James Haller

This book was a real gem for me, combining a genre of writing - food writing - I love with a country I love - France. This is not one of those pretentious 'How I moved to a foreign country and dealt with strange locals' books, but rather the tale of a group of friends who spend a month living in France. While Haller does occassionally give us descriptions of the countryside, or little insights into his emotions, this book is really about the food.

And what glorious food it is! Despite saying he woud not cook on this holiday Haller, a chef, is quickly enticed by the food of France. Shopping for it, preparing it, eating it - Haller writes in a direct and friendly way about his food adventures, drawing the reader in with lips licked. There are very few 'complete' recipes in this book, but the author usually explains well enough what he did that you could reproduce most of the meals at home.

This is a book that is sure to have you daydreaming about packing up your friends and loved ones and running away to a little village in France, if only for a month.… (altro)