Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking
- Downloads：2342
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2021-04-17 03:31:08
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Bill Buford
- ISBN：0307455807
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Stella Richards
，
if only all my books were this delicious！ 3 of my favorites rolled into one: France， food， the New Yorker。 voilà: c'est parfait。 there's a lot of European food history here -- maybe too much if， like me， what you're really after are Buford's adventures on the line and with his fascinating family。 （it's the best family narrative maybe since Gerald Durrell 。。。） go to Spain， Buford， and give us another！ if only all my books were this delicious！ 3 of my favorites rolled into one: France， food， the New Yorker。 voilà: c'est parfait。 there's a lot of European food history here -- maybe too much if， like me， what you're really after are Buford's adventures on the line and with his fascinating family。 （it's the best family narrative maybe since Gerald Durrell 。。。） go to Spain， Buford， and give us another！ 。。。more
Bj Thomas
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Sometimes hard to keep all of the people， food and foreign language straight but still a good read。
Gail Barrington
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It took me a while to figure out what was going on in this book as the beginning was chaotic。 Eventually the story fell into place and then it was very enjoyable。 Eventually we got to the bottom of what makes French cooking so special but in a way the human cost is so very high， I'm not sure it is worth it。 A lot of hearts broken and a lot of egos crushed along the way。 But I wish I could have tasted Bob's bread。 It took me a while to figure out what was going on in this book as the beginning was chaotic。 Eventually the story fell into place and then it was very enjoyable。 Eventually we got to the bottom of what makes French cooking so special but in a way the human cost is so very high， I'm not sure it is worth it。 A lot of hearts broken and a lot of egos crushed along the way。 But I wish I could have tasted Bob's bread。 。。。more
Henry
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It was OK。 Burford is a pretty good writer （someone should have told him to ease up on using appositely though） and this book is easy to read。 If you blow through it on vacation or such it'll be fine。 If you think about it though you'll realize what a selfish jack ass Burford is and how utterly lacking in self awareness he is。 Just read the excerpt from the New Yorker which was kind of lovely and sad。 It was OK。 Burford is a pretty good writer （someone should have told him to ease up on using appositely though） and this book is easy to read。 If you blow through it on vacation or such it'll be fine。 If you think about it though you'll realize what a selfish jack ass Burford is and how utterly lacking in self awareness he is。 Just read the excerpt from the New Yorker which was kind of lovely and sad。 。。。more
Marjolijn
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Letterlijk: heerlijk！
Crystal Reaume
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I really enjoy food related memoirs but this one lost its appeal halfway through and I really struggled to finish it。
Eduardo Rocha
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This book is amazing。 For one general and other specific reason。 The general reason is a good story about food。 An old journalist wants to became a chef and moves to lyon to learn how to cook。 Everything about grand cuisine to make bread。 Written in a really good way， it reads like a novel。 The particular reason is that the book is about an expat living in france and talks so much about the french people and french things 。 It's a really interesting point of view and some similar situations as I This book is amazing。 For one general and other specific reason。 The general reason is a good story about food。 An old journalist wants to became a chef and moves to lyon to learn how to cook。 Everything about grand cuisine to make bread。 Written in a really good way， it reads like a novel。 The particular reason is that the book is about an expat living in france and talks so much about the french people and french things 。 It's a really interesting point of view and some similar situations as I'm getting。 In the end if you love food or moved to france， this book is for you。 。。。more
Joe Wisniewski
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I enjoyed this as much as “Heat” from a culinary voyeur standpoint。 Imagining myself in his shoes during this journey or as a professional cook in France is the stuff of panic attacks。 Would love to taste Bob’s bread or experience the sense of belonging in the Lyonnaise community that Bill earned during his stay/research/adventure。
Janet Hutchinson
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（3。5， rounded to 4 for the writing。）While well written， and so descriptive of France （most particularly Lyon） and French cooking， I found myself challenged by the overly particular nature of French cooking。 The ingredients， the methods of preparation， the drawn out process of preparing a dish， describes the food found in a restaurant - and made me think at some parts - what is the point？ But I clearly don’t have the palate， nor the temperament for this level of food preparation。 I did like the l （3。5， rounded to 4 for the writing。）While well written， and so descriptive of France （most particularly Lyon） and French cooking， I found myself challenged by the overly particular nature of French cooking。 The ingredients， the methods of preparation， the drawn out process of preparing a dish， describes the food found in a restaurant - and made me think at some parts - what is the point？ But I clearly don’t have the palate， nor the temperament for this level of food preparation。 I did like the local focus of where the ingredients came from， and the fact that this adds depth to what is being prepared。 So I can’t argue with the writing - just maybe the depth was what threw me。 And the various chefs that he talks about are names the average reader would not know， and I personally found them difficult to track。 I did enjoy his time with Bob， the baker - simple preparation， yet so critical to a French family's daily life。 。。。more
Jennifer
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Buford’s New Yorker pieces were so strong in comparison to Dirt that I questioned this piece’s authorship from pages 1-72。 In a post-2017 world， this book has aged poorly。 Foodies and Francophiles， steer clear and return to your bookshelf Bourdains。 Story aside， I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book whose writing made me want to get to know the author less。 （Should we reroute Buford’s book contract to his editor at the New Yorker？） The main character felt a lot like still damp plaster， not eve Buford’s New Yorker pieces were so strong in comparison to Dirt that I questioned this piece’s authorship from pages 1-72。 In a post-2017 world， this book has aged poorly。 Foodies and Francophiles， steer clear and return to your bookshelf Bourdains。 Story aside， I don’t know that I’ve ever read a book whose writing made me want to get to know the author less。 （Should we reroute Buford’s book contract to his editor at the New Yorker？） The main character felt a lot like still damp plaster， not even a likable means to an end。Note: This was released spring 2020 but read like a half-hearted 1980。 。。。more
Jeff Beeton
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Foodie plunked down into LyonDelightful， knowledgeable American writer plans a food exploration journey to the capital of gastronomy Lyon France。Originally slated for a few months duration he brings his wife and twin sons and spends five years there studying cuisine， working， cooking， being sworn at， and from his originally hesitation over a cold standoffish French city， soon adopts it fully embracing the history of French food and lifestyle。Exceptionally well written， a Francophile delight。
Carol
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I enjoyed learning more about French cooking via this book。 Not great though。
AllisonO
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After 200 pages， I put this book down。 I was disappointed in how the author approached the thing he claimed to love （food & restaurant culture） through the narrow lens of his ego & at the expense of other people he promised to love & support （his wife & children）。 Family-life is hilarious， all the more so because of trying to accommodate everyone's age， taste & dietary requirements on a trip or at the table。 Unfortunately for this author， by definition families are about more than one person's p After 200 pages， I put this book down。 I was disappointed in how the author approached the thing he claimed to love （food & restaurant culture） through the narrow lens of his ego & at the expense of other people he promised to love & support （his wife & children）。 Family-life is hilarious， all the more so because of trying to accommodate everyone's age， taste & dietary requirements on a trip or at the table。 Unfortunately for this author， by definition families are about more than one person's point of view。 。。。more
Juanita
，
You will enjoy this book either if you've gone through the process of moving to and living in France （or would like to） or you're a foodie and intimate with the realities of kitchen life in michelin star kitchens。As a person who moved her family to France， I enjoyed reliving parts of that experience through Bill's wit and stories。 I'm not a foodie， but I definitely gained a finer palette for patisserie and bread。 I loved the story about when he brought bread back from France after his time there You will enjoy this book either if you've gone through the process of moving to and living in France （or would like to） or you're a foodie and intimate with the realities of kitchen life in michelin star kitchens。As a person who moved her family to France， I enjoyed reliving parts of that experience through Bill's wit and stories。 I'm not a foodie， but I definitely gained a finer palette for patisserie and bread。 I loved the story about when he brought bread back from France after his time there， and one of his son's immediately recognized that it was French。 My kids and I still reminisce about Weibel， a fine patisserie in Aix， it's pavlova （God food according to one of my kids）， the tarte tropézienne （made better than any you'll find in St。 Tropez） and the baguettes from our local boulangerie （grab them hot on a cool day and put them in your jacket）。Buford seems to love every second in Lyon and it's kitchens。 So impressive to dive head first into the foodie world while also learning the language。 I also appreciated his respect for women and perspective that France was in the stone age when it came to kitchen culture in regards to women。 His love and awe for his wife rings loud in this book too。Buford meets so many French icons in the chef world and sadly so many of them die prior to the writing of this book。 This book felt like a way to mourn these losses and honour their contribution too。 。。。more
Daphne
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Ugh - could not finish this。 His style of writing was tres annoying to me。 Even though the subject matter was of interest， his stories and total willful ignorance of narcissism and overindulgence just gagged me （that is a technical term）。
Tara R
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Maybe I'm the wrong audience for this book。。。was intrigued by the observations on French life， Lyon and the details of the cooking。 However at times there seemed to be almost a listing of famous chefs to the point that I started to skim。 I would have preferred the author focus on a few individuals more in depth like he did with Bob the baker。 For such a long book， very little time was spent delving into the family's transition to Lyon。 A reader who is really well versed in renowned French chefs Maybe I'm the wrong audience for this book。。。was intrigued by the observations on French life， Lyon and the details of the cooking。 However at times there seemed to be almost a listing of famous chefs to the point that I started to skim。 I would have preferred the author focus on a few individuals more in depth like he did with Bob the baker。 For such a long book， very little time was spent delving into the family's transition to Lyon。 A reader who is really well versed in renowned French chefs and restaurants would enjoy。 。。。more
Kristen Lancia
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I wasn’t sure when I started it because it is so different than anything I’ve ever read， but quickly couldn’t put it down。 I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone who loves food， wine， France， Italy， or has any sort of culinary background。 It put to words my relationship with food and I now feel like I understand myself better。 It was also very entertaining and Jessica is my new hero！
Amber
，
If you are a foodie， you might enjoy this book。 It read like any other book about someone wanting to become an incredible chef。 Bill Buford continues the tradition of name dropping his way to chiefdom。 Even though he was a journalist who wanted to become a chef， his writing style wasn’t as engaging as I’d hoped it would be。
Laura G。
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I wanted to like this more。 It had all the elements of an enjoyable book - food， travel， adventure and the author has twins （like me）。 I liked the stories of his everyday life， however I suffered through things like the history of vinaigrette and a lot of characters to remember。 It would have been helpful if I knew a little French。 I felt like I was missing out on an inside joke or I wasn’t sophisticated enough。 I did enjoy the writing - at times funny and self deprecating too。
Cristine
，
Dirt earned an extra star because it addresses my favorite things FRANCE， FOOD， and COOKING。 Bill Buford's memoir documents how far he （and his family） went to experience and master French cooking through experience （hands-on journalism）; and a quest to understand the techniques， history， and people that shaped this experience。The book rambles at times and I almost shelved it about a quarter way in。 This is probably around the same time I decided that Bill's wife Jessica was either a saint or cr Dirt earned an extra star because it addresses my favorite things FRANCE， FOOD， and COOKING。 Bill Buford's memoir documents how far he （and his family） went to experience and master French cooking through experience （hands-on journalism）; and a quest to understand the techniques， history， and people that shaped this experience。The book rambles at times and I almost shelved it about a quarter way in。 This is probably around the same time I decided that Bill's wife Jessica was either a saint or crazy for going along with all of this while he either left her with toddler twins， or sent her on red-eye real estate/administrative trips。 I kept pushing。。。 maybe it was my love of France （I happened to experience the highs and lows of being an ex-pat in a northern French city around the same time）。The charm of the book is Buford's observations about the intense and beautiful relationship that bounds French culture to food。 He starts with the perfection， technique， and pageantry of haute cuisine and ends up appreciating the simple aspects of the people and culture。 He eats in the famous kitchens， rubs elbows with famous chefs， and learns to appreciate the simplicity of GOOD FOOD。 And why sharing a good baguette with friends is a joy few meals at a Michelin star restaurant can replicate。 If you love France and food， this book can be your moveable feast， just be ready for some wordiness， personal stories， and reflection。 。。。more
Katy Ancelet
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This so perfectly captures French ideas about cooking and eating。 I couldn’t get enough。
Lynne Macadam
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Needed additional editing。
Tim
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Charming book that convinced me to move to France。
Jeannie
，
I am not a serious cook but I found this book fascinating and often very funny。
barrettkuhn
，
your time is better spent elsewhere。
Ludditus
，
The subtitle of the UK edition is mere "Adventures in French Cooking，" whereas the US one has it as "Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training， Father， and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking，" which is already pompous and arrogant。 What makes the food of France so good？ You won't find it from Buford's book， and that's not only because of the said arrogance。As a father and a husband， Buford is a failure。As a writer for the New Yorker magazine， he's as self-important as one can be。As s The subtitle of the UK edition is mere "Adventures in French Cooking，" whereas the US one has it as "Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training， Father， and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking，" which is already pompous and arrogant。 What makes the food of France so good？ You won't find it from Buford's book， and that's not only because of the said arrogance。As a father and a husband， Buford is a failure。As a writer for the New Yorker magazine， he's as self-important as one can be。As someone trying to prove that the French cuisine has its roots in the Italian one， he's plainly an idiot。 （Except that， of course， that French chef was an idiot too: the ravioli were not invented by the French！ They were known in China and in the Arab world before becoming a thing in Italy and in France。）As a writer， he's almost a failed one。What I found useful in the book is that， even when coming from a pompous ass， the hollowness and the unbelievable arrogance of the French chefs is exposed more realistically than in Anthony Bourdain's books。If all those famous French cooking schools are the same， I'd rather avoid any place in France that has more than one Michelin star。 Should you prefer the highly-awarded places， you'd be rewarding arrogance and pompous hollowness， and also a huge waste of food。What I learned from this book is to never trust a Maître de Cuisine or Grand Chef de Cuisine。 Not in France。 。。。more
Cristina
，
I loved the epilogue where he gave updates of what happened to everyone after the book。 Other memoirs/slice of life writers should take note。 It even made me go back and re-read parts because I had most of the people （different variations of white male chef） confused with each other。
Kelli Reddy
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Challenging but rewarding memoir about a New Yorker writer uprooting his family and moving to Lyon， France for five years to explore the French cuisine obsession in gastronomic epicenter of the world。 Interesting learning the theories about Italian influence on French cuisine but I kept losing track of which French cook we were following。 Glad to be done！
Kristen
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Completely enjoyable -- especially the sleuthing bit and the section on Mere cookbooks and POW cookbooks。 Fascinating
Hannah
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