REVIEW: ‘Let Them Eat Pancakes: One Man’s Personal Revolution in the City of Light’ by Craig Carlson
Image courtesy of Pegasus Books / Provided by official site.
Let Them Eat Pancakes, a new memoir by Craig Carlson, is a follow-up to his successful book Pancakes in Paris. Both nonfiction pieces detail the adventures Carlson has had as an American living in Paris and setting up the first American diner in the French capital. Along the way, he meets a host of colorful characters and many struggles at his two diner joints, appropriately named Breakfast in America and Breakfast in America 2.
This time around, Carlson focuses on some of the mishaps that he encountered when trying to set up a more permanent life in France. He runs into bureaucratic nightmares when trying to remove the so-called “Pigeon Man” of Paris from outside his apartment, and another anecdote details the difficulties of attaining a marriage license for him and his partner. Forms need to be filled out (“dossiers” as they are called), and patience is key. The same type of delays are incurred when Carlson tries to instill some type of order amongst his staff at the diners. French labor laws being what they are, the restauranteur has an uphill battle when wanting to sack an employee after an initial two-month grace period.
Some of the best bits from the book include Carlson’s worry about being sued for using the Breakfast in America name for his establishments. Coincidentally the name is shared by a song and album by the mega-popular band Supertramp. This chapter in the book not only offers clarity on any possible lawsuits, but even involves Roger Hodgson, former co-frontman of the band.
This reviewer appreciated the history lesson about the student protests in the late 1960s and also the personal stories of how Carlson gets along with his now-husband and new mother-in-law. There are some interesting morsels about French cuisine, including finding and cooking the best snails / escargot, and whether some of these fresh products can be transported across borders and imported into the United States.
Carlson’s writing style, which is easy to fall in love with, is reminiscent of other cultural memoirs about a stranger in a strange place. Although the writer questions much of the French bureaucracy and customs, there’s no doubting that he loves the country, the people, his husband and his new life — especially when compared to his less-than-ideal upbringing in Frenchtown, Connecticut (a late-in-the-book story about Carlson returning to his hometown in the U.S. is wonderfully written). In this vein, he fits into the same mold as Beppe Severgnini and Frances Mayes, maybe with a touch of Peter Mayle thrown in for good measure.
After reading Carlson’s new book, readers will not only run out for a helping of escargot or beef bourguignon, but also some pancakes, omelets and hamburgers, too. And an added treat: On almost every single page, Carlson uses and defines some French words, so there’s a chance the reader will walk away with a few phrases for their own visit to Paris.
By John Soltes / Publisher / John@HollywoodSoapbox.com
Let Them Eat Pancakes: One Man’s Personal Revolution in the City of Light by Craig Carlson. Pegasus Books. 272 pages. Click here for more information.
