"I, the creator of Crepes Suzette for the man who would become Edward VII, will now give you the recipe for Henri Charpentier."

And so he begins his sweetly swaggering and sentimental autobiography spanning his humble beginnings in 19th century France, to his auspicious apprenticeships in the world's top hotels and restaurants, his poverty while working in London, and his struggles to create a career as a restauranteur in America, only to be shut down by Prohibition. The story is told with a littering of the favorite recipes of the famous people he served. I could not put this book down! Full of anecdotal stories of princes and empresses, and his own enterprising yet generous heart comes through. Wish I weren't born too late to taste these meals ... At the end is a short cookbook of simple but elegant recipes, and excellent advice for choosing market produce. ... Merci, Henri!

Before there was Emeril or Wolfgang Puck, there was Henri. Out of print for nearly six decades, LIFE A LA HENRI recounts the culinary adventures of Henri Charpentier, the very first celebrity chef and inventor of Crepes Suzettes. Introduction by Alice Waters of Chez Panisse fame.

Hello . My name is Robert Charpentier . I am please that may of you have taken the time to not only search , but purchase the " Henri Charpentier Cookbook " . At first printing , there were only 100 in circulation , most of them to close personal friends and family . Later , the world began to catch on , and additional books were printed .

I am proud to be a close relative of Henri . I met him when I was a child growing up in Westport , Connecticut where I lived with my parents until we moved to the south in 1968 where I still reside . My parents are also living . My dad is a proud man , and holds close to his heart the fact that Henri was his fathers brother , and I , am the nephew .

Perhaps i'll write additional words later , but for now , I will continue to honor Henri's work , as it is part of who I am and my heritage .

Thank you for reveiwing this letter . Please feel free to E-mail me at home anytime , I will return the honor .

Another November seems like it might be short and simple. But its unembellished prose carefully and powerfully conjures up images and memories of a troubled history. It is a serious story narrated by a man looking back on his childhood and young adulthood in a small town in southwestern France, and reflecting on the indelible mark left by the German Occupation on young lives. The author masterfully captures the complexity of political reality intersecting with childhood friendships and relationships -- political reality that includes class differences at first and extends to the clash between collaborators and the resistance, signaling the end of childhood. Though the narrator's style, on one level, seemed to keep me at a distance from the characters, seemingly uninvested in their personal struggles, ultimately I was left haunted by them and their choices and by the unsettling combination of normal everyday-ness and profound evil of the Occupation. Grenier makes us feel the way the war would change things forever; yet, he reminds us how some things remained business-as-usual. Eschewing detailed descriptions, he makes us feel the characters' pain and sense the reality of the war. The book is so effective and rewarding, I think, because of the sparse tone and careful turns-of-phrase that stayed with me even after I finished reading, and because of the subtlety of its cues as to what it meant to resist and what it meant to collaborate. It refuses to speak of the war in grandiose, familiar ways; instead, it focuses delicately on its effect on people who were neither its overt victims nor its villains. It makes the reader ponder the ambiguity between how the war changed the life of this small town forever and how life seemd to go on as before. It is a rich memoir of childhood and of war, where much of what was so disturbing about the period remains below the surface for the reader to uncover.

Facts About The World's Languages by Greenwood Publishing Group Senior Editor Jane Garry and grammarian, morphologist, and linguistics expert Carl Rubino is an immense, comprehensive, scholarly reference tome, offering a capsule summary of hard linguistic data about a vast array of living and a few dead languages. From Afrikaans and eight dialects of Chinese to Ancient Egyptian, Polynesian languages and Zulu, a globe-spanning array of human tongues are presented with hard data concerning their origin and history, orthography and basic phonology, basic morphology, basic syntax, history of contact with other languages, examples of words and sentences, and a brief accounting of efforts to preserve and protect the language. A fascinating, first-rate reference for anyone involved in linguistic studies, or who needs to quickly look up information about dozens of the most famous or widely known languages in the modern world, Facts About The World's Languages is an invaluable and strongly recommended, core title addition to any professional, academic, and community library Language Studies reference collection.

This lab manual for Rendez-Vous goes hand in hand with the textbook and is perfectly designed to test the beginner in french. The exercises are well framed and keep the interest of the student. All in all I would rate this manual as the best a student can get to test his french.

This is an important rereading of Freudian and Lacanian theory as anticipations of poststructuralist philosophy and aesthetics. It also stands as an evaluation of Freud as a major theory of literature and culture, through a striking rereading of the Oedipal configuration not as "family romance" but as aesthetic structure. Highest rating!

These ten stories focus more on travel in the imagination than travel through space. "Travel Tales" is a gold mine of illustration art: from the cartoonish to the painterly, with some collage and airbrush technique thrown in for good measure. The pages are without borders, so artwork saturates each page. Even the text design is unique in each story.

Ten European artists contributed to this diverse collection. The strangest story, "A Snail's Pace," is about a girl whose nose takes a trip during a boring dinner party. More conventional stories include "Alfred of a Thousand Journeys," about a boy exploring his grandmother's house, where the kitchen is "the land of sweets" and the basement contains "mysterious underground regions." My favorite is "Aziz, the Blue Carpet," in which a flying carpet slips under the door, escaping for a wild ride to the desert.

Some reviewers have written that these stories are too off-beat to be appreciated by younger children, but I disagree. The youngest among us are most open-minded, and don't necessarily expect pat endings. My son enjoyed this book very much at age five. Older folks may be more likely to consider these stories "wierd" because most do not follow the usual formulaic plots or moralistic endings so common in children's literature. I give this book five stars for those who appreciate the unconventional in art and literature; four stars for those who may prefer a more traditional story book.

I believe that this is one of the best French cookbooks of all time. Very old, traditional recipes explained in a way that makes even the more advanced ones seem doable. She also includes recipes from her youth in America and tells how she came across the recipe for Haschich Fudge. The stories interwoven are captivating, especially about the society she and Gertrude Stein kept, and their efforts during WWI as volunteers. In this respect it is a fascinating historical document. It is written as if she is speaking to you, and her speech is very blunt, to the point and quietly humorous. Very enjoyable to read.

Ive been cooking with _Joy of Cooking_ for a long time now. _Joy_ makes reference to a chapter in this book, "Murder in the Kitchen," as a sort of primer on how to 'murder' a carp in the kitchen before cooking. I decided, on a whim, to buy the book.

I had no idea that having this new cookbook would be so rewarding!

Alice Toklas has some INCREDIBLE recipes in here (Scheherezade Melon being a favorite!), all of which should be tried and enjoyed.

Furthermore, this book contains recipes you simply wont find in other, newer, cookbooks. My girlfriend really summed this book up by suggesting that the recipes in this book are the recipes you know exist -- but are being passed from grandmother to granddaughter; you simply dont get these unless youre in that circle of people.

This cookbook is your way in to exquisite dishes that were prepared for the likes of Gertrude Stein, Hemmingway, Picasso, and Matisse.

That, and where else are you going to find a recipe for Hashish Fudge?

This book has my whole-hearted, overwhelming approval.

2002 is Alice's 125th birthday, so why not get her most famous book and cook up a birthday dinner?!
This classic of 20th century food lit appears every few years and rightfully so. First published in 1954 by Alice B. Toklas, the life partner of Gertrude Stein, established Alice as a writer in her own right and made her world-famous(once again) with her "Haschich Fudge" aka Alice B. Toklas brownies! This recipe, which was not included in the first American edition, but was included in the British edition, does appear in this book. It's more than a cookbook, it's an affectionate remembrance by someone who knew and was known by some of the artistic giants of the 20th century.

Vis a Vis is the language book I used for my first year of college French. The instructor I had for French class only used the text for vocabulary and some of the verb charts. He also made us memorize some of the postcards in this book, much to the chagrin of many in class. His favorite method of instruction was having the class translate endless numbers of sentences, a process I thought was pretty effective in learning French grammar. I relied on the book to review examples of the sentences from class. I rarely used the exercises in the book, although the ones I did use seemed to be pretty effective learning aids. I still believe the best way to learn a language is total immersion in that language and culture (to learn French, live in France). Since it isn't easy to live in Europe without a job or lots of money, most of us have to rely on books like Vis a Vis. The book is similar to the one I used for Spanish in high school: lots of pictures and French text that explain French culture. I recommend auxiliary texts such as 501 French verbs and a LaRousse dictionary along with this book, or any other introductory French language book. The verb tables in the back of Vis a Vis are inadequate for truly learning the gist of verb conjugation. French is tough, and to learn it you will need all the help you can get.

We used this book for our beginning French classes at Stanford continuing studies. The one flaw with the book is that the grammar is kind of all over the place so it's hard to use as a reference. However, the book has a lot of good information and is very fun to use and read. The CD ROM is absolutely fantastic!! You follow the day to day lives of four French student/actors. They speak clearly and there's text to accompany the video scenes. The CD ROM made studying very fun. I'm trying to find something like this at the advanced level. Please email me if you have suggestions!

Salut! I used this book for two semesters worth of beginning French class at a university, and must say that if used with the proper teaching skills, students can certainly excell quickly in learning this fantastic language. There is a cassette tape included that helps develop troublesome accents for newbies to French, and after reviewing the book once again after having taken the class about a year ago, I have even more appreciation for both the book and the language it instructs. It contains conjugations in all forms, great lessons, eye-pleasing references, problem issues with different words, and a great gradual learning process to keep the interest of students first learning this beautiful language. I would certainly recommend any French teacher or professor to examine a copy and quite soon I think they will agree with me. This book is great!

Marcel Pagnol narrates the story of his family living in Marseilles at the turn of the century, as they travel back and forth to their vacation home in the hills of Provence. The sweetness and loving attitude of his family is truely heartwarming, especially as described through the eyes of young Marcel. I had already seen the movie versions of both My Father's Glory and My Mother's Castle, which actually followed the book quite closely. I highly recommend them. Marcel gives the reader the pleasure of discovering, with him, the joys and mysteries of life, including exploring the hills of Provence, animals and nature, the pleasures of friendship, and the pride and love of family.

A wonderful autobiography by Marcel Pagnol telling of his early childhood with his family in the hills of Provence. Of school, his schoolteacher father, his delicate mother and his rambunctious brother. Of eventful journeys by rail, by foot and by cart from home to their vacation house. Of a joyful time spent exploring a countryside fragrant with wild herbs, full of insects to dissect, birds to hunt and caves to discover. Written in a prose that evokes the simplicity and seriousness of an inquisitive ten year old. And with a bittersweet ending that makes us immediately want to go back to previous pages where we were with him, his family, friends and the hills, tucked safely in summertime warmth and innocence.

even if this book is written by a french author, and is situated in Provence, it is such a highlight of good litterature, as it must be, that is a pleasure to read, a depth in the feelings it shows, and a perfect happines when you have read it. It is about childhood in Provence in the years 1900, about love, friendship, children hollidays in the sunny hills. It is about life!

This book was a textbook in preparation for a study abroad trip to France. In many ways I could relate to the author. In particular, I too lost a parent suddenly and unexpectedly when I was young. I too (for different reasons) ended up living in France, learning French, and falling hopelessly in love with it (as well as the people and many aspects of the culture; however, I'm a linguist at heart). Because of this, much of what she wrote about her life experiences, her love of and need for French, rang true to me. I was profoundly grateful to her for giving me the words and concepts necessary to understand myself and the world around me better. On the other hand, I found her intellectual approach to life difficult to handle. I appreciate the intellectual side of life, but there's a point when it becomes too excessive and all-controlling. At times I felt she slipped over into this too much. For example, her experiences in French graduate work convinced me almost single-handedly NOT to study French after my bachelor's degree. All in all, I would recommend this book to someone who is already in love with France, French, and the French. Otherwise it may come across as overly intellectual and of little interest.

Alice Kaplan's autobiography provides some insightful data into the factors involved in second-language acquisition. Internal factors such as motivation and external factors such as the environment seem to have an important role within the process of acquiring the target language. Further, Kaplan's story reveals a methodology of instruction that she was exposed to as a child. We then are able to see the success of this approach to language teaching and able to compare it to a methodology that she incorporates later in life when she begins to teach French herself.

The role of motivation appears to play a significant role in Kaplan's acquisition of French. Yet an important question is raised by Lightbown and Spada, "...are learners more highly motivated because they are successful, or are they successful because they are highly motivated?" Kaplan's first years with French begin in the fifth grade where she seems more interested in playing pranks than schoolwork. Four years later the opportunity to study in Switzerland arises and it seems likely that the excitement that accompanied the move was what initially sparked her interest and consequential motivation in studying French.

Once in Switzerland, Kaplan seems almost obsessive in her studies, substituting physical nourishment for a philological diet, "I grew thinner and thinner. I ate French." This intense desire to learn French seems to stem from her search for a new identity. The loss of her father seems to have left a void, which she fills through her study of French. She compares herself to her past, "At home I was the worst in sports; here, miraculously, I was good. It felt like my life had been given to me to start over."3 It is this new life and new identity that fuels her desire to absorb her target language.

The environment in which language acquisition takes place is, in my estimation, probably the most influential factor in successful learning and retaining of the target language. The obvious benefit is the amount of time the native environment provides the learner to use the language. Numerous other factors involved in the process of acquiring a second language seem to be contingent upon the environment in which those factors are operating. For instance, motivation has been considered a factor that plays a role in learning a second language. From my experience, I was much more motivated learning Polish in its natural environment rather than being limited to the classroom setting three hours a week. In addition to the excitement of being abroad in a foreign country, I was always eager to be able to apply the knowledge gained in the classroom through real world experience. The natural environment seems to make the acquisition of a second language practical, rather than a theoretical knowledge used only in an academic setting.

Further, being immersed in the natural environment also seems to decrease one's inhibition with the target language. When Kaplan arrives in Switzerland, she soon realizes that French is required in everyday functions. In the classroom one might be more self-conscious, whereas in the environment, one's concern is likely more on using the language to achieve a practical goal. This appears to be an important point given the effect inhibition has on acquisition, "In a series of studies, Alexander Guiora and his colleagues found support for the claim that inhibition is a negative force, at least for second language pronunciation performance."

Kaplan's early years of study in Switzerland had heavy emphasis on dictation and memorization. This was the typical approach to language instruction; to teach it as you would any other subject. It is this approach that Kaplan excelled in, "Don't be original, learn from a ready-made reality ready-to-hand." One interesting approach that she spent a year with while a student in Switzerland was the lecon de choses; a method in which the student draws objects and then labels them. This method appeals to me because it incorporates other motor and cognitive skills that may lead one to acquire lexical items unconsciously. Further, this approach seems a lot more enjoyable than rote memorization and thus may increase the student's motivation with the language while decreasing boredom and consequential discouragement, "Dictation can ruin a child's relationship to language."

Once Kaplan becomes a language instructor she relies upon the Carpretz method, a tradition that fully immerses the student and then forces them to "sink or swim". The Carpretz method incorporates the visual stimulation of an on-going television sitcom in the target language. English is not spoken and there are no exercises in translation. Grammar and vocabulary are integrated into the plot of the story. "The Carpretz method reproduces the conditions by which a student on her junior year abroad might learn French language and culture..." Kaplan asserts that this method is very successful in the classroom and that her extroverted students did so well that it frightened her.

Kaplan's text was especially beneficial in its practicality. She did not leave us to indirectly derive various factors in her language study and then speculate about their effectiveness. But rather, she went into detail about the instructional methodology of her own study of French, as well as the methods she incorporated in her own classrooms. As she says, "...language teachers are always in search of the full proof method that will work for any living language and will make people perfectly at home in their acquired tongue." This book is definitely appropriate for those that wish to increase their effectiveness in language instruction, as well as those that simply wish to have a better understanding of the process behind second-language acquisition.

I wish I had started this book sooner. I quickly put it ahead of everthing else I was doing, including lesson plans for my Spanish classes. Kaplan writes very convincingly and vividly about living in France and Switzerland while learning French. She has a family story to tell and she weaves in so many important elements that create an emotional ending. I relived so many of my own experiences living and learning Spanish while I read her stories. She helped me put lots of memories into some more simpler order that had escaped me for years. Merci.