We read:
- The Belly of Paris by Emile Zola
Image from Openlibrary.org
First of all, close to the windowpane, was a row of crocks full of rillettes alternating with jars of mustard. The next row was nice round boned jambonneaux with golden breadcrumb coatings. Behind these were platters: stuffed Strasbourg tongues all red and looking as if they had been varnished, appearing almost bloody next to the pale sausages and pigs' feet; boudin coiled like snakes, andouilles piled two by two and plump with health; dried sausages in silvery casings line up like choirboys; pâtés, still warm, with little labels stuck on them like flags; big, fat hams; thick cuts of veal and pork whose juices had jellied clear as crystal candy. In the back were other dishes and earthenware casseroles in which minced and sliced meats slept under blankets of fat. Between the plates and dishes, on a bed of blue paper, were pickling jars of sauces and stocks and preserved truffles, terrines of foie gras, and tins of tuna and sardines. A box of creamy cheeses and one of escargot, wood snails with parsley and butter, were casually strewn in opposite corners. (From Chapter One)
- Paris, Paris - Journey into the City of Light, by David Downie.
It was wonderful and interesting. He's interesting - you should click his link.
He has a great blog with terrific information about Paris, as well as baking and all sorts of great things. I used his book and blog to find some really interesting shops and bistros, as well as for his nuggets of other helpful information. You'll enjoy him.
It's a collection of pieces written between 1920 and 1924 for The Toronto Star. Fun, interesting vignettes.
- Then we read through a whole series of both charming and very useful books from The Little Bookroom, such as:
All of them were very well-designed, most contained lots of great information, and we went to many of the recommended places.
- We also read Paris for Dummies
It was a helpful overview of some of the confusing things about Paris... such as actually getting to Paris from the airport.
Many of the dining recommendations were also recommended by others such as: The New York Times and Paris by Mouth and lots of others, whose websites I seem not to have bookmarked after we printed the many, many, many articles we read.
We intended to read a lot more literature and history before we went.... but M has an actual job, and I fine-tuned my focus to food and sights. And cooking supply shops. And cooking supply shops that sell food.
We used Google Maps to create Our Paris, where all of the cathedrals, museums, restaurants and shops were marked ahead so that we could find them easily. More on how "easily" that worked for us.
So... that's some of the background. Next, we'll go to Paris.
