My Summer Reading - 'Between Meals’ by A.J. Liebling

A.J. Liebling, a journalist by trade, is perhaps best known for his seminal book about French foods and wines: ‘Between Meals – An Appetite for Paris’. The book takes place in the early 1900’s when he was stationed in London and travelled often to Paris. The book is full of colourful characters, punctuated by his personal stories centred on the Parisian restaurants and their wines at the time.

In the book, A.J. Liebling even has a conversation about Champagne with M. Clicquot when the Champagne houses were very different. ‘Between Meals – An Appetite for Paris’ is like no other book that I have read about foods and wines. There are no clinical descriptions or critical reviews.  The book is all about pleasures of dining.