To hear the related 5-minute audio file that I uploaded today as my Morning Journal flash briefing for Alexa devices, please click on the play button:
Entertaining the Palate
In France, dinner at a fine restaurant begins with a surprise from the chef—the amuse-bouche.
Even before taking our orders, the server brings small, intriguing hors d’oeuvres for the table. They look too pretty to eat. They taste delicious. They make the meal feel like an adventure right from the jump.
That’s the point of the amuse-bouche, which translates to “mouth amuser.” It wakes up the palate and offers a glimpse of the chef’s style and creativity.
Like a French chef, a newspaper reporter works hard to make a great first impression. In journalism, it’s called the lede.
If you get it right, you might catch the reader’s attention. A good one might also prompt an editor to put your story on Page One.
I subscribe to The Economist in large part because of the quality of the writing, including the ledes.
Here is one from 2013, on the Vatican’s financial scandals:
If the road to hell is paved with good intentions, the path to the Vatican bank is lined with scandals.
Now, that’s a tasty start to a news story!
I returned from France last week committed to learning how to cook a great meal. Tomorrow’s dinner will be my debut as Chef Léonard here at our Maine cottage. I invited our neighbors, Pam and Marie, who traveled with us in France, to be my first diners.
Darlene and I just returned from Whole Foods in Portland, where I found all the ingredients for Smoked Salmon Moose Mousse on Cucumber Rounds. It’s a palate teaser recommended by my digital sous chef, ChatGPT:
This light, refreshing amuse-bouche pairs beautifully with your planned dinner, adding a touch of elegance without being too heavy. The creamy mousse complements the main courses, while the cucumber keeps it crisp and fresh.
The meal will also include Pommes Purée, Baked Sea Bass with Lemon, Garlic, and Herbs, and a green vegetable. Pam and Marie will bring dessert. This morning they said they dusted off their old copy of Julia Child’s cookbook in order find just the right ending for our dinner.
Travel always transforms me.
I never would have thought three weeks in France would tempt me to become a chef. It gives me the jitters, but it feels like the right move out of my comfort zone.
You pick a recipe. You buy the ingredients and invite your guests. You chop and mix and cook. Everything is ready.
Et voilà!
I am impressed and await the report of the resulting gourmet meal. I don’t ever make quite such an effort….meanwhile I’m enjoying good American food with Rick’s garden tomatos and local corn. Good ingredients makes all the difference…
Because it's the perfect bite-size juicy morsel of reading that one can read in "one byte"