"He thought intelligence a function of the individual and that groups of persons were intelligent in inverse proportion to their size. Nations had the brain of an amoeba whereas a committee approached the condition of a trainable moron."
-- Bech: A Book by John Updike.
This is a novel-in-short-stories about a fictitious American novelist named Henry Bech. It is the first of a trilogy, followed by Bech is Back and Bech at Bay.
This has renewed my faith in Updike after my somewhat disappointing run in with The Witches . . . and The Widows of Eastwick a few months back.
"In most places and at most times, appreciation of savor in food has usually gone cheek by jowl with appreciation of beauty in women. The pleasures of the table have a natural affinity with the pleasures of the bed."
-- The Food of France by Waverley Root. Well said, Waverly.
While not given much to anecdote, Root does occasionally offer this kind of amusing generalization in his comprehensive account of the regional foods of France.
This is on my French Connections list and is the first book I am reading for the Foodie's Reading Challenge. It will also count as one of my Chunkster Challenge books, coming in at exactly 450 pages, plus an introduction.
Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should Be Reading, where you can find the official rules for this weekly event.
