I am the greatest food critic in the world. It is I who has taken this minor art and raised it to a rank of utmost prestige. Everyone knows my name, from Paris to Rio, Moscow to Brazaville, Saigon o Melbourne and Acapulco. I have made, and unmade, reputations, and at sumptuous banquets I have been the knowing and merciless maitre d'oeuvre, expediting to the four corners of the globe the salt or honey of my pen, to newspapers and broadcasts and various forums, where I have been repeatedly invited to discourse upon that which previously had been reserved for a few select specialized journals or intermittent weekly chronicles. I have, for all eternity, pinned to my list of discoveries some of the most prestigious butterflies among practicing chefs. The glory and demise of Partais, or the collapse of Sangerre, or the increasingly incandescent success of Marquet can be attributed to me alone. For all eternity, indeed, I have made them what they are, for all eternity.For those who devoured Muriel Barbery's American debut, The Elegance of the Hedgehog, you will be interested to know that you can whet your appetite once more with gourmet stylings of her follow-up, Gourmet Rhapsody. Before I use practically every culinary related adjective and wink-wink, nudge-nudge turn of phrase, know that this is not a light palette cleanser, not cocktail party fare, nor it is it a quick bag of chips one mindlessly consumes to stave off mid-afternoon hunger pangs. Nor is this in the same vein as The Elegance of the Hedgehog. If you were to compare the two novels, Elegance is the extrovert, vivacious and concerned with being a good host for the reader- Are you enjoying yourself? Have you had enough story? Have I introduced you to all the characters? Gourmet Rhapsody is the introvert, brooding and introspective, like the quiet friend with unexpected intelligent insights that always seem like the perfect thing to say.Gourmet Rhapsody centers around Monsieur Arthens, a renowned food critic who just found out he has forty-eight hours to live. Barbery literally leads us on a journey of tastes and smells, bringing to life the spices and herbs of gardens and kitchens, through Monsieur Arthens most memorable culinary experiences. And what is striking is that most of the memories are not from the dinner at La Tour d'Argent or Les Ambassadeurs, but the rustic and rural meals with family and a few strangers. As he lies on his deathbed, trying to remember that one taste that gives him the most pleasure,we are taken back into his life and the flavors that gave him a true sense of serenity and happiness. Witness his tribute to toast: The moment I bit into the slice of toast, utterly sated for having honored my bountiful plate up to the very last morsel, I was overcome with an inexpressible sense of well-being. Why isit that in France we obstinately refrain from buttering our toast until after it has been toasted? the reason for the two entities should be subjected together to the flickering flame is that in this intimate moment of burning they attain an unequaled complicity. The butter loses its creamy consistency, but nevertheless is not as liquid as when it is melted on its own,in a bain-marie or a saucepan. Likewise, the toast is spared a somewhat dreary dryness, and becomes a moist, warm substance, neither sponge nor bread but something in between, ready to tantalize one's taste buds with its resultant sweetness.And yes, you will be hungry after you read this novel. Besides the rich and lush description of flavors and aromas, there are chapters, which feature different characters in Monsieur Arthens life and their reaction to him and his death. An arrogant man, he is not loved by his children, or many others for that matter. The cat, Rick, even makes an appearance as a narrator extolling his finesse with the feline breed. Although this may seem like it would render the novel light, on the contrary,the novel is like a novel deep in thought, pondering the meaning of words and exposition, human relationships, and the emotional obligations of intimacy. Barbery, a philosophy teacher for eighteen years, utilizes deftly her ability to explore an experience from many angles without judgment.. This makes for vivid passage driven by musings of our five senses and how they affect memory. Ultimately, Monsieur Arthens most intimate relationship is with food and there is a looming feeling of alienation and loneliness. His long ruminations that he remembers in search of the one taste he can't remember are interspersed with some terse and vitriolic bursts from different narrators like this on from his daughter, Laura: He was a brutal man. Brutal in his gestures,in the dominating way he had of grabbing hold of things, his smug laugh, his raptor's gaze. I never saw him relax: everything was a pretext for tension. Already at breakfast, on those rare days when he deigned to grace us with his presence,our martyrdom began. The stage was set for psychodrama, he would splutter and expostulate, for the survival of the Empire was at stake: what were we having for lunch? Trips to the market were opportunities for hysteria. My mother submitted, as usual, as always. And then off he would go again, to other restaurants, other women, other vacations, without us,where we were not even--of this I am sure--cause for memories; perhaps,just, as he was leaving, we were like flies to him, unwanted flies that you brush away with a sweep of your hand so you needn't think about them anymore. We were his coleopterous insects.This novel has some similar elements to Elegance - setting (Rue Grenelle) and character (Renee makes a quick appearance) - but seems to be where it ends. The style is strong in both novels, but the craft of the novel is handled much differently between the two. Gourmet Rhapsody was published first in France and The Elegance of the Hedgehog was the follow-up. In Gourmet Rhapsody,Barbery focuses on what she loves - language and creating an evocative and even, at times, a very sensual and primal tone. In Elegance, she dives much deeper into fleshing out more characters and having them interact with each other as well as developing a story. With Gourmet Rhapsody, we are given the end-of-life memories of a lonely but famous man with some dashes of narrative spice along the way. It's not another Elegance, but it is a simple meal, elegantly prepared.
Food has become a very controversial subject, many arguing that education levels, income, and race unfairly dictate the availability of fresh foods and vegetables in low-income American neighborhoods. Though Muriel Barbery (The Elegance of the Hedgehog) does not focus specifically on these issues in her recent novel Gourmet Rhapsody, the division between the working class and the wealthy as it pertains to food and quality of life is often glaringly apparent in the story.The premise of the novel is simple: The world’s greatest fictional food critic, Pierre Arthens, is dying and wants one last bite, but what that bite is, he does not know. Barbery uses beautiful, sumptuous language to describe the critic’s most fond food memories as he attempts to pinpoint a single flavor that constitutes “the first and ultimate truth” of his life.Gourmet Rhapsody mostly takes place in Arthens’ bed, where he’s been confined since receiving word that he is dying. Every other chapter is narrated by the food critic and focuses on a specific food from his past such as tomatoes, mayonnaise, and bread. Be warned: Arthens is not a likable character; he is self-important, condescending, and rude. Think Vogue/New York Times food writer Jeffrey Steingarten, but with more clout, French flair, and venom. Arthens is a man who repeatedly cheats on his wife, drives countless chef’s aspirations to hell with glee, and who refers to his children as “monstrous excrescences.”Thankfully, the chapters of Barbery’s book that aren’t focused on Arthens' quest for the mystery flavor are narrated by others who have known the critic in some capacity. Here the concierge, who has spent his life dutifully tending to Arthens' children and guests and catering to his every whim gets to weigh in, as does the housekeeper who’s looked over the critic’s home for the past thirty years. It is with these characters that the class divisions are perfectly illustrated; they are simple, hard-working people who don’t understand their boss’ cruelty or his quest for one more bite, despite a life filled with the best food imaginable. To them, it seems a hell of a lot like gluttony and in many ways, it is.We also hear from Arthens' family members, such as his daughter Laura, who has grown cold and hateful of the father who's been more concerned with stuffing his face and chasing after women than with being a loving parental figure. We also hear from his wife, who is aware of his indiscretions but who’s stayed by his side for whatever reasons women in similar situations do. She is pained and frantic, desperate to keep her husband alive and eager to help him find that last, elusive taste.It would be incredibly easy to hate Arthens, but what saves him from being completely unlikeable is his overwhelming love and passion for food. I have to believe that a man who can describe a rustic meal as “two thin slices of raw, smoked ham, silky and supple along languid folds, some salted butter, and a hunk of bread” has to have some redeeming qualities.In the end, Arthens does get his last bite and it’s quite unexpected, though fitting. At one time or another, all of us come to long for the simple things of our youth, things we thought we’d forgotten until one day we get a whiff of them or a glance at them while walking down the street. This unique form of human longing and emotion is what ties us together, despite wealth, class, or race, and Barbery does a beautiful job of making this apparent through the use of food, all the way down to the last page.Review by Tina Vasquez
Do You like book Gourmet Rhapsody (2009)?
Gourmet Rhapsody is a series of vignettes centering around revered, revolutionary food critic Pierre Arthens, on his deathbed, searching his memory for a singular, life-defining flavor. Alternating with Arthens' memories are the musings of a host of other entities, including family, friends (as much as he can be said to have any), his pet cat, and even a sculpture sitting in his apartment, on their relationship with this incredibly polarizing man. The critic is in turns crucified and admired, an external tidal wave of opinions that crash futilely against the unyielding face of his own ego. He recognizes he is loathed as readily as he is aware of his own brilliance; he simply does not care. He himself scorns most people, viewing them as things to be either collected (his wife, whom he loves as one of "the beautiful objects in [his] life") or ignored (his children, whom he had no desire for and views as disappointments). If ever a man were an island unto himself, that man would be Pierre Arthens, and he is the most arrogant, unlikable fellow you could ever hope to avoid meeting.The language itself is a delight to read. Each narrator carries a distinct voice and tone, despite some having less than a page to air their grievances. The memories narrated by Arthens combine the weight of his arrogance with the sparkling passion he feels toward food and his craft. Meanwhile, Jean, his son, is filled with vitriolic resentment and desperation. Marquet, his favorite chef and one of his lovers, offers indifference tinged with wistfulness, while the beggar Gegene balances coarse colloquialism with begrudging respect. However, the imbalance of power between Arthens and his critics avoids the dramatic friction consumers of narrative are familiar with. There is no tug-of-war between two forces; rather, Gourmet Rhapsody places those forces, the internal and the external, side by side without judgment or response, treating the reader to both Arthens' rich internal world and the external responses he elicits.Ultimately, Gourmet Rhapsody is a combination of literary food porn and a discussion on the purpose of life. While it's easy to fall in love with the language, however, the characters, even Arthens, lack the emotional depth that really made The Elegance of the Hedgehog special, at least for me.Full review: http://wp.me/p4cWoC-7s
—Cameron Brown
ţi lasă gura apă citind această Gourmandise, o carte despre tot ceea ce înconjoară, însoţeşte şi creează gustul: despre lumina, sunetele, conversaţiile din jurul meselor, despre mirosuri, texturi şi savoare, despre memorie, dar şi despre artizanii mâncărurilor şi personalitatea lor.Am dat peste cartea asta scormonind prin Saint George’s, una dintre frumoasele librării de limbă engleză din Berlin şi când am văzut că e scrisă de Muriel Barbery, autoarea unui simpatic bestseller tradus şi la noi – Eleganţa ariciului, am cumpărat-o şi m-am şi apucat s-o citesc.Un mare critic culinar, aflat pe patul de moarte, încearcă să-şi amintească un gust anume, care are pentru el o importanţă vitală. Îşi aminteşte pe rând aroma simplă şi puternică a roşiilor proaspăt culese din grădină, mirosul şi textura pâinii coapte în casă, conversaţia, atmosfera luminoasă şi plinătatea unui prânz la care a fost invitat cândva, într-un sat din sudul Franţei. (cronică: http://bookaholic.ro/un-mic-rafinamen...)
—Bookaholic
Barbery’s earlier book, Gourmet Rhapsody, became the second one printed in the U.S. after Elegance became such a success. Now this one did interest me, and during the recent holidays, I finally got around to reading it. I finished in one sitting.A rich, influential, hated French food critic lies on his deathbed with some 48 hours left to him, casting his mind back through every food memory in search of an elusive flavor he feels he simply MUST taste again before he dies. From the food his grandmother served at picnics on her farm, to the finest sushi chef and other elegant meals in Paris, to the time he became lost in Normandy and stopped for directions from a farmer who shared his ploughman’s lunch, he searches in vain for that flavor, and you get a full picture of the life he has led, in food.You are also treated to the points of view, at various times, of a rival/colleague/protege food critic, our hated critic’s wife and children, and even his cat, to really round out your picture of this man as a thoroughly selfish, unlovable, fascinating character. Lovingly translated from the French with what seemed to me amazing skill and understanding, the book is rich, visual, emotional, sensual, and most incredibly satisfying.
—Tinav
