From Here, You Can't See Paris: Seasons of a French Village and Its Restaurant
by Michael S. Sanders
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Description
"A sweet, leisurely exploration of the life of Les Arques (population 159), a hilltop village in a remote corner of France, untouched by the modern era. It is a story of a dying village's struggle to survive, of a dead artist whose legacy begins its rebirth, and of chef Jacques Ratier and his wife, Noelle, whose bustling restaurant - the village's sole business - has helped ensure its future. The author set out to explore the inner workings of a French restaurant kitchen but ended up show more stumbling onto a wider, much richer world. Whether uncovering the darker secrets of making foie gras, hearing a chef confess his doubts about the Michelin star system, or absorbing the lore of the land around a farmhouse kitchen table after a boar hunt, Michael Sanders learned that life in Les Arques was anything but sleepy. Through the eyes of the author and his family, the reader enters this world, discovers its still vibrant traditions of food, cooking, and rural living, and comes to know the village's history, sharing along the way an American family's adventures as they find their way in a place that is sometimes lonely, often wondrous, and always fascinating. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Works like these comprise the best sort of armchair tourism. I'm heading to Southwest France this autumn, and this book has really whetted my appetite for the trip. Much more than just a description of what it's like to run a restaurant in a small French village, this book's eclectic chapters cover a wide range of subjects related to French rural and cultural life. The author knits everything together quite skillfully, however, and the result was really delightful as well as informative.
An entertaining account of what it's like to run a restaurant in a French village.
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Author Information
5 Works 543 Members
Michael S. Sanders, formerly a book editor and ghostwriter, lives up the road from the Bath Iron Works in Maine. This is his first book.
Common Knowledge
- Important places
- Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France; Périgord, Nouvelle-Aquitaine, France
- Dedication
- Pour Jacques et Noelle Ratier
- First words
- On the Michelin map #79, the village of Les Arques, lost in a forgotten corner of southwest France, is the smallest of dots, a speck connected to other, slightly larger specks by the thinnest of lines denoting the one-lane ro... (show all)ads in and out of it.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Don't over stay your welcome.
Classifications
- Genres
- Travel, Nonfiction, Biography & Memoir, Food & Cooking, General Nonfiction
- DDC/MDS
- 641 — Applied science & technology Home economics & family management Food, Cooking & Recipes / Meals, Picnics
- LCC
- TX945 .L35 .S26 — Technology Home economics Home economics Hospitality industry. Hotels, clubs,
- BISAC
Statistics
- Members
- 257
- Popularity
- 125,654
- Reviews
- 2
- Rating
- (3.33)
- Languages
- Dutch, English, Portuguese
- Media
- Paper
- ISBNs
- 5
- ASINs
- 1
