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Categories: Science fiction Fantasy Mystery Romance Business Classic Sports Young adult Humor Memoirs See all categories... |
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Categories: Science fiction Fantasy Mystery Romance Business Classic Sports Young adult Humor Memoirs See all categories... |
Pulled this off the shelf for Clark and decided to reread it myself. An American family living in Senlis, France, quickly repatriates in 1939, bringing their Burgundien cook Clementine with them to Marblehead, Mass.It's a charming story of cultural adaptation: the family to French cuisine (even the 15-year-old daughter enjoys tete de veau) and later, Clementine to the American way of life. In describing Clementine's reaction to supermarkets (brand new in 1940), we get a fascinating glimpse of the beginnings of the American food system. The family is shocked at the amount of packaging that surrounds American food compared to France. They are not uniformly disapproving about our produce (can't get parsnips in France) and even our cheese - they approve of 'store' cheese’.It's a bit of a period piece but quite enjoyable. It includes some classic recipes and pencil drawings of their neighborhoods.
