Cover Image: Dirt

Dirt

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Member Reviews

An interesting read as Bill Buford relates his experience working and living in France with his wife and two children. He describes the trials and tribulations of working in French kitchens.

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I was really looking forward to reading this one - I love reading about food, and travel, so it should have been an almost perfect book for me.

It started off promisingly, and throughout there were sections/chapters I found really engaging, but overall I found it really dull. Lots of name dropping of famous chefs/restaurants which I found completely infuriating. Several times I was on the verge of giving up, and I sort of wish I hadn't wasted the time to finish it.

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Hungry for travel or for food?
Both will be satisfied by reading Dirt.
Bill takes his family on an adventure to the French city Lyon.
He goes to culinary school, does stages (internships) and really delves into the French culinary world.

I still don't really understand how a man with two small kids could offer to work for free in those kitchens, but he produced a really nice book. While not being able to travel during the "Rona, this really felt like little dips into France.
Besides his adventures, he goes into history of the city, certain dishes etc.
A really nice well rounded book. Would recommend to any foodies.

This book was provided as an ARC by NetGalley.

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Writer and editor, Bill Buford’s latest adventures in cooking and travel will appeal to anyone who loves these two passions and revels reading about the inner workings of restaurant kitchens.

Buford is no stranger to writing about his ambitions to be a chef. In 2006 he traded his job at the New Yorker for the kitchen of Babbo, a popular New York Italian restaurant. But this isn’t where his passion ends – ever the fervent student, Buford ups and leaves for Italy to acquire the essential skills needed for traditional, Italian cooking first-hand. The result of this was Heat: An Amateur’s Adventures as Kitchen Slave, Line Cook, Pasta-Maker, and Apprentice to a Dante-Quoting Butcher in Tuscany. Dirt follows the same narrative – only this time Bill’s goal is French cooking and the city of Lyon.

Full review here: https://wanderingwestswords.wordpress.com/2020/10/31/dirt-bill-buford/

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A first-hand deep-dive into the culinary scene of Lyon - Buford relates his experience as an outsider coming to terms with a uniquely local sense of cuisine. Rich in history and full of knowledge from some renowned kitchens.

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I remember Bill Buford fondly as a colleague at Penguin and publisher of Granta books and magazine way back from the 80ties and 90ties in the UK; his sense of humor and adventurous spirit still resonates. He eventually moved back to the US and became editor for the New Yorker. When I discovered he had written “Dirt – Adventures in French Cooking” I just knew I had to read about this cooking adventure which from the first page made me chuckle.
Not too many embark on a cooking odyssey in their sixties, trying to learn the secrets of cooking French cuisine at the highest level, moving two small children & a wife to Lyon/ France, apparently the French cooking mecca of the world and not speaking a word of French without an employment to start this undertaking. The book is an entertaining, hilarious romp about the fulfillment of a man’s dream which leads him to a bakery, attending a pig slaughter, finally becoming a student at the L’Institut Bocuse, leading to cooking at La Mere Brazier, a Michelin star restaurant, all with the full support of his fantastic, down to earth wife Jessica. Their family adventure through the French school and social systems are one of the most endearing and funniest episodes in the book. Boot camp is a kindergarten experience in comparison to the rigors in French kitchens in high class restaurants. Bill survives it all with his legendary sense of humor and not taking everything to heart making friends for life along the way. In case you wonder why a cooking book is called “Dirt” which I did, spoiler alarm, it has something to do with the consistence of the soil on which wheat is grown for the famous baguette. If you are a foody or in the mood for a terrific French cooking memoir of the special kind, this is your book, I had a great time with it.

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While not able to speak French, Bill Buford decides he wants to learn the art of French cooking in France and preferably at what may be seen as the centre of it - Lyon. The book is the story of his journey. Initially he manages to convince a French chef working in New York to give him an opportunity. Fairly quickly it becomes apparently that this will not satisfy Bill. However, as someone who is primarily an author and journalist, can he really convince professional chefs in France to give him a chance? He moves with his wife and two young children to France.

The start of this book is really very foodie indeed. Indeed one of my first comments is that he is not quite as inexperienced as I had originally thought. He has already spent time in Italy learning to cook. I found the personal aspects of this part of the book quite interesting. However there was a fair amount of name dropping of famous chefs - I began to feel I might not be the target audience for this book.

After his arrival with his family in France however it improved for me. If anything it became even more about Michelin starred chefs but despite that I became more interested. I also started to learn things. I for one didn't know the variations of the word for "chicken" that exist in French for example. He watches boudin noir being made at a local farm in the traditional way. This will not be to everyone tastes - veggies particularly be wary - interesting nonetheless in the sense of culture and tradition. He persuades his local baker to allow him to work there. I really enjoyed his time with Bob the baker. It illustrates very well just how deeply embedded bread is in the minds of the people of France. After that he manages to get a leading culinary school to allow him into the classes. This brings in discipline and simply doing things properly. There is perfection with omelets and fish. Parts of this book should definitely not be read when you are hungry!!

From here he gets a leading Lyon restaurant to employ him. I found this in parts fascinating and in parts terrible. I am sure many of us are aware of the way people behave in restaurant kitchens however there are graphic illustrations of bad behaviour here. The author himself is guilty of something that I find very annoying - persistent lateness. He continues to turn up late letting down his colleagues - infuriating. I think his wife deserves a medal (& maybe more credit for her part in this story allowing him to work 80 hours a week while she looked after the children). On balance I find the author rather unappealing.

Indeed my comments so far illustrate how I felt during this book. I was interested, infuriated, fascinated and amazed by the silly behaviours. On the plus side there were some wonderful vignettes on life in France, its culture and cuisine. I loved the fascination with bread and flour. I found some of the author's diversions into the history of French cuisine somewhat boring and ended up skipping parts. His throwaway line about the quality of French coffee is simply silly - I have had some excellent coffees in France and I have had some bad ones. To dismiss French coffee in the way he does does him a disservice.

I am still unsure how to actually rate this book at the time of writing this. In part I have no idea who it is actually aimed at. True chefs are unlikely to find it that interesting; us mere mortals will almost certainly be disinterested by parts of it. I don't regret reading it - Bob alone makes it almost worthwhile - however I'm not sure I can recommend it.

Note - I received an advance digital copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for a fair review

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How many of us have dreamed at going off to another country to learn something new? Journalist Bill Buford did just that. He moved his family to Lyon to learn to cook in the French way. His contacts with some of New York's top chefs helped him on the way. Bill is at his best when he describes the trials and tribulations of working in a French kitchen and when he discovers produce and techniques. In other sections, he insists on trying to prove that French cooking actually started in Italy.

He started cooking in Lyon around 2009 and gives a portrait of what the top restaurants were at that time. He's not too kind on Lyon either, describing it as a dirty, unwelcoming place. Far from my own more recent experience. Not for nothing is Lyon the gastronomic capital of France

So at turns, this book will enthuse and infuriate you, but it is a cracking good read all the same!

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What a superb book! As a foreigner living in France (not too far from Lyon) there were many moments when reading this book that I laughed out loud, or pumped my hand in the air shouting out “yes!” Bill Buford totally gets the essence of the French love affair with food, the demand for fresh and local produce, the striving for perfection and the conviviality of shared meals. His exploits, in and out of the kitchen, are honestly told, and are a great read. For non-food lovers, much of it might seem obsessive; the idea of peeling individual peas, stuffing a whole chicken into a pig’s bladder and cooking it (very, very carefully so it does not burst!) are two of the many examples of the descriptions I really enjoyed.
Whilst the book is primarily about food, it also chronicles the understanding that Bill Buford and his family (what a marvellous experience for two young boys!) developed of the French, their language and their way of life.

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