Taking Root in Provence is a great read — well-written, engaging, with interesting insights on French life and culture. Written by Anne-Marie Simons, who retired to Provence with her husband Oscar, the book contains about three dozen short chapters (3-4 pages each). They settled in Aix-en-Provence, an attractive small city that many of my readers will have visited!
What makes the book so fascinating are Simons's brief glimpses of everyday life in France — the French relationship with food, for example, and how this intimacy carries over to everyday life. Here's one brief snippet.
Food debate is not limited to the dinner table, and it is not uncommon to overhear discussions like this one at the markets: "Potatoes in brandade de morue? Jamais de la view, Monsieur! Oh, you mother did! Where are you from? Alsace? Well, perhaps they do over there, but not in Provence. No sir! Just make sure you use a good olive oil.Travelers to Provence will find useful information on sights to see, festivals to explore at various times of the year, food to eat, and some of the history of the region. And as an added bonus, 13 recipes from Anne-Marie's husband Oscar are provided in an appendix to the volume.
copyright (c) 2011 by David Ourisman LLC. All rights reserved. If you have comments on this column, or questions about booking travel, email me or visit my website.
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