When reality television came into the kitchen, it was easy to turn a blind eye. After all, the promos for MasterChef Australia reeked of a Big Brother approach, with intimidating stares from imposing judges, contestants with shared living arrangements, emotional video diaries, eliminations and tears, and all the accoutrements that are meant to fool viewers [...]

I blame Balzac. I also blame Baudelaire, Victor Hugo and Molière, and the likes of these luminaries who have sparked a love affair with France and all things French in the fertile imagination of a young girl. Through their lyrical poetry and prose in her companion textbook, they have instilled a cultural curiosity and fuelled [...]