Let Them Eat Pancakes

May 1, 2020
More tales from the owner of the Breakfast in America diners in France. In this follow-up to Pancakes in Paris, Carlson shares more intimate and engaging stories of how he fell in love with France and a Frenchman while running his well-known diners. Although he starts out slowly, reminiscing about his childhood, the author quickly ups the tempo as he regales readers with the comical story of Pigeon Man, an older gentleman who insisted on feeding hundreds of pigeons in front of Carlson's building. In addition to describing the physical mess the birds created, the author discusses the bureaucratic red tape he had to cut through to get the Pigeon Man to move. Carlson then shares memories of how he learned French and gives readers advice on how to learn the language more efficiently than he did (the text features French words and phrases sprinkled throughout). As a business owner, Carlson spends a good portion of the text discussing the ways in which French employers differ from Americans when it comes to their employees, from providing far more vacation time and maternity/paternity leave to the near impossibility of firing someone even due to poor performance. The author ponders the French fondness for smoking and the love locks placed by tourists on the bridges in Paris, and he explains the importance of Thanksgiving to him, which motived him to provide Thanksgiving dinner for more than 100 people. "Every year," he writes, "BIA was featured in magazines and social media as one of the places in the world where Americans could celebrate Turkey Day abroad....For me, what I loved most about the holiday was its simplicity; just dining and drinking with loved ones for hours on end." Of course, Carlson explores both French and American food, whether cooked at his diner, at a high-end French restaurant, or by his mother-in-law. A pleasant, witty memoir from an American diner owner in France.

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July 1, 2020

Writer and restaurateur Carlson returns with more stories from the City of Light in this short and sweet follow-up to his debut memoir Pancakes in Paris. Carlson, a former screenwriter with no prior restaurant experience, moved to Paris in 2002 with plans to open a classic American diner, Breakfast in America. A likable writer with a clear appreciation of the language and culture, Carlson reflects upon his successes, the challenges of owning and operating a business in France, and the cultural differences that continue to surprise, delight, and, at times, irritate him. One of Carlson's best stories is about the man who would invite an onslaught of pigeons to the outside of Carlson's apartment building by routinely feeding them on the street, thus becoming his nemesis. This leads Carlson to reflect on an injured pigeon he once nursed back to health during an often-challenging childhood. VERDICT An additional purchase for large collections where expat memoirs are in high demand or where Carlson's previous work has circulated well.--Emily Patti, Palatine P.L. Dist., IL

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