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

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by Edward Chisholm for the win! This memoir may be the very best I’ve read this year. In it, Chisholm recounts his first year of working his way into the elite, yet lowly world of Paris waiters. This was made even more difficult by the fact that he’s English and spoke almost no French. ⁣⁣

Cutting and intense, but equally measured to give a perspective of an outsider trying to break into a culture that has an active distaste for him. A Waiter in Paris is not just a powerful piece that documents perseverance in the face of stubborn doubt, but also a strong companion piece to Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell. As much as Chisholm tries to make the comparison as clear as possible, the smaller moments and details make it very, very clear. Paris has not changed since its days of crooked alleyways leading to miserable kitchens and despondent chefs. Chisholm has the unenviable job of painting that picture but does so with broad strokes and interesting results. As much an exercise in trust of the fellow man as it is a nervy and exciting dash through the underbelly of culinary experiences.

Edward Chisholm’s spellbinding memoir of his time as a Parisian waiter takes you below the surface of one of the most iconic cities in the world and right into its glorious underbelly. This astonishing book describes a cruel, feral existence and is worthy of standing on the shelf next to George Orwell's Down And Out In Paris And London (1933) as another classic about human exploitation.' - Daily Mail I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even though it was sometimes hard to read – not in terms of the way it’s written but it’s a HARD life these people live and so, not your typical “City of Light” light summer read! It’s completely fascinating to learn about the society that exists behind closed restaurant doors and Chisholm shares this world elegantly, honestly and vividly. An EXCELLENT read (for summer or anytime!). It’s 2012, and after graduating from university, the young Chisholm moves to Paris with his girlfriend, Alice. They’re living on a shoestring, with Chisholm determined to try to make it as a writer. However, he’s hampered by a number of things, not least his inability to speak French; and when the relationship falls apart, he’s left with little alternative but to try to get a job in a restaurant. It’s here he finds out that the Parisian waiter is a breed apart, and it becomes clear that he may not have what it takes to make the grade. But winter is cold, he needs a job to pay for somewhere to

Edward Chisholm's spellbinding memoir of his time as a Parisian waiter is the perfect summer read. It takes you below the surface of one of the most iconic cities in the world and right into its glorious underbelly.

Edward Chisholm’s spellbinding memoir of his time as a Parisian waiter takes you below the surface of one of the most iconic cities in the world and right into its glorious underbelly. There, Chisholm inhabits a world of inhuman hours, snatched sleep, and dive bars. He scrapes by on coffee, bread, and cigarettes, often working under sadistic managers, for a wage so low he’s forced to fight his colleagues for tips. And these colleagues — thieves, narcissists, ex-Legionnaires, paperless immigrants, wannabe actors, and drug dealers — are the closest thing he has to family.

Edward Chisholm's spellbinding memoir of his time as a Parisian waiter takes you below the surface of one of the most iconic cities in the world and right into its glorious underbelly. I loved this book for many reasons. Paris is my absolute favorite city in the world and I always enjoy books that take me there. I worked as a waiter in college, though under much different conditions, so I could relate just a little. This memoir was so riveting it read like fiction. The “cast of characters” was varied, fully fleshed out, and hugely interesting. There were comrades, criminals, friends, villains, and more. All that made for a great reading experience.⁣⁣ Running through the book, of course, are the stories of Chisholm’s fellow waiters, and they’re not exactly having a good time either. In fact, many move from restaurant to restaurant, looking for a better position, for promotion to head waiter, or just for slightly improved money or conditions. It’s a febrile world, full of uncertainty, and the living conditions of these waiters are often not much above destitution. Chisholm Death of the social life, ruinous financial warfare and a genuine drive to be something are all topics contained in writer Edward Chisholm, who recounts his experiences as a runner, waiter and restaurant hand in A Waiter in Paris. It is the dying, noble profession that so many have tried to document and bring to life through various pieces of media, failing to do so because a blemish is missing or a character is out of place. To take it from the source is the best-case scenario, a scattering of scenes that add detail to a scattershot life in a Parisian restaurant. The ins and outs of the filthy business put in the limelight with an effective gaze on what it really means to be a waiter. What a nightmare. A waiter's job is to deceive you. They want you to believe in a luxurious calm because on the other side of that door... is hell.

Summary

A waiter’s job is to deceive you. They want you to believe in a luxurious calm because on the other side of that door … is hell. Edward Chisholm's book is vividly written and merciless in its detail. Paris and its pleasures always leave one wondering about the seamier side beneath the surface, and here it is. I'd advise readers to enjoy it somewhere warm and comfortable, and on no account to try it before a gastronomic weekend. -- Edward Stourton This is more a memoir of the author as a young man -- twenty something, an aspiring journalist with no gritty life experience to reveal. His months as a Parisian waiter (actually, mostly as a "runner", aspiring to be a waiter) provide the robust, colourful and often treacherously difficult writer's fodder. Indeed, if you are looking for the glamour, sweetness and beauty routinely associated with this European city, this bio is not going to provide it. However, if you are looking for an authentic experience as well as some beautiful character creation (with a side of personal growth ), you will absolutely enjoy this.

The waiter inhabits a world of inhuman hours, snatched sleep and dive bars; scraping by on coffee, bread and cigarettes, often under sadistic managers, with a wage so low you're fighting your colleagues for tips.The waiting job was finished, I knew it. The minute I missed my next shift, it was over. 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. My experience with these people had changed me. I had discovered a world hiding in plain sight; one we interact with daily, but care little for. It was the one that Orwell had written about; the very same world, for it has changed so little. Chisholm's fortitude in the face of hot-headed, violent chefs and infernal fourteen-hour days without breaks in pursuit of his goal is admirable, and makes for compelling reading. * The Times Literary Supplement * Chisholm's fortitude in the face of hot-headed, violent chefs and infernal fourteen-hour days without breaks in pursuit of his goal is admirable, and makes for compelling reading. An entertaining and enlightening memoir." - Times Literary Supplement (UK) The waiter inhabits a world of inhuman hours, snatched sleep and dive bars; scraping by on coffee, bread and cigarettes, often under sadistic managers, with a wage so low you’re fighting your colleagues for tips.