^。^= Janet
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