Gourmandism

philosophie de la cuisine et de la restauration

Do you feel you are a Gourmand? Do you have a full understanding of the meaning of this word? Until I read “The Physiology of Taste” by Jean-Anthelme Brillat-Savarin 1755-1826, I admit to confusion when expressing my definition while often vituperating my behaviour. When describing my habit of digestion, I had been comparing myself to a greedy cochon. I love to eat, and eat everything (well I did before age settled into my tract) and I also eat everything placed before me. And if the serving platters offer more, sitting idle with an air of come hither and scrape me clean s’il vous plait, I happily oblige.

So, there is a bit of greedy behaviour in my etat particulier, but according to Monsieur – I am not what I thought I was.

“Physiology of Taste” was published in 1825 – now over two centuries young. And it is still in print. Brillat-Savarin was a judge, writer, gourmand, mayor, avid hunter, and shameless flirt, but above all, he was a lover of gastronomy. That is, he reveled in everything from the proper execution of a fondue to the fine art of sitting at the dinner table among guests. This classic work muses profoundly on the minutiae of eating - discussing with poetry, penetrating insight, and sometimes hilarious absurdity, the spectrum of gustatory acts. The essays range from the “Differing kinds of Thirst,” “The Erotic Properties of Truffles,” “Definition of Appetite,” and “Influence of Gourmandism on Wedded Happiness” to many more topics all directly or loosely affiliated with gastronomy (there are chapters on dreams, rest, and labour which at first glance seem to have little to do with food, but really, to Brillat-Savarin everything had something to do with how we eat, which is precisely what makes the book so fascinating).

I share a few snippets of Gourmandism wisdom. “Social Gourmandism unites an Attic elegance with Roman luxury and French subtlety, the kind which chooses wisely, asks for an exacting and knowing preparation, savours with vigor, and sums up the whole with profundity: it is a rare quality, which might easily be named a virtue, and which is at least one of our surest sources of pure pleasure.”

I quote more of Brillat-Savarins’ definitions: “Gourmandism is an impassioned, considered, and habitual preference for whatever pleases the taste. It is the enemy of overindulgence; any man who eats too much or grows drunk risks being expelled from its army of disciples…..No matter how Gourmandism is considered, it deserves praise and encouragement. Physically, it is the result as well as the proof of the perfect state of health of our digestive organs. Morally, it is an implicit obedience of the Creator, who, having ordered us to eat in order to live, invites us to do so with appetite, encourages us with flavour, and rewards us with pleasure.”

Woman Are Gourmandes

I adore this next passage: “The leanings of the fair sex toward Gourmandism are in a way instinctive, for it is basically favourable to their beauty. A series of precise and exhaustive observations has proved beyond doubt that a tempting diet, dainty and well prepared, holds off for a long time the exterior signs of old age. It adds brilliancy to the eyes, freshness to the skin, and more firmness to all the muscles; and just as it is certain, in physiology, that it is the sagging of these muscles which causes wrinkles, beauty’s fiercest enemy, so it is equally correct to say that, other things being equal, the ladies who know how to eat are comparatively ten years younger than those to whom this science is a stranger. Painters and sculptors have long recognized this truth, and they never portray subjects who, through choice or duty, practice abstinence, such as anchorites or misers, without giving them the pallor of illness, the wasted scrawniness of poverty, and the deep wrinkles of enfeebled senility.”

Our dining habits and rituals evolve, and in many ways, I find this to be sorrowful. When this book was published in 1825, and being it is a book about the French race, and their mannerisms with regards to digestion - society embraced eating what we would now feel exotic, consider heavy, too much food and just might whine about lingering long at the table. Our way of working is different, and we have many devices to occupy our attention, inspiring sedentary behaviour. But when it comes to cooking and eating, I feel we have been brainwashed with particular ideas around our most important health habits.

We strive to keep it simple; we eat too fast and too often on our own even when others our in our midst. We purchase too much take-a-away and food to heat up quickly in a microwave. We order in too much. And we buy way more than we need to and often do not realize what we have in our pantry and congelateur. You can stock well without appearing to be a hoarder. I feel we should Cook at home, and Go Out to dine whether it be pizza, moules frites, or an elegant elongated experience. Your budget will thank you, and so will your corps humain.

In my experience more productive and enjoyable moments are fulfilled both cooking creatively in the kitchen with others, and dining with one or more for hours.

Recently I was in Clermont Ferrand for the week-end. There is a restaurant in CF that I am very enthusiastic about, and asked my friend if he would like to dine there. He had never experienced a tasting menu before. Just before leaving he looked at his watch and uttered in astonishment ‘we have been sitting at this table four hours’. We ordered the same menu which consisted of 9 courses, 2 glasses of wine each, mignardise et café. He was delighted with this not so brief encounter – eating and sipping, appreciating fine hospitality under an ethereal dome of culinary might, and exclaiming that the value received for the bill that was offered - was extraordinary. I may have converted a being into the world of Brillat-Savarin.

I also feel that everyday dinner time meals should be an occasion. Not necessary to be 4 hours every night, but most certainly an altogether ritual that begins once everyone is at the table with full attention to each other and the menu that has been prepared by another or you, with care and love. Talk about your days activities, argue about the political landscape, what did you espy in Nature? And even if you are not crazy about the repas set before you, eat it without comment. Then say thank you very much for feeding my stomach and soul.

I eat alone most evenings. I prepare my meal thoughtfully. Normalement I begin by looking into the frigo and creating a menu around what I see. Most often I have a refreshing drink before my dinner with nuts, cheesy morsels, or olives. Then I sit down and enjoy it, sometimes with a glass of wine, but not always. But always 2 courses, sometimes 3. This pleasure of cooking and dining nicely is my gift to moi. And if someone else is with me, j’espere they feel the gift too.

The world that Brillat-Savarin lived in was indeed another time and place.

One difference being that folks could not imagine another way of communicating with each other spending their time together in bars, cafes, picnics, restaurants, and homes. There was no option but to take time to talk to each other, eating together, which inspired a collective unity when they felt they needed to protest loudly with decisive intent to have the elected leaders listen to their concerns. Yes, they had the newspaper to read and share news. There is something quite comforting about reading print to yourself - sharing tidbits with others in earshot - and passing on the paper to another if you do not need it for starting the fire or wrapping your fish. It was not so easy those years of yore to tamper with the words written when you did not own your own printing press. Then as now, many people in our world can not and do not read. Then as now, leaders rage with the same foul messages repeatedly. Now it is on a screen that can be replayed all hours of the day. If someone can not sleep, they turn on their device and putrefy their soul.

This time in our histoire is finding us crazed and feeling very much alone. Many of the powers that be are lost and unhinged. We might read worthy posts from reliable source on our internet of the machinations occurring, but once into the web, we can easily fall into a trap. And if we pay too much attention to the rhetoric, wondering what is real, we too will find ourselves unhinged and following the path of least resistance. If we ever needed to be strong and brave, it is now. And we can only carry on with fortitude when we are feeding ourselves well.

When I read that restaurants that cater to those who dine out to honour tradition are in decline, I weep. Not only for the long lingering menu that I adore, but for the occasion of being together in a place that encourages polite mannerisms, respect for the service from both front and back of the establishment, and where conversations can be witty, learned, and constructive, leaving you with a memory of both a splendid menu and engaging thoughts to rest with you at days end. If we do not support the less expensive of the traditional restaurants, only very expensive fine dining establishments will be available for those with extremely deep pockets, haughty mannerisms, and most often boring with dark souls. No fun eavesdropping on that table!

I encourage you to Embrace Gourmandism – understand that you are what you eat. And to those like myself who have need to alter their diet, enjoy what alternatives you can create to accommodate your appetite with flare and grace while finding yourself both entertained and enlightened.

A few light adjustments j’ai decouverte recently.

- When I slice a baguette pour fromage, I take a slice and break it into 4 or 6 small pieces, and take a small morsel of cheese for each of the little bits of bread. I eat less of both. But enjoy every selection offered on the plateau.

- When I serve Rillettes, instead of spreading on bread, I wrap a heaping spoonful in a leaf of lettuce - light and luscious.

- I make a flan or a crustless quiche. Ethereal.

- I serve cream soups as an amuse, in an espresso cup.

- Chocolate has become an issue, so I only eat it in the morning, and in small doses.

- I make a gluten free yogurt cake. Instead of 2 pots of flour, one pot almond powder and another pot of rice flour.

Sending you all my good wishes for a calm day, hopefully with something delicious in mind for your main meal. Bon courage to us all. Sante.

The images I share with you are from a book titled: A table by Noelle Chatelet.