My Grape Village Quotes

“Where did ambition cross the line into insanity?”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“only the vines which suffer produce truly sublime grapes. They have to be thirsty and cold and stressed and challenged to survive. This makes their roots grow deep and explore places where the coddled vines’ roots never reach.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“Do you know what a vine needs to produce truly good wine?” She tapped the back of my hand with her fingers to make sure I was paying attention. “Sun? Rain? Warmth?” “Of course, but the truth is that only the vines which suffer produce truly sublime grapes. They have to be thirsty and cold and stressed and challenged to survive. This makes their roots grow deep and explore places where the coddled vines’ roots never reach.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“Things came and went, and sometimes they were fun to acquire and other times they were fun to purge, but they could never come close to defining who we really are. Holding on to life, or a certain static vision of our lives, by holding on to things was as futile as trying to keep a handful of water from running out of our cupped hand.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“thought back to our Christmas dinners in Canada. They were joyous affairs, but it was always such a race to get everything on the table at the same time: the turkey, the stuffing, the brussels sprouts, the scalloped potatoes, and the green beans. Everybody filled their plates and rushed to the table to eat before it got cold (which it inevitably did). The flavors were good, but there were too many of them at once, and the whole thing was over far too fast. Afterward, everyone sat back with prodigious gut aches and a kitchen full of dishes to clean. The protracted nature and the small portions of meals in Burgundy meant that everything was properly savored. It forced everyone to slow down. Slowing down while eating, I realized now, was key to true appreciation and enjoyment of food. There were no distractions apart from the flowing conversation.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“Somehow, I feel that as a mother, I don’t have the right until everyone else’s needs have been met.” “Laura”—Franck reached across the table and squeezed my hand—“children’s needs are constant. It’s like trying to fill a black hole. You don’t need anyone else’s permission to do things for yourself. You are the only one who can give that permission to yourself.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“children’s needs are constant. It’s like trying to fill a black hole. You don’t need anyone else’s permission to do things for yourself. You are the only one who can give that permission to yourself.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“That’s how I see parenting. If we don’t take care of ourselves and indulge in things we truly find pleasurable, we’re no good to ourselves or our children.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“Pierre Desproges quote: “Culture is like jam. The less we have, the more we spread it around.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“the French regard the pursuit of wealth as something that is indulged in by intellectually stunted people, people who, sadly, don’t possess the curiosity and soul to realize that the true pleasures of life have nothing to do with money. These money-obsessed individuals are pitied rather than revered, and they certainly are not allowed to monopolize the conversation around a French table.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“The French, and the pleasure-loving Burgundians in particular, generally consider work as a necessary evil that enables them to follow their true passions. Most Burgundians consider it a monumentally boring topic of conversation, as work usually has nothing to do with the core of who a person really is and what they really care about.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“everything just tastes better in France. Partly because of the ingredients and, I knew, partly because of the care and expertise of French cooks from the humble to the expert. I was sure it also came from the fact that many meals in France have a ceremonial component to them. They are enjoyed on centuries-old tables on beautiful china. Also, French people don’t eat between meals, which means when they come to the table, they did so with hunger and anticipation. Hunger is a way of honoring the food and the chefs.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“Every day I wake up and I begin to seek out the surprise of what the petit bonheur du jour will be that day. Will it be a letter from one of my grandchildren? Perhaps a phone call from a friend? Will it be a sublime glass of wine or a beautiful bouquet of flowers I see in the window chez la fleuriste? When none of the big things are working out, just concentrate on finding your little daily joy. There always is one, and often once you start looking, you will find many more.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“Of course, but the truth is that only the vines which suffer produce truly sublime grapes. They have to be thirsty and cold and stressed and challenged to survive. This makes their roots grow deep and explore places where the coddled vines never reach.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village

“The trick, I realized, was in letting go enough to simply accept the challenging times and experience life in all its messy glory instead of trying to predict or control our reality.”
― Laura Bradbury, My Grape Village