13 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A reader from Paris-France, May 25 2000
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Paris in a Basket: Markets in Paris (Hardcover)
Yes,indeed Amanda & Nicolle really did it! Their superbly documented book (photos,history, recipes...)shows how much one can discover about his home town. You lover of Paris,open air markets and food do not hesitate a minute,get this book,it's pure delight! And you,who might not belong to one of the categories do likewise you will not regret it! While reading the book you have this unique feeling to be walking the streets of Paris with the authors. And you lucky traveller who might be coming through town in not to a distant future,take the book with you,go and see the places,the markets, taste the food,chat with the vendors,and you will marvel at the fact that you have been there before. Because nothing is missing in that book,the true feeling of the city,the noises,the colors and even the tastes and odors. Two thumbs up Amanda & Nicolle ! Where and when the next one ?
A fan (if you did not guess ! )
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A lovely gem of a book, July 3 2001
By A Customer - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Paris in a Basket: Markets in Paris (Hardcover)
I love this book! The cover roped me right in and before I knew it I was buying it. I am so glad I did. The book is organized by arrondissement; each chapter is devoted to one of them. They tend to focus on the biggest or best market in each arrondissement but they devote paragraphs to the others. The text itself is gracefully written and yet very convivial. For each of the main markets, the authors start you out on a typical Parisian morning and gently suggest the path you might want to follow as you navigate that particular market; it is almost as though they are walking along with you. They tell you what's available at each market and what are each market's strengths and weaknesses. You will be introduced to a lot of people - the butcher at the Marché d'Aligre, the poissonier at the Richard Lenoir, the organic farmer at the Batignolles market, the interesting old fellow who hawks bath salts as he soaks his feet in green water... I feel as though I'd be able to walk up to them and say hi. There's some history mixed in there, too, so you'll get to see some nice old photos and learn about everday Parisians of the past. And of course there are the recipes. Most of them appear delicious and a few rather exotic. Many of them come from the very people that you "met" in the chapter preceding, so you know they're authentic and the human element makes you want to try the recipe all the more.
I love Paris. This book really gives you a sense of what it is like to be there - colorful, vibrant, stately, modern, classic, young, old... Paris is all of these things and more at once. I went there seven years ago and I don't think I hit a single market. This book makes me feel incredibly well-equipped; I think that without it I would feel a bit intimidated. I plan to go back and I'm gonna bring this book with me!
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
Perfect Christmas Gift!, Oct 31 2000
By "meixin620" - Published on Amazon.com
This review is from: Paris in a Basket: Markets in Paris (Hardcover)
Beautiful photography and lively writing make this a perfect gift this holiday season (or any time) for anyone who likes to eat and loves Paris. Even for a longtime resident of the City of Lights like myself, this book brings another Paris to life, one you will want to explore again and again, in these pages and of course like the authors did themselves, bicycling through every arrodisement, leaving no quartier unvisited, no fromage untasted, no croissant unfinished! A magnificent and original hommage sure to earn its place among the classics of cuisine and travel.