I first read this book before my first trip to Provence. It is a fantastic evocation of time, place, and of course food. The book is actually two books. One covers the time Fisher lived in Aix en Provence (truly one of the prettier cities I have ever visited); the other chronicles the time she lived in Marseilles (harder to love than Aix, but then there is the boulabaisse sp?). When she writes about food alone, Fisher does not thrill me; however, here, where she weaves biography with travel, friends and food, she is unmatched. Go to Aix and on the Cours Mirabeau take an outdoor seat at the Deux Garcons. Order a salad nicoise and a bottle of Tempiers rose in a bucket of ice, watch the world go by and wonder why the heck Fisher ever left. ( )

i'll take provance ( )