Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz is the Sydenham Clark Parsons Professor of American Studies and History emerita at Smith College.
"Horowitz's detailed description of American cooks' incredible
alarm at using fresh garlic will remind some Anglo readers of
things grandmothers used to say. Her enthusiastic personal accounts
of shopping and dining prompted me to savor a fabulous ratatouille
before starting this review. As a playful work in American Studies,
the book thus has much to recommend it."-- "H-France Review"
"During the second half of the twentieth century, Provence was
widely hailed among American gastronomes and luxury travelers as a
place of simplicity, rare beauty, glorious sunny days, and fine
regional cuisine. But just how Provence became so popular among
Americans, and why its food and wine should have captured the
American imagination in a way that other French regions with
arguably finer food and wine traditions did not has long been a
matter of some confusion and disagreement. Here is a book that
explains it all, looking at Provence's special appeal to the
senses, even as it analyzes the cultural and economic forces that
went into the region's promotion and sale. For those of us who have
never had the privilege of visiting Provence--or have visited it
too briefly--A Taste for Provence does a splendid job of explaining
the region's particular charm. In looking at the American response
to Provence from Thomas Jefferson through Julia Child, Horowitz
takes the reader on a journey through time and history, and does so
from a uniquely American perspective. Engaging, informative, and an
utter pleasure to read, A Taste for Provence fills a gap in our
cultural awareness even as it tempts us to pack our bags and set
off on a long, utterly hedonistic adventure of our own."-- "Justin
Spring, author of Secret Historian"
"From Roman ruins to ripe tomatoes, Provence has served for
centuries as a locus of attractions and commodities not available
in the United States. A Taste for Provence is both engaging and
illuminating; a delight from start to finish."-- "Jane S. Smith,
author of The Garden of Invention: Luther Burbank and the Business
of Breeding Plants"
"How Provence went from nowheresville to a nouveau-Eden is the
subject of Helen Lefkowitz Horowitz's A Taste for Provence, a
fascinating survey of the many ways in which business, literature,
art, and food fashions shape our desires about where to travel and
how to live."-- "Wall Street Journal"
"Reading Horowitz's eloquent and fascinating A Taste for Provence
was for me like going to a reunion of the people who had a hand in
drawing me that magical region of France. Now I understand more
deeply why Provence became and continues to be such an important
part of my life."-- "Martha Rose Shulman, author of Provençal Light
and The Simple Art of Vegetarian Cooking"
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