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

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Edward's story took me back forty years to when I was a young Australian working in English hotels and on French farms during what was then a rite of passage for many young Australians -- the European working holiday. I really wasn't expecting to be quite so gripped but the experiences that unfolded on the pages before me, drew me ever deeper.

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. I’ll also give him the benefit of the doubt that his desire to be a waiter was genuine and it wasn’t motivated by the cynical fact thought he could get a good Kitchen Confidential-style book out of it. Edward Chisholm has an important story to tell, and it’s told in a fast-paced, cleverly woven style. And - it was heartening to see that, in spite of the backbreaking labour, the often inhuman working conditions and a myriad of other challenges, that Edward Chisholm still manages see and appreciate the transcendent shimmer of Paris.Part of that is a necessity; the stress of being reminded where you aren’t and what you don’t have requires it. Chisholm] brings the restaurant world to life as he relates the stress, pressure, and anxiety felt by all the workers.

This podcast was recorded inside the restaurant, so with the background noise, you might just feel like you’re sitting there with us. Although the book is set in Paris, Chisholm demonstrates how his stories of struggle have universal appeal. 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.

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. You can change your choices at any time by visiting Cookie preferences, as described in the Cookie notice. It seems glib to compare it to Orwell when it's more universal, or Bourdain when it doesn't glorify the mess.

A Paris in November 2011, after the financial crisis of three years earlier, and before the future worldwide pandemic of late 2019. A Waiter in Paris: Adventures in the Dark Heart of the City by Edward Chisholm is a memoir like I’ve never experienced. There’s nothing wrong with white middle class, liberally educated men, I am one, and some of my favourite works have been made by them. Throwing open the vibrant underbelly of the City of Light in all its depraved, degenerate, and dangerously addictive magnificence, Chisholm's account of his time spent as a Parisian waiter abounds in electrifying anecdote and jaw-dropping revelations.In it, Chisholm recounts his first year of working his way into the elite, yet lowly world of Paris waiters. I particularly liked the vignette of the supposed Aussie millionaire and Edward’s first attempt at being a sommelier. I was engaged by the subject matter and writing early on; a real contemporary 'Down and Out in Paris and London' with all the associated bleakness showing that very little has changed over the years.

What I found in A Waiter in Paris was not only these people’s differences defined, but their similarities reconciled into a microcosm. A Waiter in Paris is a fascinating read which plunges you into the manic and hidden world of Parisian restaurants; it’s vivid, immersive and unforgettable, and also demonstrates that the extreme distance between the rich and the poor has never gone away. And these colleagues — thieves, narcissists, ex-Legionnaires, paperless immigrants, wannabe actors, and drug dealers — are the closest thing he has to family.Inspired by George Orwell’s Down and Out in Paris and London, the author (know only as l’Anglais throughout) was determined to become a waiter, but speaking just a few words of French and having no experience, he knew it wouldn’t be easy.

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