Items related to Acquired Tastes Lib/E
Acquired Tastes, originally published as Expensive Habits, is a celebration of life's extravagances. It explores an aspect of human nature that, although dormant in hard economic times, is capable of erupting with the hint of good fortune and the drop of a credit card. It samples the luxuries of Havana cigars, Parisian hotels, bespoke London tailoring, and hand-made shoes; discusses the proper color for a stretch limousine; and weighs the cost versus the pleasure of keeping a mistress. The proper way to eat true caviar is explained while providing the listener with hours of pure, unadulterated escapism.
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About the Author:
From Kirkus Reviews:
Peter Mayle (1939-2018), British-born author of several novels and books of nonfiction, spent fifteen years in the advertising business before escaping in 1975 to write books, including several New York Times bestsellers. The British Books Awards named him author of the year in 1992, and he was a recipient of the Legion d'Honneur award from the French government for his cultural contributions. His work has been translated into seventeen languages, and he has contributed to a variety of newspapers and magazines. His A Year in Provence was produced as a television series starring John Thaw and screened in 1993. The novel A Good Year was the basis for the 2006 film of the same name directed by Ridley Scott and starring actors Russell Crowe and Marion Cotillard.
Consumer catalogue of the world's finest luxuries, entries first published in GQ and Esquire, by Mayle (Toujours Provence, 1991, etc.). Mayle decided to write a monthly column for GQ on luxuries and the most refined ways to spend money, with GQ's financial support of his investigations--rough work, alas. He delivers in a velvety style, telling: how to buy and eat caviar (skip chopped onion and crumbled egg yolk, don't spread it on toast like peanut butter-- just get in bed with a plastic spoon and lift the black pearls to your mouth, then burst them on your palate); how to distinguish a true cigar or a great single-malt scotch; how to hire a black stretch-limo; how to maximize the joys of a supremely exclusive hotel; where to buy a shirt or $1300 hand-stitched custom-made shoes; where to have a suit made, and so on. He is especially keen about the foie gras of Provence (best in the world). He takes us on a money trip through the upkeep of a mistress and all the ``daily jolts of intrigue and adrenaline [that] are meat and drink to the mistress addict''--and talks over the odd gift to the wife to soothe one's remorse. Then there's the indulgence of hiring lawyers (``In practice, it consists of handing over large sums of money to the kind of people you wouldn't want to meet in your neighborhood bar''). And how about hiring a private jet to get you from Avignon to Paris? ``The cost would be substantial--around 48,000 French francs, or $9,000, for fuel and landing fees.'' Or a genuine $l,000 folding hat--a Panama worth its weight in dollar bills? Hmm...well, we deserve it. Much, much fun--and best read with a magnum of Dom Perignon and a four-pound tin of Beluga caviar. -- Copyright ©1992, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.
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- PublisherEscargot
- Publication date2015
- ISBN 10 150465451X
- ISBN 13 9781504654517
- BindingAudio CD
- Rating
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