Bill Buford: Dirt – Adventures in French Cooking, Random House UK, Vintage, Hardback, 9781787333116 (October 2020)

(Deutsche Ausgabe: "Dreck", C. Hanser Verlag, Oktober 2020)

I remember Bill Buford fondly as a colleague at Penguin and publisher of Granta books and magazine way back from the 80ties and 90ties in the UK; his sense of humor and adventurous spirit still resonates. He eventually moved back to the US and became editor for the New Yorker. I was lucky enough to read the Vintage proof of  “Dirt – Adventures in French Cooking” which made me chuckle from the first page. 

Not too many embark on a cooking odyssey in their sixties, trying to learn the secrets of French cooking at the highest level, moving  two small children & a wife to Lyon/ France, apparently the French cooking mecca of the world and not speaking a word of French or lacking an employment to start his undertaking.  The book is an entertaining, hilarious romp about the fulfillment of a man’s dream which leads him to work in a bakery, attending a pig slaughter, finally becoming a student at the L’Institut Bocuse, leading to cooking at La Mere Brazier, a Michelin star restaurant, all with the full support of his fantastic, down to earth wife Jessica. Their family adventure through the French school and social systems are one of the most endearing and funniest episodes in the book.  Boot camp is a kindergarten experience in comparison to the rigors in French kitchens in high class restaurants. Bill survives it all with his legendary sense of humor and not taking everything to heart making friends for life along the way. In case you are wonder why a cooking book is called “Dirt” which I did, spoiler alarm: it has something to do with the consistence of the soil on which wheat is grown for the famous baguette. If you are a foody or in the mood for a terrific, funny cooking memoir of the special kind, this is your book, I had a great time with it.