Dirt by Bill Buford

Dirt

by Bill Buford

“You can almost taste the food in Bill Buford’s Dirt, an engrossing, beautifully written memoir about his life as a cook in France.” —The Wall Street Journal

What does it take to master French cooking? This is the question that drives Bill Buford to abandon his perfectly happy life in New York City and pack up and (with a wife and three-year-old twin sons in tow) move to Lyon, the so-called gastronomic capital of France. But what was meant to be six months in a new and very foreign city turns into a wild five-year digression from normal life, as Buford apprentices at Lyon’s best boulangerie, studies at a legendary culinary school, and cooks at a storied Michelin-starred restaurant, where he discovers the exacting (and incomprehensibly punishing) rigueur of the professional kitchen.

With his signature humor, sense of adventure, and masterful ability to bring an exotic and unknown world to life, Buford has written the definitive insider story of a city and its great culinary culture.

Reviewed by Terri M. LeBlanc on

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I absolutely loved this culinary adventure in France. I still think Bill is crazy, but I would still love to pack everything up and move to France! I was seriously missing Paris (yes, I know Bill went to Lyon, but I visited Paris) when I finished this book. So much so that I contacted a local French pastry chef and had a box of goodies delivered to my home. It was the perfect way to finish this wonderful book.

I tried reading the book, but struggled with Buford's right style so I gave the audiobook a chance. It helped me settle into the story and soon I was going back and forth between the two versions.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

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Reading updates

  • 5 May, 2020: Started reading
  • 14 May, 2020: Finished reading
  • 17 October, 2020: Reviewed