Bill Buford, journalist: ‘Borders marked by oils or sauces are much more important than political borders’ Journalism, literature, gastronomy, travel, soccer and family (disagreements included) make up the gargantuan personal menu of the US writer, who has edited prestigious magazines such as ‘Granta’ and ‘The New Yorker’ Bill Buford’s CV includes being an editor at Granta and The New Yorker . The 70-year-old native of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was also a temporary member of the most violent faction of Manchester United’s fanbase, as well as a kitchen apprentice at a legendary Italian restaurant, Babbo, in New York City Buford has lived in the Big Apple almost all his life, except for the periods when he traveled around Europe to write Among the Thugs (1990), a fascinating account of how he infiltrated English soccer hooligan culture . The book ends with him being severely beaten in the streets of an Italian city during the 1990 World Cup.
Later on in life, he also spent five years in Lyon, France, writing the book Dirt: Adventures in Lyon as a Chef in Training, Father, and Sleuth Looking for the Secret of French Cooking (2020). In it, the gonzo journalist — who despises the narcissism of the genre — recounts his experience as an apprentice in high-end kitchens in the French gastronomic capital. What was supposed to be a brief family adventure (Buford moved to France with his wife and two-year-old twins) turned into a five-year-long learning process that goe.
