Book Review: The Sharper Your Knife, the Less You Cry by Kathleen Flinn
I started this book long, long ago. Maybe back in October of 2008? Sad, yes. But since one of my June goals was to finish 2 books of the many books i had started, i brought this gem along with me to Little Rock and spent Saturday morning in bed DEVOURING it. Yes, it was that good.
The premise - a thirty-something woman who, after getting laid off from her corporate gig, moves to Paris to attend the famous Le Cordon Bleu cooking school. In the book, Kathleen documents her journeys through Basic, Intermediate and Superior Cuisine all the while sprinkling in bits and pieces about her relationship with her beau, Mike, and stories of travel, Paris, life and love. What's not to like? I must confess it took me awhile to get into the "i don't want to put this down" phase (hence my inability to finish it back in '08). Still, if you love food and Paris, i highly recommend this one.
But, um, a note about the food. I once harbored ridiculous fantasies about attending cooking school in Paris. After reading Kathleen's story? No more. Meat stuffed with more meat? 32,000 pounds of TRIPE?? (if you don't know what tripe is, google it.) The French's insistence on using every single part of the animal is, although efficient and economical, rather disgusting at times. *shudders* It reminds me of my BAR trip and the couple nights we stayed in Lyon. Every SINGLE menu in Lyon had a dish avec tripe. Moi? Not a fan. I much preferred the cuisine in the Cote d'Azur - oodles of fresh seafood (delicious mussels + fries, incredible pasta avec langoustine), thin crust pizzas, and light wines. I guess i'm not as adventurous of an eater as i thought...
P.S. Coming next? Revisiting my June Goals... can we say FAIL?
11 comments:
i read this book last year and loved it too. and i had a strangely similar experience of a dream change as i read it as well, not planning a life changing move to attend CB anytime soon.
looks like a fascinating book. i will have to add it to the ever growing list :)
I LOVED this book too! For the past year or so, I have been obsessed with "food lit," and devour anything I can get my hands on. Some of my other favorites are "Garlic and Sapphires" by Ruth Reichl, "A Homemade Life" by Molly Wizenberg, "Cooking for Mr. Latte" by Amanda Hesser, and "Julie and Julia," by
Whoops I think the last part of my comment got cut off...it's by Julie Powell.
Me, too! i LOVE food lit. all of ruth reichl's books are fantastic, and i loved julie and julia. you should also check out anthony bourdain - not so chicky but definitely entertaining :)
Sounds like a great recommendation! Love foodie books & addicted to the Food Network - can we say "now how bad can that be?"!
An ounce of tripe would be disgusting enough! :(
Heh, I have read all of Tony Bourdain's stuff too. I can't get enough!
Sounds good! I haven't ready but already feel like leaving everything behind, travelling to Paris and doing that course!
Sounds good! I will definitely be adding it to my list. My, I've been reading a lot of food lit lately! :)
OMG! This book sounds fabulous! While I do not need to add another book to my pile of unread adventures, I am not confident that I can resist the temptation to buy this one. I am currently reading, "Almost French" after finishing up "Pope Joan." Both are great books!
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