The Art of Writing History: A Satirical Approach
A Meditation on Éric Vuillard’s The Order of the Day The thing about history I love most is that we know how certain events came to an end. Or we think we know. Most of the time, that is. Living...
View ArticleThe Dying of the French Concierge
Last Days of an Iconic French Cultural Figure This photo hangs on a wall in my kitchen. It sums up the stereotypical essence of traditional concierges of the past. I stayed once in a garret in Paris on...
View ArticleLes Bouquinistes of Paris: Booksellers Along the Seine
I’ve spent many happy hours strolling along the River Seine in Paris, browsing through the many book stalls (bouquinistes) dotting the parapet of the river. One of THE most emblematic symbols of Paris,...
View ArticleAuguste Escoffier and the Invention of the Restaurant Kitchen Brigade System
Not long ago, I read a book written by Julia Child’s great-nephew, Luke Barr. His Ritz and Escoffier: The Hotelier, the Chef, and the Rise of the Leisure Class revealed what happens when two geniuses...
View ArticleJulian/Julien Green’s “Paris”
Entering into a Dreamscape of Words Who? Julian Green. Or Julien Green, as he preferred to be called. An American, but not an American. Born in Paris in 1900 to American parents, he wrote sixty-five...
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