Dirt: Adventures in French Cooking from the bestselling author of Heat

I preferred Bill Buford’s Dirt to Heat but I think it’s a good idea to read them in succession which I did. I loved his enthusiasm and in-depth experience of a French restaurant kitchen which was fascinating and disturbing . I also enjoyed some of his culinary tips which I think will be useful and some of his recipes though I don’t think I’ll start podding shelled peas, broad beans are bad enough rewarding though it might be. I loved his spell in Bob’s bakery too. I do think his attempt to link French cuisine with Italian was interesting though perhaps a little too detailed; I skipped some pages. I would recommend the book to anyone who has an interest in cooking.

I enjoyed the read. But did find myself having to go back and re-read a paragraph because the author seem to have wandered off to a different time and place.

A brilliant insight to French food and food culture. The historical research and analysis was an,unexpected bonus. It was bit name-droppy but you have to accept it said a lot for Buford that he had such names to drop and anyway, still very interesting, insightful and nicely written.

I loved this book and have bought it for two friends. It is a really nicely written book, great on food and a sense of place. Quite a masculine world, but a really well told story, with a bit of heartbreak along the way.

This looks a great book. I am hoping my husband enjoys it. It arrived promptly and looks good!

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

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.

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 FranceSo at turns, this book will enthuse and infuriate you, but it is a cracking good read all the same!I received a review copy of this book.