Sterling Terrell

smart ideas from books

What Does Amuse-Bouche Mean?

What Does Amuse-Bouche Mean?

I jotted this quote down because I had no idea what amuse-bouche was.

You either?

It’s a french word meaning to amuse the mouth.

Amuse-Bouche are single bite hors d’oeuvres served before the meal, courtesy of the chef.

Funny that they are not technically considered appetizers.

Because appetizers are paid for menu items. Amuse-Bouche is free.

I think I have eaten in a place that does this kind thing once or twice, tops.

I gotta get out more.

But one window into where it all comes from is the time he spent at Café Boulud with chef Andrew Carmellini. His job there was the amuse-bouche station—challenged to throw together an always-changing array of tiny and, hopefully, exciting bites of first-course freebies, mostly with ingredients at hand.

-Anthony Bourdain, Medium Raw

Boring Writing Is Subjective, You Worthless Critics

Boring Writing Is Subjective, You Worthless Critics

The first and most common sin of any writing is producing boring writing.

But OMgoodness that is hard to avoid sometimes, right?

And it’s kind of subjective too, if you think about it.

See, I absolutely loved reading Basic Economics, By: Thomas Sowell.

But unless you love the study of economics like I do, my guess is that you would find much of Sowell’s work dull.

I think the best way to avoiding all of this is keeping with Scott Adam’s writing advice. Writing is not interesting or boring. Writing is either clear or unclear.

I have in my notes that this quote is referring to Regina Schrambling at gastropoda.com.

What a compliment though. Wow.

She hates the whole rotten, corrupt, self-interested sea in which she must swim: a daily ordeal, which, at the same time, she feels compelled to chronicle. She hates hypocrisy, silliness, mendacity. She is immaculate in the consistency and regularity of her loathing. She is also very funny—and, frequently, right about things. And always, even when I strongly disagree with her, worth reading. She rarely if ever commits the first and most common sin of food writing—being boring.

-Anthony Bourdain, Medium Raw