French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew

bPeter Maylei/i/bspent 15 years in the advertising business before becoming a full-time writer. This is his eighth book. He lives in the South of France.A joyous exploration and celebration of the infinite gastronomic pleasures of France.brbrRanging far from his adopted Provence, Peter Mayle now travels to every corner of the country, armed with knife, fork, and corkscrew. He takes us to tiny, out-of-the-way restaurants, three-star Michelin wonders, local village markets, annual festivals, and blessed vineyards. We visit the Foire aux Escargots at Matigny-les-Bains-a whole weekend devoted to the lowly but revered snail. We observe the Medoc Marathon, where runners refresh themselves enroute with tastings of red wine (including Chateau Lafite-Rothschild!). There is bouillabaisse in a beachside restaurant in St. Tropez. A search for the perfect chicken that takes us to a fair in Bourg-en-Bresse. There is even a Catholic mass in the village of Richerenches, a sacred event at which thanks is given for the aromatic, mysterious, and breathtakingly expensive black truffle. We learn which is the most pungent cheese in France (it's in Normandy), witness a debate on the secret of the perfect omelet, and pick up a few luscious recipes along the way.brbrAll the glory and pleasure on the French table in the most satisfying audiobook yet from theitoujours/idelightfully entertaining Peter Mayle.The Inner FrenchmanbrbrThe early part of my life was spent in the gastronomic wilderness of postwar England, when delicacies of the table were in extremely short supply. I suppose I must have possessed taste buds in my youth, but they were left undisturbed. Food was fuel, and in many cases not very appetizing fuel. I still have vivid memories of boarding school cuisine, which seemed to have been carefully color-coordinated--gray meat, gray potatoes, gray vegetables, gray flavor. At the time, I thought it was perfectly normal.brbrI was in for