French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew

by Peter Mayle

A delightful, delicious, and best-selling account of the gustatory pleasures to be found throughout France, from the beloved author of A Year in Provence.

The French celebrate food and drink more than any other people, and Peter Mayle shows us just how contagious their enthusiasm can be. We visit the Foire aux Escargots. We attend a truly French marathon, where the beverage of choice is Chateau Lafite-Rothschild rather than Gatorade. We search out the most pungent cheese in France, and eavesdrop on a heated debate on the perfect way to prepare an omelet. We even attend a Catholic mass in the village of Richerenches, a sacred event at which thanks are given for the aromatic, mysterious, and breathtakingly expensive black truffle. With Mayle as our charming guide, we come away satisfied (if a little hungry), and with a sudden desire to book a flight to France at once.

Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Food, France, Memoir, Humor, Food and Drink

240 pages, Paperback

First published May 8, 2001

About the author

Peter Mayle was a British author famous for his series of books detailing life in Provence, France. He spent fifteen years in advertising before leaving the business in 1975 to write educational books, including a series on sex education for children and young people. In 1989, A Year in Provence was published and became an international bestseller. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and he was a contributing writer to magazines and newspapers. Indeed, his seventh book, A Year in Provence, chronicles a year in the life of a British expatriate who settled in the village of Ménerbes. His book A Good Year was the basis for the eponymous 2006 film directed by Ridley Scott and starring actor Russell Crowe. Peter Mayle died in Provence, France.

Reviews

[Sandysbookaday (taking a midwinter break) · Rating 5 out of 5]

EXCERPT: It is possible to walk from one end of Martigny to the other and back again in ten minutes, which I did, keeping an eye open for the Hôtel International, and wondering how a hotel could survive in these quiet green depths of the French countryside. Perhaps it had a clientele of snail fanciers; possibly, perhaps, a steady trickle of heliculteurs, or snail breeders, coming from all over the world to brush up on the latest reproduction techniques. To my disappointment, I saw nothing resembling a hotel, let alone one with such a grand name. But leaning against a van with their arms crossed were two men who had watched me pass by, and who were still watching when I came back. They would know where I could find the Hôtel International. I asked them, and for the second time that afternoon felt like a complete bumpkin.

'You're standing in front of it, monsieur.' They jerked their heads at the long grey building behind them. It had once been handsome, but now it was blind, its windows boarded up, its days as a hotel long since over.

ABOUT 'BON APPETIT!' Gastronomy is a wonderful starting point to study France and the French. As the retired school master from Provence says, "The religion of France is food. And wine, of course." And they put their money where their mouth is, spending a greater proportion of their income on food and drink than any other nation in the world. Literally hundreds of gastronomic fairs and festivals take place throughout the year all over France - a frog fair, an hommage to the sausage, to the turnip, to the quiche and the noble Camembert. What kind of person is a snail-fancier? Is there a brotherhood of sausage connoisseurs? How can you devote an entire weekend to the French fry? Peter Mayle finds out and brings to life the people who can get passionate about a frog's leg or a well-turned omelette. Over ten years ago he transformed our feelings about Provence, now he wants to capture the irresistible essence of France herself - and her food.

MY THOUGHTS: Although this was written over twenty years ago it remains a delightful and entertaining journey through the various food and wine festivals of France. I enjoyed this every bit as much this time round as I did the first time I read it in 2001.

Mayle had me laughing out loud in places, in others drooling rather inelegantly at the descriptions of the food and wine, or longing to visit one of the magnificent chateaux. I am only sorry that, following his death in 2018, there will be no more of his wonderful journeys to enjoy. I plan to work my way through the books of his that I do have, and to pick up others if I can find them.

Best served with a full bodied red and a selection of cheeses.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE AUTHOR: Peter Mayle (born June 14, 1939, in Brighton) was a British author famous for his series of books detailing life in Provence, France. He spent fifteen years in advertising before leaving the business in 1975 to write educational books, including a series on sex education for children and young people. In 1989, A Year in Provence was published and became an international bestseller. His books have been translated into more than twenty languages, and he was a contributing writer to magazines and newspapers. Indeed, his seventh book, A Year in Provence, chronicles a year in the life of a British expatriate who settled in the village of Ménerbes. His book A Good Year was the basis for the eponymous 2006 film directed by Ridley Scott and starring actor Russell Crowe. Peter Mayle died in Provence, France in 2018.

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[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Mayle might even convince readers who have no interest in France and are perfectly happy with a burger or a pizza to yearn for the countryside of France and their ability to turn the most mundane of foods into a sublime meal. My husband and I listened to the book again on our recent trip up to San Francisco and were once more charmed and filled with laughter at the antics of the narrator in attempting to discover the magic relationship these people df Provence have with the food of their region. So while our first stop on the road was In'n Out burgers (a relic of our high school years) our stop in the city was Chez Pannise in Berkeley by which time we were really channeling Peter Mayle and French cuisine!

[Pamela · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Mayle and his wife are British ex-pats in Southern France and use this Englishman non-French way of poking fun at both the English and French for their differences. In this book Mayle tours a few of the unusual festivals or fairs, sometimes with a companion.

There is the frog in Vittel, the snail in Martigny-les-Bains, blue footed chicken in Bresse, and the most pungent cheese in Livarot, just to name a few. Lots of food and flowing wine, and a lot of light-hearted interactions.

The shortest essay is the one where he got the wrong place and ended up in a muddy field while it’s raining, asking the farmer where to find Monthureux. Which one? The farmer asks. So, he missed the event. Mayle mostly pokes fun at himself.

My favorite essays are the first and last. The first being when he has fine French food for the first time as a young assistant. It opened up another world for him. The last essay being on the history of the Michelin Guide book. Mayle was hoping to do a ride along with one of the tasters. No, that was not going to happen. Secrecy is the most important.

This year I’ve been digging deep into my bookshelves, to those forgotten ones, this is another. The book is overall enjoyable, but I’m not much of a foodie.

Book rating: 3.5 stars

[Jessica Haider · Rating 4 out of 5]

If the goal of this book is to make the reader want to go on a food tour of France, then it 100% succeeded as far as I am concerned. The food descriptions in "French Lessons" were mouthwatering. I never wanted to eat frog legs until I read Mayle's descriptions of their buttery garlicy goodness.

[TraceyL · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little book about various French food traditions Peter Mayle came across during his travels through France. I've read better food and travel memoirs, but this is still good. Some of the stories were more interesting than others.

[Shiloah · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5. This was my relaxing night time read. Often hilarious and often interesting.

[Diem · Rating 5 out of 5]

Updated: Peter Mayle is a very accomplished writer. I think he could make the nutrition facts of shredded wheat cereal sound impossibly droll. However, the real magic here is the narrator, Simon Jones. The whole family loved this (okay, not the three-year old) and we cannot wait to go to Provence. But we'll have to because there are no plans in place. Just some dreams and this audiobook which you will not be sorry you listened to.



Just started listening to this whilst (he's British, okay? It's infectious.) I run. I WAS listening to the Winston Churchill (also British) 3-volume series on WWII but I needed a break because, seriously, am I really supposed to care how many damn Howitzers they had? Give me something to hang on to, Winnie, tell me about some of the repartée between you and ol' FDR. When did you realize he couldn't walk? Did your gaydar go off the exact second you met Eleanor or was it not until she gave Clementine the once-over? No? Don't want to talk about that? Okay then, sure, you just carry on about tanks and ammunition and for gosh sakes don't forget to continue cataloging every damn nap you took while in office and I'll just take a second here to dart in front of THIS ONCOMING BUS!

Or, I will just roll my eyes and run home and go to Audible and pick something else. Like this perfectly reasonable little book on food and travel which I'm hoping is just the ticket.

[Bev · Rating 5 out of 5]

I came across this book during our "book clean out." Having read Mayle's previous books, I picked this one up at Logos when I still worked there, but had never read it. I decided to finally read it, so I could give it away. For this book, Mayle, an English author living in France, decided to investigate fairs and festivals connected with food and drink, the more unusual the better. Frogs, truffles, snails, and always wine. If he had read his maps correctly, he would also have written about a blood sausage festival. I'm sorry to have missed that. All of Mayle's books are so deliciously complete that you feel you were there. You can taste 20 different wines in a night without a hangover. He seems to have been invited to all the best events, including a French marathon (he was a spectator) where the runners take wine breaks rather than water breaks. By the time I was halfway into this book, I had a strong desire to find a French restaurant, but being unadventurous in my food choices, I couldn't possibly have appreciated it the way Mayle does.

His description of how the Michelin system works, at the end of the book, was fascinating.

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

Affable and conversational in tone, I found this book entertaining and I'm glad I liberated it from my parent's spare bedroom bookshelf. It does tick a few boxes for me, being that it covers travel and food, two of my favourite things to read about!

[Nina Draganova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Да превърнеш любовта си към разточителното хранене в професия, ето на това му се казва постижение. Съчетано с пътувания на едни от най-красивите места и после споделяне на страниците на книга, какво повече може да иска човек. Освен всичко това, любопитството , което явно е вродено на автора, го кара да проучва и споделя с всички нас, много интересни факти. А за такива чревоугодници като мен е още по-интересно. Имаше места на които буквално ми потичаха лигите.
Нямам търпение да разбера с какво още ще ме изненада.

[Julia Edelweiss · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the second book I've read by Peter Mayle (the first one is "A Year in Provence").

It is a funny and informative book, with details about the food festivals around France. Festivals that celebrate the eating of snails, or frogs legs, or cheese, or drinking wine.

If you have never heard of fleur de sel from Camarague, Avenue de la Rabsse which is in fact Truffles avenue, or Burgund wines, you should read this book to take a real journey around France.

There is a chapter that reveals the Cuisine minceur's secrets and another chapter about Michelin guide.

The book is more like a travel guide that brings you on a trip around French cuisine.
After reading it, you won't feel strange eating frog legs, more than that, you will be eager to taste this French specialty.

[Alex Egg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author Maybe, goes around to some regional food events around France: frogs, snails, wine, chicken, etc. There seems to be a celebration of every spectrum of French culinary delights. While I would have appreciated it most from an American, I enjoyed the French perspective from an Anglo Saxon Englishmen. He also compares and contrasts the English with the French quite a bit too which I thought was interesting. For example, at one point, he describes english cuisine as "stodgy", which was a big payoff for me from watch the British Baking Show. Insights into the French food culture and psyche helped me to understand the world a little better as the French, especially, French cuisine have so much influence over western culture. For example, look a the menu from any given western restaurant in the world and you will see traces of a French heritage.

One critique is he gets a little excited w/ French phrases scattered throughout the book and most of them I couldn't understand. :(

[Blythe Beecroft · Rating 3 out of 5]

No real plot, just vibes.

[Daniel Bensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

-- a funny, gentle waddle through a few of France's regional food festivals

Mayle guides us through his long affair with French food, notably his most recent bouts of gastro-tourism. He hits the major experiences - frog's legs, truffles, escargot, wine tasting - with a balance of wit that makes you wish you were there and feel a bit relieved that you're not.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter Mayle is to be envied. Some people's work involves overseeing hundreds of people and managing the affairs of a business that skirts bankruptcy every other day. Some put their life in peril, fighting fires or confronting criminals. Some are pushed to their physical limits putting in long hours on the factory floor. Mayle, on the other hand, must roam France and subject himself to its extraordinary culinary pleasures, then regale readers with stories of this most dreadful task. Mayle is an author who loves France, and after dining with him vicariously through French Lessons, it's easy to understand why. How can one resist a people who love food this much? A retired barfly refers to cuisine as the religion of France, and it's a religion that's quite robust. Mayle visits festival after festival celebrating local delicacies -- truffles, snails, vintage wine -- and immerses himself fully in the traditional celebrations of these foodstuffs. It's either the French gift for cooking or Mayle's for writing, but he does manage to make the task of delivering a slug from its shell sound not only fun, but appetizing. Part of the fun of the book is that Mayle always finds someone passionate to dine with, and they both drink themselves silly. Although the book seems written mostly to entertain, Mayle's emphasis on eating quality food for pleasure supported the principles Mireille Guiliano demonstrated in French Women Don't Get Fat. This is a quick, zesty, and entertaining read.

[Петър Стойков · Rating 3 out of 5]

Поредната книга на англичанин, възхищаващ се от Франция - този път от кулинарията й. Книгата е хумористична и не залага на "високия стил" в гурмето и сомелиерството, а по-скоро на обикновеното човешко удоволствие от храната, както го виждат французите, основно в градчета, дето има примерно селски фестивал на жабешките бутчета, изложение на най-добрите пилета и пиене на мастика от обяд.

[Pang · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book was just delicious! it made me want to eat my way through france.

[LibraryCin · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars

The author writes about food and wine in France.

I think I received this via a “white elephant swap” a while back. I’m not a foodie, and I’m sure someone who appreciates food, particularly French food, would get much more out of this. I found most of the food he discussed quite disgusting. I also don’t drink alcohol, including wine, though I think there was only one chapter on wine (maybe two?). At the same time, he actually is an engaging writer. And there were a couple chapters near the end that didn’t talk about food that I found more interesting – one was about food critics and travel guide ratings, and one was an entertaining chapter as the author and his wife stayed at a spa for a few days.

[Carrie Brownell · Rating 4 out of 5]

My oldest loves food, France and linguistics. I came across this book and wanted to give it a perusal before handing it over.

With a few exceptions for some racy stories (there were three, in particular) I thought this book was charming and funny. Written with typical British humor but discussing food in France? Perfection. Such an enjoyable read! I marked the stories to skip and handed the book over to my son for him to enjoy.

(Yes. I DO edit raunchy stories out of my kids' reading lists. No apologies!)

[Yasmina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter Mayle is always a fun author to read. This time he recounts his adventures visiting various food festivals throughout France. He attends a snail festival in Martigny-les-Bains, a truffle blessing in Richerenches, and a marathon where wine is served to the participants at the water stops. Mayle's humorous insights are always enjoyable, even though his journey feels outdated. In the twenty years since the book was published France has changed. French society moves faster and faster, and lunches eating in leisure are slowly becoming relics of the past. This does not take away from the joy Mayle imparts to his reader as he discovers French cuisine.

[Sam Daab · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this as an audiobook and the narrator had THE most posh accent.

This was a fun listen! Always love reading about French culture and food, and it was interesting to listen through the perspective of an Englishman and also this book was written like over 20 years ago so I would be curious about how many of the things mentioned in this book have remained the same! Made me miss Paris but also feel connected to it.

[Bigi Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is exactly the kind of book one needs during lockdown. I had so many smiles and laughs. Did, of course, make me want to be back enjoying living in France, eating delishous food, meeting fascinating people and wishing I were the wife of Peter Mayle so I too could enjoy being wined and dined at the very best places in France.

[Stevie Ekkelkamp · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fourth? of Mayle's books, this one follows different food excursion around France. For some reason, I really struggled through this book as it didn't captivate me like the others. Still well written, interesting, and funny, it's lack of a single unifying thread made it seem more like a collection of short stories rather than a full novel.

[Cabra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fluffy and partial to hyperbole, this book is well-written and a delightfully easy read. I might even consider the Medoc Marathon or the cleansing spa. Might.

[Pam S · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you live in France, vacation in France or aspire to travel there, you will enjoy this engaging book!

[Tanya · Rating 3 out of 5]

Чудесно лятно четиво, написано с чувство за хумор и щипка ирония. Препоръчително е да се чете на път в компанията на чаша вино:)

[Isabella Rucos · Rating 5 out of 5]

De escrita leve e deliciosa. Um prazer degustar esse texto sobres as curiosidade da cuisine française!

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m even more excited to eat and drink when I get to France in October. 😂 This is a book for the food and wine lover. If you are neither, you should skip!

[Oana Vancea · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book made me want to go on a food tour of France. The descriptions of the traditional things that French people eat made me mouthwater even about the most unusual things.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book, in hard copy, was given to me as a gift 19 year ago when it came out in paperback. I just never got around to reading it for some reason. I finally listened to the audiobook this week and it's so enjoyable! Definitely gets you hungry, and makes you want to go on a food-oriented travel adventure.