Not a Cookbook
A Confinement Project: My Almost 45 Years in the Restaurant Business
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When I came here, I discovered a whole new world of techniques I had never suspected existed. Mixing all ingredients at once? Pressing a crust with fingers? But before I taught myself how to cook and put some of these techniques to work, I - like many immigrants at the time - was very much seduced by the products I discovered in supermarkets designed to simplify the life of the cook of the house. Such as boxed cakes. I could not believe it! Everything was in that box except for the eggs and some water. A dream come true! I remember my roommates at the time being very intrigued by this woman, coming from the Land of Good Cooks, in awe of boxed cakes or ecstatic while eating a Ding-Dong. A boxed cake of some sort was part of our everyday diet during my first semester here. And by the end of my fifth month here I had gained 10 lbs. (Contrary to popular belief, French women do get fat). The first time I went back to France, mom took one look at me and suggested I bring back a couple of her cookbooks to the States. It is then I realized it was time to start preparing our meals, and that’s how I discovered the pleasure of preparing tarte aux pommes or a Clafoutis.
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About the Book
As I made it clear in the title, do not expect a cook book, let alone a well structured one. A recipe will take you to a certain story or a cooking tip, and from there, more recipes or a memory will pop up. This book follows my mind which is always musing when I cook. Food and memories go hand in hand for all of us. One thing is for sure, though: this book does its part to keep the dairy farms in business! And I hope it will keep you smiling, too.
About the Author
Marina Fiore was born in Turin, Italy, but was raised and educated in Paris. After a couple of years studying Art, she decided to go visit her then-boyfriend, Patrick, who had left Paris to go study percussion at Indiana University. She was supposed to stay for a year but it has been 46...She and Patrick opened Le Petit Cafe in 1977, have two children, and are still working part-time, preferring to retire gradually rather than abruptly closing the door. She loves going back to Paris but has no intention of retiring there. "We will stay in Indiana where we belong," she says. "Besides, the French complain too much!"