The Olive Farm

The Olive Farm
by Carol Drinkwater (Penguin Books, 2001)

The Olive Farm has nothing to do with Christmas. Though there are several delightful scenes in the book that occur during the Christmas season.

I love reading books that take place in France. France is the country near and dear to my heart. So when I found this book, I was eager to secure a copy so I could read it.

Written by Carol Drinkwater, actress in All Creatures Great and Small, The Olive Farm takes place in the South of France. Drinkwater and her fiancé discover an abandoned olive farm. They cannot resist. They hock everything to buy the dilapidated farm. Extremely dilapidated.

Thhe story leads readers through the challenges of farming. And particularly, farming and fixing up a property in France. From other books I've read set in France, the difficulties are a common theme. Sometimes depressing and amazing, other times hysterical and unbelievable. This tale of the redemption of a lonely, overgrown piece of land, is captivating.

Through it all, Drinkwater transparently shares her life, struggles, successes, problems, and victories. The Olive Farm made me want to move to the south of France and grow olive trees so I can share my own home grown bottles of olive oil.

Perhaps I will just go and visit my new friends at their farm, Appassionata.

Mastering the Art of French Eating

Mastering the Art of French Eating, Lessons in Food and Love From a Year in Paris by Ann Mah
(Viking Penguin, 2013)

One of my personally requested Christmas gifts was this new book by Ann Mah. Mastering the Art of French Eating, Lessons in Food and Love From a Year in Paris is over half read and I am in love with it.

Not necessarily the foods that she traces down (I think I can safely skip the andouillette, which is created by cooking, seasoning, and stuffing tripe into sausage type shapes), but the stories behind the foods and the history of the people and locations throughout France that specialize in each food are enticingly captivating.

Though not what I imagined when I requested this book, I am enjoying the observational narrative and the spackling of French words and their meanings. Each chapter focuses on one specific French food. Mah then goes on to search out and sample all things about that French cuisinary treat. Steak frites, crepes, salade lyonnaise, and boeuf bourguignon are but a few of her focus foods. Mah includes conversations with chefs, friends, and new acquaintances, as well as her favorite recipe for each chapter.

Reading this book is giving me a broad exposure to the many people that make up the French. Not just people living in Paris, but characters that live throughout France. As she travels and explores the different food regions, Mah gives away some of the zeal that the French have concerning food.

It's making me hungry!

Read Mastering the Art of French Eating for a lesson in how to eat like the French.