Bread and Oil or French Lessons

Bread and Oil: Majorcan Culture's Last Stand

Author: Tomas Graves

Coarse bread bathed in olive oil, then rubbed with tomato or garlic and salt, is common to all the Mediterranean cultures from France to Algeria, from Morocco to Greece. On the island of Majorca, it is known as pa amb oli, bread and oil. Tomás Graves takes this healthy peasant staple as a starting point to explore not only Mediterranean cooking, agriculture, and traditions but also the historical crosscurrents that have rescued this simple dish from disappearing along with a way of life that had remained essentially unchanged since Roman times.

Pa amb oli has come to symbolize for Majorcans all that is still honest and valid in the island, which became a major tourist destination in the 1960s and has been looking for its soul ever since. Bread and Oil celebrates the Majorcan character as reflected in its eating habits-simplicity, serenity, resourcefulness, and no qualms about getting one's hands oily.

Author Biography: Tomás Graves lives in Deià, Majorca. He is a master craftsman of typographic design and letterpress printing and formerly operated the New Seizin Press with his wife, Carmen. He also plays in a rock band, contributes articles to Connoisseur magazine, and is the author of A Home in Majorca: A Practical Guide to the Traditional House and Rural Life. The son of celebrated British poet and classicist Robert Graves, he was born and raised in Majorca.

Look this: Salmon Cooking or Cigars

French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew

Author: Peter Mayl

Ranging far from his adopted Provence, 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, starred Michelin wonders, local village markets, annual festivals, and blessed vineyards.

We visit the Foire aux Escargots at Martigny-les-Bains-a whole weekend devoted to the lowly but revered snail. We observe the Marathon du Mйdoc, where runners passing through the great vineyards of Bordeaux refresh themselves en route with tastings of red wine (including Chвteau Lafite- Rothschild!). There is a memorable bouillabaisse in a beachside restaurant on the Cфte d'Azur. And we go on a search for the perfect chicken that takes us to a fair in Bourg-en-Bresse.

There is a Catholic mass in the village of Ri-cherenches, a sacred event at which thanks are 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 omelette, and pick up a few luscious recipes along the way. There is even an appreciation and celebration of an essential tool for any serious food-lover in France-the Michelin Guide.

Here we have all the glory and pleasure of the French table in the most satisfying book yet from the toujours delightfully entertaining Peter Mayle.

Book Magazine

Having shucked an advertising career for the Mediterranean sun, Mayle began living the dream life—and his readers loved it. Over the years, his charming books celebrating the pleasures of French cuisine have introduced enthusiasts to an array of pâtés, stews and wines. In his latest volume, Mayle details his visits to a series of regional French festivals. There's a stop at an escargot festival in Martigny-les-Bains; a search for the perfect chicken at a fair in Bourg-en-Bresse; an initiation into a frog-tasting society in Vittel; a day at a beachside restaurant in St. Tropez, where the beautiful people eat lunch. Mayle is always a pleasant enough companion: the charming outsider who makes up for his lack of expertise and savoir faire with good-natured humility and curiosity. Unfortunately, the book is formulaic and thin. Mayle's fans may encounter the usual laughs and fun, but others may grow bored with the repetitive structure: The author travels to a festival or restaurant, eats and drinks well, encounters some French peculiarities and returns home with a satisfied smile.
—James Schiff

(Excerpted Review)

Publishers Weekly

In this latest book, part travelogue, part guide to cuisine, Mayle leaves his beloved Provence behind and sets out to experience gastronomic pleasures available at food festivals and celebrations throughout France. The always curious and friendly Mayle befriends colorful locals at such events as a frog's-leg festival in Vitel, where "thigh tasting" is regarded as a reverent act. The best advice when eating escargots, he finds, is that one should eat them "through the nose, not through the eyes." By far the most fascinating and bizarre event is a Catholic mass in the village of Richerenches whose main purpose is giving thanks for the adored, rare and costly black truffle. Mayle's wry, colorful and playful prose effectively conveys just how seriously the French take their food. Simon Jones, who also gave a wonderful reading of Mayle's A Dog's Life, is a highly entertaining performer with a voice and energy reminiscent of John Cleese. Paired with Mayle's witty and unpretentious style, his reading makes listening to this book delicious and satisfying. Simultaneous release with the Knopf hardcover. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

Table of Contents:

	Hors d'Oeuvre	ix
	The Inner Frenchman	3
	For What We Are About to Receive	21
	The Thigh-Tasters of Vittel	40
	Aristocrats with Blue Feet	62
	Love at First Sniff	85
	Slow Food	105
	Undressing for Lunch	125
	A Connoisseur's Marathon	142
	Among Flying Corks in Burgundy	161
	Rendezvous in a Muddy Field	180
	A Civilized Purge	185
	The Guided Stomach	207
	Last Course	225