A Goose in Toulouse: and Other Culinary Adventures in France

by Mort Rosenblum

An epicure's delight by the author of olives

In France," said Montesquieu, "one dines. Everywhere else, one eats." A Goose in Toulouse is Mort Rosenblum's delightful foray into the French culinary experience, and into the soul of France itself. Good food, good sense, saveur , and savoir faire are the reasons this nation of sixty million inhabitants still lights the way for gastronomes around the globe. France's culinary expertise has long been an integral part of the country's national identity, and the rise of French grandeur owes more to kings' and emperors' chefs than to their generals. But if the rise of French civilization can be measured by the knife and fork, so can its fall. In a globalized world of fast food and genetically engineered crops, what does the future hold for France?

Mort Rosenblum's quest to unravel the complicated politics and economics of food leads him to snail farmers and oyster rustlers, to truffle hunters, starred chefs, and legendary vintners, to those who mourn the passing of the old days and those who have successfully adapted. The result is "marvelously insightful . . . truly a French banquet" (Paul Theroux).

Genres: Food, Nonfiction, France, Travel, Food and Wine, Cookbooks, Cooking

304 pages, Paperback

First published October 11, 2000

Reviews

[Dvora Treisman · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read a lot about France, secret agents in World War Two, French literature (especially Colette and Simenon, who I know wasn't exactly French, but Inspector Maigret was), and French culture, especially its relation to food. I've read all of M.F.K. Fisher, also Julia Child, A.J. Liebling, Joseph Wechsberg, Roy Andries de Groot, and Kermit Lynch (I'm from Berkeley!). All this to say that the subject has interested me for years, but for some reason I had a hard time getting into this book. Maybe it's my advanced age and receding attention span. But at some point, I think around the time he started talking about goose fat, it started to flow. I think Rosenblum writes well and is sometimes witty, but for me, the book was good but not as engaging as Fisher, Child, de Groot, and the others albeit they wrote many years ago and the world (including France) was different then and more appealing to me.

[Joe Pfeiler · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read “A Goose in Toulouse” because it was recommended at the end of Yvone Lenard’s “The Magic of Provence.”

The book is a non-linear time compilation of experiences and interviews; chapters can be read out of sequence.

You’ll learn the basics of making Roquefort cheese. Do you prefer duck or goose foie gras? Interesting opinions are given by food producers and chefs, including their thoughts on changing French lifestyles that spawned convenience food products of low quality and flavor. Health officials make business difficult for food producers. Large grocery chains favor shelf life over quality. Michelin stars dominate chefs’ lives, up to and including suicide.

Reading the words of someone I don’t know (the author) describing résumés of yet others I don’t know (the author’s interviewees) creates additional distance between me and the material – extra attention is needed to connect. Some of this is necessary, in the case of this book, for readers to better understand the opinion of the interviewee. It’s a bit like listening to a movie’s DVD commentary, but the narrator isn’t talking about the movie being shown, he’s talking about something else – people he’s worked with, other movies, etc.

For me, reflecting on what I read in this book was more enjoyable than the actual reading. That’s not meant to be diminishing -- I found myself talking, several times, about the book with a French friend and travel companion.

Clearly Mr. Rosenblum did much primary and secondary research. He writes with an objective tone, not the personal, love-letter feel of a memoir. His interviews and the opinions of rural food producers are particularly engaging -- contributions from farmers in remote areas are not often brought forth to readers.

Recommended for anyone who loves both France and food.

[Patrick Collins · Rating 2 out of 5]

Okay. I love food, and I enjoy eating out in particular. I enjoy all types of foods, and like reading about celebrations of cuisine and culture. And the French have mastered cooking and food. So why do I feel annoyed reading about all of these things that I purport to enjoy? I think it because I sense a pretention - an arrogance about French cuisine - I couldn't wipe it off my hands after finishing Mort's work. So maybe take those Michelin stars and shove em.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a book about French food to be a lot more interesting. He focuses a lot on the changing food habits of the French. No one takes the time to make great food and no one has the money to buy it. He also balsts the socialist European and French government beauracracies.

[Emma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goed boek over Frankrijk en eten, door een journalist die het van alle kanten bekijkt. De geschiedenis, het obsessieve, het gesjoemel en dan ook de ware kinst van het Franse koken. Ook als je niet van eten of koken houdt.

[Nel · Rating 2 out of 5]

i had to stop reading this. I am sure it is a fine book, but I couldn't stand to hear one more story of how the EU has screwed another mom and pop French cafe.

[Lucie Moulton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I like to pick this up and read excerpts whilst reading other books.

[Chicory Poetry · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is an easy read .. An informative light read on the chance of French culture & their food
I am a food snob & found it interesting indeed & would recommend it to Euro-centric foodies

[Jackie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyable read on the French and their relationship to food.