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Gwen's Reviews > The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City
The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City
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In the past week, I've read two "fish out of water" memoirs: Lebovitz's and Bill Bryson's I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away, and "The Sweet Life in Paris" is by far the more entertaining, more earnest, and more introspective. (And significantly less curmudgeonly.) As a pastry chef, Lebovitz is not a professional writer, but his writing completely engrossed me, keeping me up far later than I should, and his tales of living in Paris amused this former (and hopefully future) expat.
Lebovitz nails the expatriate experience, from the large—vast cultural differences, wrangling with bureaucracy, and interpersonal relations—to the more mundane, but certainly not less important—figuring out where to buy seemingly common household items, learning how to navigate household chores, and grocery shopping.
Something my mother has wondered for years: "For the life of me, and every other American living in Europe, I can't figure out why it takes two hours to wash a load in a European machine in Europe, whereas washing a load in a European machine in America takes only forty minutes." (Loc. 417–419)
His conclusion, after living in Paris for 6 years and finally feeling like he's fitting in: "I've managed to survive any wrath I've invoked with my special brand of American optimism (and brownies). ...What helped was that I understood the food and tried my best to adapt to the culture, rather than trying to make the culture adapt to me. I arrived knowing a fair amount about the pastries, cheeses, chocolates, and breads, which impressed the French, and I also soaked up as much as I could. More important, though, I learned to take the time to get tto know people, especially the vendors and merchants, who would patiently explain their wares to me. Plenty of people who move here arrive wide-eyed and excited, only to leave after a year because they miss their favorite brand of shampoo, or air conditioning, or customer service, or 110-cm shoelaces.... I'll admit there are plenty of things that I miss, too, but I've also made new friends, had quite a few unusual experiences, and feel much more a part of the global community than I would had I stayed in the States." (Loc. 4304–4313) "On visits back to the States, I always anticipate the trip, thinking 'Ah, I can't wait to be around people who understand me.' But that isn't always the case anymore, and nowadays I'm not quite sure where I fit in: here or there. And I'm okay with that." (Loc. 4341—4343) The expat life, in a nutshell.
Not only did I bookmark many of his recipes, I found some wonderful tidbits of advice.
Rules for survival in any food service environment (which work pretty well for all other environments, really): (Loc. 1584–1593)
1) Never lie about your experience or skill level. "You'll be busted for it almost immediately, and it's more endearing to be eager to learn new skills than to screw up."
2) Know how to move in a kitchen. (Okay, maybe not as much a transferable skill, but aptitude can sometimes trump experience.)
3) Be willing to do anything. "If you're above doing any sort of work...you're not part of the team."
How to slice cheese: (Loc. 3023–3035)
* Solid round cheese (Camembert, etc.)—cut into wedges, like a cake
* Particularly small cheese (palm-sized)—cut lengthwise into slices
* Wedges of cheese from a larger round—do not cut off the tip; take a lengthwise slice from the side and include a bit of rind
* Rectangular chunks—cut across into sticks, preferably including a bit of rind on both ends
I'm not sure how much of this is still true, but it's an interesting factoid: "Contrary to what a lot of people imagine, many French workers aren't part of any syndicat at all. In 2005, just under 10 percent of the workers here were members of a union, one of the lowest rates in Europe. The same year, 12 percent of Americans belonged to a union. Yet the unions hold a lock-hard grip in France, much stronger than elsewhere, and they certainly enjoy more widespread public support than they do in America." (Loc. 3173–3176)
Lebovitz nails the expatriate experience, from the large—vast cultural differences, wrangling with bureaucracy, and interpersonal relations—to the more mundane, but certainly not less important—figuring out where to buy seemingly common household items, learning how to navigate household chores, and grocery shopping.
Something my mother has wondered for years: "For the life of me, and every other American living in Europe, I can't figure out why it takes two hours to wash a load in a European machine in Europe, whereas washing a load in a European machine in America takes only forty minutes." (Loc. 417–419)
His conclusion, after living in Paris for 6 years and finally feeling like he's fitting in: "I've managed to survive any wrath I've invoked with my special brand of American optimism (and brownies). ...What helped was that I understood the food and tried my best to adapt to the culture, rather than trying to make the culture adapt to me. I arrived knowing a fair amount about the pastries, cheeses, chocolates, and breads, which impressed the French, and I also soaked up as much as I could. More important, though, I learned to take the time to get tto know people, especially the vendors and merchants, who would patiently explain their wares to me. Plenty of people who move here arrive wide-eyed and excited, only to leave after a year because they miss their favorite brand of shampoo, or air conditioning, or customer service, or 110-cm shoelaces.... I'll admit there are plenty of things that I miss, too, but I've also made new friends, had quite a few unusual experiences, and feel much more a part of the global community than I would had I stayed in the States." (Loc. 4304–4313) "On visits back to the States, I always anticipate the trip, thinking 'Ah, I can't wait to be around people who understand me.' But that isn't always the case anymore, and nowadays I'm not quite sure where I fit in: here or there. And I'm okay with that." (Loc. 4341—4343) The expat life, in a nutshell.
Not only did I bookmark many of his recipes, I found some wonderful tidbits of advice.
Rules for survival in any food service environment (which work pretty well for all other environments, really): (Loc. 1584–1593)
1) Never lie about your experience or skill level. "You'll be busted for it almost immediately, and it's more endearing to be eager to learn new skills than to screw up."
2) Know how to move in a kitchen. (Okay, maybe not as much a transferable skill, but aptitude can sometimes trump experience.)
3) Be willing to do anything. "If you're above doing any sort of work...you're not part of the team."
How to slice cheese: (Loc. 3023–3035)
* Solid round cheese (Camembert, etc.)—cut into wedges, like a cake
* Particularly small cheese (palm-sized)—cut lengthwise into slices
* Wedges of cheese from a larger round—do not cut off the tip; take a lengthwise slice from the side and include a bit of rind
* Rectangular chunks—cut across into sticks, preferably including a bit of rind on both ends
I'm not sure how much of this is still true, but it's an interesting factoid: "Contrary to what a lot of people imagine, many French workers aren't part of any syndicat at all. In 2005, just under 10 percent of the workers here were members of a union, one of the lowest rates in Europe. The same year, 12 percent of Americans belonged to a union. Yet the unions hold a lock-hard grip in France, much stronger than elsewhere, and they certainly enjoy more widespread public support than they do in America." (Loc. 3173–3176)
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Reading Progress
January 22, 2013
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Started Reading
January 23, 2013
– Shelved
January 23, 2013
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Finished Reading
