We've Always Had Paris... and Provence: A Scrapbook of Our Life in France
Author: Patricia Wells
"With charm and insightful anecdotes about the Parisan and Provencal food-driven life, cookbook author [Patricia] Wells and her husband, Walter, artfully re-create their quarter-century-long courtship with flavorful France. ...This thoroughly enjoyable narrative describes the lavish, flavorful rewards of a life spent abroad." —Publishers Weekly
For more than a quarter century, Patricia Wells, who has long been recognized as the leading American authority on French food, and her husband, Walter, have lived the life in France that many of us have often fantasized about. In this delightful memoir they share in two voices their experience—the good, the bad, and the funny—offering a charming and evocative account of their beloved home and some of the wonderful people they have met along the way.
"Entertaining....Intimate and revealing....The passionate rapport and mutual respect between the spouses shines through every chapter." —San Francisco Chronicle
"Guaranteed to turn any foodie or Francophile vert with envy." —St. Petersburg Times
Publishers Weekly
With charm and insightful anecdotes about the Parisian and Provençal food-driven life, cookbook author Wells and her husband, Walter, artfully recreate their quarter-century-long courtship with flavorful France. Their two distinct voices-complemented by black-and-white photos and more than 30 simple recipes for couscous salad, salmon tartare, and scrambled eggs with truffles-detail the couple's forays into "going native." As they endeavor to adapt to the fashions and lifestyle of the French capital, Patricia takes on the task of researching a city's worth of tastes, textures and smells, visiting tea salons, pastry shops, boulangeriesand chocolate makers for her Food Lover's Guide to Paris, while Walter settles into a new position as editor at the International Herald Tribune. Their Parisian interlude soon turns into a permanent French sojourn when they are seduced by the parasol pines and terraced vineyard belonging to an 18th-century farmhouse called Chanteduc. With their purchase of this northern Provençal abode, the remains of urban life fall to the wayside. This thoroughly enjoyable narrative describes the lavish, flavorful rewards of a life spent abroad. (May)
Rosemarie Lewis - Library Journal
The Wellses have lived an enviable life in France for over 30 years. Patricia is one of the most widely recognized American writers on French food, a former food critic for the International Herald Tribune, and the author of ten books, including the classic Bistro Cooking. Her husband spent 25 years at the International Herald Tribune, working his way up to executive editor. Their latest effort is a joint affair, offering alternating reminiscences about their decision to move to France and chronicling the adventures life has thrown at them since. Although food features heavily through the book, and most sections are capped with a recipe-there are over 30 scattered throughout, including Almond Macaroon and Fresh Berry Cake and Fish Cheeks with Polenta and Parmesan Crust-the book is about their lives, with food-not food, with a little life thrown in. Photographs from their private collection enhance the personal nature of the memoir. An optional purchase for most libraries. (Index not seen.) [See Prepub Alert, LJ3/1/08.]
Table of Contents:
List of Recipes
Preface: Go for It! 1
Part I Setting Out to Live a Fantasy
1 Ah, Paris! 15
2 Learning More Than French 23
3 Seeing Things 35
4 Rules, Rules, and More Rules 39
5 Reality Strikes 49
6 Making Yourself Up 57
7 Put Yourself on Vacation 65
8 LaVie en Rose 77
Part II Going Native
9 Almost Parisian ("Have You Ever Thought of Wearing Makeup?") 87
10 Dangerous De-Liaisons 95
11 A Small Inn Near Avignon 101
12 Nouvelle Cuisine, Critique Nouvelle 109
13 You Paid to Learn to Drive Like That? 121
14 Two for the Road 129
15 The L'Express Years 135
16 Mr. Patricia Wells 147
17 Weighty Matters 157
Part III Our Private Universe
18 A Farmhouse in Provence 169
19 Making a House a Home 181
20 Chantier-Duc 191
21 Grow, Garden, Grow 201
22 All About Yves 215
23 Vineyard Tales 225
Part IV World Enough
24 Right Bank, Left Bank 237
25 Fame but Not Fortune 251
26 Clients Fideles 261
27 Life Lessons from Julia and Joel 269
28 Another Kind of Interlude 283
29 Mrs. Walter Wells 289
30 It's Not About the Marathon 295
31 You and Me, Babe 307
Captions for Endpapers 315
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