Schooled by a Frenchman...(figures)

I once asked a catering boss of mine, when I was still entertaining the idea that catering would be the best career choice for me, how he attracted his clientele and how it was that he was so busy. His statement, albeit sarcastic, was all too true, I have come realize: Lots of Free Food. How can anyone know what it is you have to offer, especially in the case of the sensory* heavy food. (*meaning that you can sit in a chair and decide not to buy it, but once you put my food in your mouth, please don't give it back to me, even if you don't like it; it takes a more defined sensory experience to check your taste in food, no pun intended).

So now, years later as a Private Chef and part-time caterer I find myself giving away a lot of free food, or free cooking lessons as the case may be. Last night, February 2nd, I was the 'sponsor' of the Portland February Green Drinks networking meet-up. By this, I was featured to speak for a short time and introduce my business, and also give a little background of myself and how ended up doing what I am doing. One of the first things that I tend to encounter when meeting new clientele, especially on the younger side, is a lack of fine restaurant experience. In this regard, I have been very lucky, but I do not take it for granted.

As I explained last night, I named my company A Muse Bouche for several reason. First, i explained, amuse-bouche is a French term for 'amuse the mouth,' and is a reference to the small bites, smaller even than appetizers, unordered and usually termed a 'gift of the chef,' this dish brought once the drink orders are in and the table is into the evening's experience. This was what I was taught in school (WCI in Portland) this is the title of one of my favorite cookbooks by Rick Trumonto: Amuse-bouche. Now, once may immediately see the difference in spelling, which of course is an aberation to any language, but expecially French. Now, the split between the A and M of muse allows me to gloriously indulge (and give reference to) my other oral passion with is poetry and performance poetry (see my other blog for poetry posts of no particular order: http://sayv1.blogspot.com/). A Muse Bouche, in my humble translation, now means A Mouth Muse, refering to my fixation, and to the greek goddesses of the arts, from which amuse is taken, of course.

Imagine my surprise when after my talk I was approached by a young woman in the guise of a private chef (and amuse-bouche caterer) and a Frenchman, who was quick to ask me why I was using amuse-bouche, instead of amuse-gueule?

Huh?

Now, until last night, I had never even heard this term. But it goes something like this:

Taken from http://everything2.com/title/amuse+gueule

"In the most literal sense, amuse gueule translates from the French as an amusement for the mouth - but not a mouth in the human sense - amuse bouche would be used in that case (which indeed it sometimes is). It seems that gueule means a non-human mouth, either that of an animal or more intriguingly, a gun. When used in reference to humans, gueule is a slang term, roughly translating as gob. It gives you an idea of the playfulness of the dish.

In a culinary sense amuse gueule refer to tiny, mouth size morsels of intricately designed food that is presented to the diner before a meal.

Picture this scene; somehow you have gathered the folding to dine at a 3 star Michelin restaurant in France. You are seated, presented with menus, provided with the best mineral water to slake your thirst, and the sommelier is on his way to discuss a deceptively perfect Sancerre to accompany your starters. This does not happen quickly, you are in for a full on, 5-hour gastronomic tour-de-force. Amid all this pleasant cacophony, an uninvited plate arrives - somewhat to your surprise. Perhaps it is a single oyster, garnished with the finest unpasteurized osetra caviar, or it may be a demi-tasse filled with an enchantingly green fresh pea soup - topped with a single sea scallop. The idea behind amuse gueule is not only to "amuse the mouth", but as a display of hospitality as well.

To the chef, amuse-gueule provides a breaking of shackles. No longer is the emphasis placed on carefully balanced flavors, which must harmonize with the rest of the menu. An amuse gueule brings a sense of playfulness and decadence to an occasion - one that lets all hell break loose in a single, blissful mouthful. "

And I thought I was playing with words! How beautiful an irony that in fact the roughness of the word gueule, as an animal mouth, gives the lascidasical attitude some justification in its simply throwing a mouthful of wonder together.

Given this new light on the definition of what it is I am most passionate about, I must beg this explantion: As amuse-gueule is rough in its translation and asks for animal mouth to be supplanted for the human, giving an almost barbaric tint to an otherwise perfect piece of art, so too let my butchering of the language be the roughshod animal mouth blundering of this American, giving an almost ironic mouthful of hilarity to my philosophy on food and the life therein!