Guest wordsmith Rudy Chelminski (rudychelminskiATaol.com) writes: When, earlier this year, I wrote "The Perfectionist", the story of Bernard Loiseau, the world-famous French chef who took his own life because of the insane pressures of his trade, I knew that the book would have to contain a lot of French terminology. At the same time, I was fully aware that most people do not read or speak French, and that it is very rude for a writer to bombard his readers with a language they do not understand. There was no way around the dilemma, though, because the French are the great codifiers of high-level western cooking, and throughout the world it is either pure French or French-derived vocabulary that is commonly used in serious professional kitchens that create la grande cuisine. (See? There we go.)
Sensing that many of my readers would need some gentle help, I translated much of the French culinary vocabulary into English, but there were certain words that were either untranslatable or would look downright silly in translation. These I left intact, in their language of origin, which is how they remain in English usage today. Here's a little selection, with a (very approximate) pronunciation guide. hors d'oeuvre (ohr DERV) noun An extra little dish outside of and smaller than the main course, usually served first. [From French hors (outside of), oeuvre (job or work).] Today's word in Visual Thesaurus: http://visualthesaurus.com/?w1=hors+d'oeuvre "Four glasses of classy bubbles ... all served on a tray with a separate hors d'oeuvre to go with each glass." Flight of Whatever Hinch Fancies; Herald Sun (Melbourne, Australia); Oct 6, 2005. "Before the main course, however, would be an introductory hors d'oeuvre in the form of 40 laps aboard a stock Yamaha." Alan Cathcart; American Beauty; Motorcyclist Magazine; Oct 7, 2005. Sponsors' Messages: Subscribe to http://delanceyplace.com -- a carefully selected non-fiction book excerpt free to your email each day. It's the thinking person's daily quote. Share the digital audiobook love with our growing library of tiny titles that don't require PCs or downloads. Smart gift! http://audiofy.com/awad 101 questions answered! Why do hurricanes happen? Who put New Orleans where it is? How many stars are in the sky? http://knowledgenews.net/s?s=aw110705 ............................................................................ Interpretation is the revenge of the intellect upon art. -Susan Sontag, author and critic (1933-2004) Discuss this week's theme or words at our online bulletin board: http://wordsmith.org/board Pronunciation: http://wordsmith.org/words/hors_d_oeuvre.wav http://wordsmith.org/words/hors_d_oeuvre.ram Permalink: http://wordsmith.org/words/hors_d_oeuvre.html This message was sent to "[email protected]".
