A blissfully charming time capsule and warm introduction to a culinary and cultural icon. My boss at the time, a man in his 30s with a penchant for both memoirs and France, recommended it to me with full marks, so I gave it a shot, despite knowing next to nothing about Ms. Child before reading. I found her to be witty, courageous, spunky, nervy, and an overall delight. I was surprised to learn how little exposure she (or rather, most Americans of the time) had had to anything beyond bland, basic fare. As somewhat of a picky and nervous eater myself, I was encouraged to read how delighted she was at each new dish when first arriving in France; she never hesitated to savor some new treat, and gloried in the differences she discovered (especially the liberal use of butter). I also very much enjoyed reading about her expat experience and, later, comparing it to my own. I spent eight months in Paris not long after reading this book, and it was like night and day in a myriad of ways. Of course, my circumstances were very different, but mostly I noted how different Paris was and how different the world was in general. It is in the minutiae of everyday life that these differences are most clearly visible, and she includes many details about the city, the government climate, the traveler's world. I finished this book sad that it was over and that I'd never get the chance to make her acquaintance.