BUSINESSWEEK ONLINE : JANUARY 29, 2001 ISSUE
BOOKS Vive La Cuisine A GOOSE IN TOULOUSE and Other Culinary Adventures in France By Mort Rosenblum Hyperion -- 285pp -- $25 Food writing all too often consists of pretty pictures and detailed recipes. That's a pity. Properly researched, gastronomy offers a window into a country's history, culture, and economics. And of all places, none can be better deciphered by its dining than France, home to some of the most accomplished practitioners of the art of cuisine. Mort Rosenblum's A Goose in Toulouse makes a valiant effort at understanding the modern Gallic soul. With its Airbus jets and Dassault's market-leading 3-D computer software, France today is one of the world's most advanced industrial nations. But the French also relish their deep rural roots and ancestral family ties. The result: a struggle between the opposing forces of the global marketplace and tradition. And from that grows the often exasperating French tendency to appear both arrogant and insecure, complete with outbursts against American hegemony and an insistence that the country is still a great power. In few areas has this conflict been as violent as in gastronomy. Rosenblum describes in delicious detail how one of France's most aggressive capitalists, Bernard Arnault, wrestled control from family owners of the venerated Chateau d'Yquem in Bordeaux, point of origin since 1593 of a legendary premier grand cru wine. He also delights in describing Roquefort cheesemaker Jose Bove's crusade against poor eating (malbouffe), which led him to burn down a local McDonald's and journey to Seattle for last year's trade-talk protests. Rosenblum, an Associated Press special correspondent, has a sharp eye for personality and place. Other chapters tell how, after earning a master's degree in economics and working as a Parker Pen executive, Yves Vanweddingen turned to goat farming. We meet Bruno Clement, the self-described ''Truffle King,'' who at his restaurant in the south of France cooks entire meals based on the rare fungus--down to a dessert of truffle sorbet. ''Bruno, naturally enough, has an answer to McDonald's in France: the McTruffle,'' Rosenblum writes. Such amuse-bouches add up to an enjoyable repast. But two flaws mar this otherwise excellent book. With no logical flow, Rosenblum's volume is merely a collection of amusing anecdotes that tend to become repetitive. Moreover, there are noticeable errors: In just one chapter, he manages to refer to Bertrand Hanguerlot, whose family had owned Chateau d'Yquem, as Bernard, misdate LVMH Moet Hennessy Louis Vuitton's purchase of the chateau, and turn a wine retailer into a wine writer. In the end, Rosenblum concludes that France is managing to pull off a wonderful balancing act, guarding its traditions while adapting them to modern times. Most of its traditional food lovers are prospering--allowing the French to continue teaching the rest of the world about the joys of eating and living well. By WILLIAM ECHIKSON _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ BACK TO TOP					RELATED ITEMS Vive La Cuisine PHOTO: Cover, ``A Goose in Toulouse'' INTERACT E-Mail to Business Week Online

Copyright 2000-2008, by The McGraw-Hill Companies Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use   Privacy Notice