"My Place at the Table: A Recipe for a Delicious Life in Paris," by Alexander Lobrano

Paris and French food – always a great topic! I read many memoirs; one type I have read frequently, nearly always with pleasure, is memoirs of people in the world of food: chefs, restaurateurs, restaurant critics, cookbook writers, television food shows hosts, and so on. I have written about many of these in this blog. Recently, the title of a new such memoir caught my eye: “My Place at the Table: A Recipe for a Delicious Life in Paris” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2021), by the American food writer Alexander Lobrano. Lobrano writes charmingly and disarmingly about his somewhat accidental path toward this career. He had always loved good food, and seemed to have an instinct for appreciation of its fine points; he also was fascinated by the idea of living and working in Paris. Gradually he made that dream happen. His detailed, astute, and loving descriptions of various types of food he encountered along the way, and how much he learned from so many people he met along the way, are a joy to read. He has a somewhat self-deprecating style at times, one that invites the reader in. His sense of humor adds to the pleasures of reading about his journey. The stories of food are completely embedded in the larger stories of his life and adventures; of the fascinating people he meets; and of the cultures of the different places he lives and eats, most prominently, as the title indicates, in Paris and surroundings. I thoroughly enjoyed this charming and engaging book, and I think you would too!