The CulinaryWoman Reading Room

The joy of Joie

Being of French extraction (Mad Men fans will recognize the expression), I am a fan of many things French, especially when it comes to home decor. When eBay came to life, I scoured it for French tableware and antique garden items. Several years ago, I discovered a fascinating website called Madame de la Maison.

It is a curated collection of finds from porcelain to pottery and linens. This isn’t a list of things available by the dozen, but the type of selection you would find in a small shop in Paris.

The proprietor is Ajiri Aki, and she has just written a new book called Joie: A Parisian’s Guide To Celebrating The Good Life. You probably know that joie is the French word for joy, pronounced something like “zwah.” Joie de vivre, then, is the joy of life and that is what Ajiri explains in her book.