'A chomping romping savoury tour de force: by turns hilarious and seriously thought
provoking' Simon Schama*A BOOK OF THE YEAR IN THE OBSERVER AND NEW YORK TIMES*For most of his
adult life Bill Buford had secretly wanted to find himself in France in a French kitchen
having mastered the art of French haute cuisine. And where better than Lyon the most Frenchly
authentic of cities and the historic gastronomic capital of the world? There were a few
obstacles: he didn't speak a word of French he had no formal training he didn't know a soul
in Lyon and his wife and two twin toddlers currently lived in New York City. So begins Bill
Buford's vivid hilarious intimate account of his five-year odyssey in French cuisine. After
realising that a stage in France was the necessary first step he moves with his young family
to Lyon. Studying at L'Institut Bocuse cooking at the storied Michelin-starred La Mère
Brazier enduring the endless hours and exacting rigeur of the kitchen Buford becomes a man
obsessed - with proving himself on the line proving that he is worthy of the gastronomic
secrets he is learning proving that French cooking actually derives from (mon dieu!) the
Italian. As he befriends the local baker attends a pig slaughter and gradually earns the
acceptance of the locals and his fellow chefs Buford comes to understand the true grit
precision and passion of the French kitchen. Warm insightful and richly entertaining Dirt is
a feast of a book which is sure to become a classic of food writing on France.
