Peter Mayle Returns with French Culinary Fun

Hard to believe, but it was twenty-one years ago that British expatriate author Peter Mayle first entertained us with his whimsical tales of A Year in Provence.  At that time I was a newly transplanted young expat living and teaching English in Taiwan for Hess Language School, and I was first drawn into the wonderfully engaging world of really great travel writing.  For a short time, I imagined myself in the career and made several fated attempts at creating similarly engaging tales of living in Southeast Asia.  Needless to say, I was gloriously unsuccessful, and I decided years ago to leave the travel writing to the experts.  And Peter Mayle is one of the best.  Now, Mayle returns with new tales of the lifestyles of southern France in a The Marseille Caper, which is superbly reviewed this week in the Denver Post by travel and food writer Tucker Shaw.  Mayle (and Shaw actually) has a way of capturing French culture and viewing it through a culinary lens that makes us all want to chuck it all and escape to the French countryside - or at last go out for a great French and some excellent French wines.  Mayle's latest once again casts the French lifestyle against an expatriate - this time an American named Sam.  For a delightful adventure in southern France, consider returning with Mayle once again.