Ptipois

This comparison is not very flattering for Le Groupe des Six. Les Six are still remembered, as a group and individually, some eighty years later. They were avant-garde then and in some ways may still be understood as such (arguably, and stylistically speaking, the avant-gardes of the 20's remain unequalled, and Marcel Duchamp's bottle case unsurpassed; Satie hasn't aged in any way, etc.). Here, we only have a group of professional chefs who congregate over a fairly hazy concept, and I have yet to be shown in what way they could be described as "avant-garde". And in what way they could be, let alone geniuses, at least artists, to deserve such a comparison. Also, although some of these chefs are fairly innovative, none of them is innovative enough to start a movement like Le Groupe des Six. To be fair, that is definitely not their point and they are not pretending to do so. They do not put a stress on cooking as much as they do on a certain attitude towards cooking, towards the world, towards training. I only wish these last points were more developed since they're what chefs need to be concerned about these days. Not about cooking styles: the styles are not defined enough, at the moment, for any revolution to take place. Also, as long as French cuisine remains trapped in chef dialectics, I believe there won't be any significant change. But I won't linger on that. To John Talbott: yes, of course, one thinks of Slow Food. However, Slow Food started on a genuine concern for the quality of food, the integrity of ingredients, and preserving ways of life. Its objectives were clear and defined and have remained so. This is not the case for "Génération C" which, as I said, suffers from a lack of focus. But again, I have to see the original manifesto in order to judge it fairly. Without reading a crystal ball, it is easy to realize that the future of a movement much depends on how clearly it has defined its field of action right from the start.

Amen. But what surprises me a bit is that, in France, there needs to be a manifesto for that sort of thing. Everywhere else, people just cook and search, and that's the way cuisine evolves. Why another tract? In fact, deep down, it's not that surprising. In France we like movements and written orders for them, identifying "generations" before they're born, etc. It makes us feel like we're alive and kicking and that things are moving (whether they are or not). But what prevents chefs from applying these sane principles to their work without banging a drum? France has supposedly a problem with opening up to other culinary cultures. Is that really true? Yes, to some extent. Well, there are some chefs who don't have that problem indeed. But why should they need to create some sort of mental pressure group for that? All the more since some of the names I read here — Pourcels, Mikula, Ledeuil, Ducasse — are not particulary remarkable for "opening up" French haute cuisine to other culinary cultures, though at first they may pretend to do so. Their cuisine remains rigidly chef-like in the Frenchest manner, and it is not a bit of lemongrass here and there that will "open it up". Indeed I can't see much of a revolution there. I believe the drum-banging is more a statement made to other professionals (we're "in" and you're not) than a manifesto directed towards cooking in general. Whether it means to create movement in the profession or to define a different style (which it isn't doing yet, but the question may rise at some point), this manifesto needs to be a bit more articulate, detailed and informative, and to show somewhat clearer intentions and purpose, in order to be effective and forceful. So far what I see is more like banging into open doors. Interact with chefs of other countries? Haven't French chefs been doing that for decades? However, I haven't read the manifesto in French and haven't seen the details, and I'm a bit far away from home now, so please allow me to change my opinion in the future when I've been confronted to the real thing. What I do like, on the other hand, it the part about "cooperative and non competitive environment". Wow, now that's a program! That is, indeed, what French cuisine needs badly. But it's a long way to go. I also like the mention of professional training. Now there's a real problem indeed. Recent training programs for écoles hôtelières now include "mise en température" of vacuum-packed foods, reheating and serving ready-made produce, i.e. industrial sauces, peeled vegetables, fonds, aromas, frozen dishes. That's one thing. Another thing is that some basic cooking skills like trussing poultry, cleaning mussels, binding sauces, turning artichokes, steaming foods, paring a leg of lamb, etc., are no longer required in the CAP programs. Now I think that's where the need of a manifesto is the most acute, not on the subject of being so cool through using lemongrass or chit-chatting with Hong Kong chefs. Edit : Happy New Year to all!

It does smell a bit pooey but if it remains desirable in spite of its smell, well it has to be good, hasn't it? A nice andouillette by M. Duval, roasted very crisp, served with good french fries, is heavenly food.

Anyone has checked "Auberge Etchegorry", rue Croulebarbe (13e), lately? I haven't been there for years but Basque it is.

I saw something interesting yesterday in Nonthaburi (a few miles North of Bangkok), at a bakery near the market. They have all sorts of beautiful mooncakes there. However I saw something that could resemble what you're looking for: squarish pastries that looked like bread, with a few raisins stuck on top. I looked closer and I'm pretty sure they were raisins. Unfortunately I passed by these too quickly to take a picture, but I may be going back there in a few days and I'll make sure I shoot them in due form. Also, I didn't see any crispy or fluffy pork nearby, and there sure is an enormous array of victuals at that market (including some you don't see often in Bangkok, I believe). Beautiful blog, Austin

I seriously doubt it too.

In that case I can tell you there are not many perfect women around. And — rats! — I realize I'm not one. No, seriously, never heard of that one in a context of normal human life.

Yes, in places like Italy and Greece, this kind of travel hazard should be expected and travellers should be warned about it. But not in France, at least Northern France including Paris. Contemporary parents probably wouldn't call the police but pretty close.

Silly indeed, like Orange when it tried to restrict use of the word "orange". I don't know where they're standing now. Still I didn't know "pierrade" was traditional in Lyon. Never heard of that before. I suppose there were not many people to hold on to the term when it was registered as a trademark. Also, I didn't even know it was soapstone. See, I'm not doing too well here (wink to John Talbott --> )

And the parents become very pale and grab the child away in horror from that perfectly insane person. Only someone not quite in their right mind would dare hug and kiss a child of unknown parents in the street; this is just not done and pretty close to aggression if it happened. Lovely or not, Paris or not, you don't touch other people's children in the streets. Edited for peace and love: I'm in the YES camp as well. I don't think one should refuse a child the experience of dining at a fine place when the child is looking forward to it. If he does, it means he's ready to appreciate it and behave accordingly. I am pretty sure that utter brats heard shrieking at star restaurants under the adoring or apalled look of their parents had never asked for experience in the first place. However. I am also for segregation, either of the parents and the child, or of myself if needed, in cases of child hysteria in places where young children are not expected to be. As a mother of a kid who always behaved himself in all places from the moment he knew how to hold a fork and knife, I must confess my intolerance of, not ill-behaved children, but of ill-behaved parents. In case of aggression from that kind of monster, I am pretty good at confiscating teddybears who happen to fall into my lap in TGV cars. The child looks at me dumbfounded and so do the parents. End of incident, even after I return the estranged toy to its owner.

Hello cousin! No, that wouldn't be considered rude at all. Quite the contrary. On the other hand, talking about the food being served doesn't mean giving comments after every bite. That would be considered boring and the French seem to loathe a boring meal more than a moderately bad-mannered one.

Hah! And, to illustrate once again our age-old culture of transgression, these are the subjects most often discussed around many tables, including some of the most aristocratic ones. A dinner without at least one of these subjects brought up will yield after-dinner comments like "This was so boring, let's never go there again." We're not simple folks. I know that.

This one is very simple. No bread on the plate whatsoever, unless you're eating a sandwich. Bread always beside your plate, and not cut — broken with hand. I actually regret that bread plates have become a standard in French restaurants. They're so contrary to our culture. Traditionally, putting bread on your plate would be considered selfish. The rule is based on the universal nature of bread: it doesn't belong to you, all bread on the table is collective property. Your bread isn't yours proper, and it may be taken by the person sitting next to you without your permission (this hardly ever happens though), because bread on the table means sharing. If there's no bread left in the basket and you're out of it, someone at the table will very probably tell you : "Have mine" and hold it to you. This is not only very good manners, it is also very heartwarming and gets to the core of French courteousness.

I think I have mentioned it. No eating before the hostess has picked up her fork. This is the traditional way, still fairly popular. The hostess has to break the spell herself if she wants her guests to begin right away. Just say it simply, "eat right away", "mangez maintenant !" There is no other way. If they are stubborn, say that the food will get cold in a menacing tone.

No, that's normal. The French - provided that they know a bit about food - won't stop talking about it. I heard that some Chinese, especially the Cantonese, were just like us. Our soul brothers.

Sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were referring to this as bad manners. As for leaving some wine in your glass being good manners, it may be so, but it's an unwritten rule I've never heard of. It all depends on the price of the wine, of course. Leaving some château-yquem in your glass would be considered folly before it would be considered bad manners.

Nah. I wrote "mild bad manners", in fact it's very mild bad manners. It's tolerated and sometimes may be considered a proof of admiration for the cook. See, French manners are a bit tricky because of our ancestral ambiguity. On the one hand, we are very very formal. On the other hand, there's nothing we like more than transgression and breaking the rules. In some cases we make the rules stiff so that it shows more when we break them. I am not going to go into this in-depth because it's already difficult to understand for French people, so I may well make things more confusing for you here. Look carefully during a semi-formal meal or any family meal involving a certain number of people. Before the appetizers, everybody's hands are on the table, fingers loosely folded. During main course, cheese and dessert, hands are more mobile, so either on or below table, a small percentage may be on someone else's knee (tolerated but should not show). After dessert, you start seeing elbows on the table. Even from very well-educated persons. In very very formal dinners one is not supposed to thank the cook, who often is an employee. You're not even supposed to congratulate the maîtresse de maison for her veau Orloff at table, but it is considered nice if you do so after the meal, when putting on your coat before leaving. As a rule of traditional manners, food and politics should not be discussed as a subject during a meal. Of course, in tradition or not, everybody talks about them and they are favorite subjects. See what I mean? You'll be surprised, perhaps, but French people who know about table manners both in France and in the US seem to agree that, to them, US table manners are too formal. Crossing is something we never could understand. It amuses us. Holding wine glasses by the stem is primarily for avoiding to heat the wine. This rule is rarely taught anymore. In France, they are like typographic rules, sometimes they seem gratuitous, but there's always a very rational reason for them, either historical or practical. And one should not forget the love for transgression that I've mentioned above. Strict rules of etiquette are hardly ever used anymore in France except to add style, so they're some sort of show. It used to be that nobody started eating before the housewife was served, when everybody was served by servants that is. Now that the food is made by the hostess (or a caterer) I'll say the rule is still remembered and followed, but I've often seen the following interaction happen: "Please start eating, do not wait until everybody's served. — But you haven't been served yet. — Don't let it get cold." (<--- imperious voice) Guests then start nibbling at their food in an apologetic way until everybody's served and then everyone starts devouring. Same situation applies to restaurants, where, BTW, it is very bad manners for the waiters to bring plates from the same service at large intervals of time. That would never have happened in France. Everybody would have let the lady go to the powder room, and started eating. That's her responsibility. She would have had to catch up with the others when she came back. The service would have done nothing in particular, for as I wrote, it is acceptable to go to the bathroom during a meal, as long as you don't mention it plainly. So the service has nothing special to do about something that is not supposed to exist. I actually think that the pressure involved in all that protocol — removing the dishes, recooking them, etc. — is quite harsh on all the diners, including the one who leaves the table, and overly complicated. It is also uselessly guilt-inducing. It is quite normal to have to leave the table for a few minutes, particularly in a restaurant. There shouldn't be such a fuss over it.

All unrefined salts from the Atlantic are very good. In France that includes Guérande and Batz, l'île de Noirmoutier, l'île de Ré, and perhaps l'île d'Yeu but I'm not sure about that one. Salts of the French Mediterranean South are a different matter since they're far less rich in mineral and organic elements. Southern fleur de sel is a joke, since fleur de sel keeps very few of the minerals when dry. As long as one chooses fleur de sel for its texture and shape, it is a good salt. But its taste and organic composition do not justify the high price. Fleur de sel is more expensive because it is rarer than grey salt, there's less of it to gather. Also, since it is a naturally refined salt, without the traces of marsh mud that are present in grey salt, it used to be more prized in days when "refined" was always more valuable than "unrefined" foods (white bread being for the rich, "black" -wholemeal- bread being for the poor, etc.). It was the "white" salt, i.e. the salt for the affluent. Grey salt doesn't particularly have a taste but it has all the minerals and microalgae it gathers in the wonderful ecosystem of the salt-marshes. I like fleur de sel for sprinkling food before serving or at table, but there again I tend to prefer grey salt because it doesn't melt so fast and keeps its crunch longer. I see that some chefs also opt for grey salt on their tables but that may be a matter of economy.

I'm not sure but trinquer is more common. Trinquer is considered warm and friendly. Just look at your trinqueur in the eyes while you clink, or you'll be rewarded with seven years of unlucky sex life. Mild bad manners when done in one's plate, bad bad bad manners when done in the common dish. My (New-Englander and sort of stiff-mannered) ex-husband did that a long time ago at some Parisian friends' place, and mopped up the sauce right in the collective gigot serving dish. The host burst out with utter joy: "Terrific, Brad! It's about time! You're becoming bad-mannered!" Not officially registered as bad manners. Happens too rarely to be registered as such anyway. It is considered very nice to stay at table until the very end of the meal. If everybody gets up at the same time, it is an image of social harmony. One may leave the table before the end of the meal (right before dessert is a good time, it sends out the message that your hands are really tied), but a heavy load of genuine excuses is necessary. Going to the bathroom is absolutely permitted but just don't say it out loud, just say "if you will excuse me, I'll be right back." "Puis-je avoir le sel s'il vous plaît ? — Bien sûr, combien en voulez-vous ?" ("Please pass the salt. — Sure, how much do you want?" — from the Bonnes Manières phrasebook). In the 18th century, every large aristocratic household used to have its special set of manners. I remember reading one stating that guests should not blow their noses and wipe their cutlery with the napkin, and should not play the trumpet while seated at table.

And, directly to your neighbor: "Bonjour. This bavette is mine. I saw it first."

Now that you mention it, yes, that's probably the case.

Now this is the French way to do it, indeed. The signal for the "bonjour" is often the beginning of the transaction.

Ah, the ice problem. Yes, we have ice! But we seldom serve it by the kilo in jugs of tap water. Any café, any bar, and most restaurants, will readily give you ice cubes in a separate container if you ask for them. Just ask nicely, for it is not a common request.

No. Actually it is not really expected that one says "bonjour" to everyone in the store, unless the store is tiny. It's all a matter of intuition. Entering a minute shop in Romorantin selling nothing but kid gloves and containing only the shopkeeper and one client, when you say "bonjour" you say it to everyone inside the shop. Entering a larger store with more people in it, your "bonjour" will be more precisely directed to the shopowner or to the vendor who takes care of you. This is probably overstressing the matter. You're not expected to say "bonjour" to the line. In this case, you say "bonjour" and "au revoir" to the person who serves you, period. Maybe a cheerful "au revoir" thrown into the air will be received by the whole line and yield some returns, but this is not mandatory. In the case of a baker, the pace is so hurried that it is not even expected that you say "bonjour" or "au revoir" during the five seconds allowed for serving you. What is absolutely mandatory, however, is "s'il vous plaît" and "merci". Contrary to what has been said here, greeting the room is not expected in France except in very, very intimate, uncrowded and relaxed situations. What you're describing is perfectly normal. The French are very formal indeed, but rather on a person-to-person basis. I think that is the underlying principle: formality has to reflect a feeling of closeness, of admitting someone into one's emotional sphere. It has to rest on a certain likelihood of authenticity. The reason we French have not much taste for the immediate overfriendliness of American waiters is that we instantly sense the hope for the big tip behind it. Looking disinterested is the most royal way to look well-behaved in France, whether there's a material advantage in the end or not. Simply because you're not expected to greet the customers. So they're not aware that you've just greeted them.

Oh, that's an easy one. Your friend probably had not started her long description with "bonjour monsieur", so when she was done he restored the normal protocol of the conversation so that they could go on, and politely pointed out to her that she hadn't begun the right way, or maybe that she hadn't given him a chance to return her initial "bonjour". One cannot stress enough the importance of "bonjour" in the French language.