A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City

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You can unsubscribe from our list at any point by changing your preferences, or contacting us directly. The amount of stamina required to work that kind of job is immense, and the fact that Chisholm manages to stick it out as long as he does is a miracle. A Waiter in Paris charts Edward Chisholm's jaw-dropping experiences while serving tables in the French capital, a demi-monde of sadistic managers, thieves, fighting for tips and drug dealers.

This is part of my Summer Reads series where I’ll be sharing book recommendations – a series of “not just cookbooks”.

At another restaurant I went multiple times as the food was so good and one waiter was very friendly; I remember offering him a glass of Burgundy which he dutifully put on the bar for later and the manager promptly pounced on it and drank it off in a heartbeat. The hours are ridiculously long, the management are bullies, his fellow waiters untrustworthy and fighting for every tip going; as for the conditions in the kitchens, they’re rightly described as hellish. A Waiter In Paris, without a shred of self-pity, describes what it is like to be young and without career prospects, despite having a degree — in Chisholm’s case, from the London School of Oriental and African Studies.

I remember going to an excellent traditional restaurant on the Blvd Saint Germain for Sunday lunch and as I was a good tipper and easy to deal with I was moved from rang to rang on each different Sunday by the lady owner so that as many waiters as possible got a decent tip. This is a memoir that may well be destined for the screen, so do yourself a favour: read the book first. In the sense that was a good thing, I had achieved what I came to do: I had become a Parisian waiter, I’d been accepted. Bittersweet and enchanting, this serves as a potent look at the gritty underbelly of a glittering world.It seems glib to compare it to Orwell when it's more universal, or Bourdain when it doesn't glorify the mess.

Chisholm has the unenviable job of painting that picture but does so with broad strokes and interesting results. The 103 third parties who use cookies on this service do so for their purposes of displaying and measuring personalized ads, generating audience insights, and developing and improving products.Life is hard for Edward l'Anglais as he struggles with the language and the management, who dislike him with a vengeance. A young Englishman's journey into the merciless world of Parisian restaurants is propulsive, harrowing, and expertly observed. And Chisholm is just self conscious enough that he never becomes too self righteous talking about his year as a poor Parisian waiter. The Hogarth Press where I’m working, is in the heart of the literary world, with authors coming in all the time. It's well-written with some lovely passages and oddly well-remembered dialogue, taking you into the underbelly of Paris.