Ça ne se fait pas.” It is not done. “Non, Stéphanie, ça ne se fait pas” were the words that regularly affronted my innocent creative bohemia. I was all of 18 years old, literally fresh off the boat, bright-eyed and ready for adventure. I would walk around the streets of Paris armed with Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast furiously smoking too many cigarettes and drinking far too many espressos, which were then too bitter for my taste but it didn’t matter simply because in my head, ça se faisait. It was done.
Smoking, eating, drinking … a decadent year of discovery in the guise of “culinary school.” No longer a child but not quite an adult, indulging in all the pleasures the City of Lights had to offer. So you can imagine how difficult it was to accept that on one of my first days at Le Cordon Bleu, where I had decided to stuff my roast chicken with lemon and rosemary, generously rub cracked black pepper on the skin and then serve it adorned with scattered pinches of smoked paprika hoping to impress the chef, I received a scolding instead: “Ça ne se fait pas.”
It was during those formative years, my six years in France, that I learned to truly appreciate life the way the French do, and it all begins with respect, even more so in the realm of gastronomy. One has to respect tradition, technique, history — the intrinsic quality of things — to master it all before even attempting to make your own variations. It’s a tedious process, not for the fainthearted, where the title “chef” is earned through years of hard work and merit and not simply because you were handed a certificate. Where there is a complicit understanding between establishments and diners and everything on the plate is eaten without excess adornment (mint jelly? Steak sauce? Salt?) — the acceptance of the fact that how it was served is how it ought to be… A respect for ingredients and fresh produce and where it comes from… Where the administrative regions and landscapes are closely linked to the agricultural production and the unique concept of terroir… Where a menu can read Un Bel Artichaut et Sa Vinaigrette (A beautiful artichoke and its vinaigrette) and garner the same “ooh la la” as a cote de boeuf. No ingredient is too small or insignificant in France, where recipes for sauces read more like a plan for inception with a sauce within a sauce within a sauce, thus making the Maître Saucier one of the most important people in the kitchen.
It comes as no surprise that French cuisine was inscribed into UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage — a living, evolving monument, a pillar of French national culture born out of this inherent love to eat. And not just simply eat but truly eat well. The iconic Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin, who dedicated thousands of words to The Physiology of Taste and Meditations on Transcendental Gastronomy, put it most aptly when he declared, “Those persons who suffer from indigestion, or who become drunk, are utterly ignorant of the true principles of eating and drinking.” In layman’s terms, ce n’est pas pour s’empiffrer mais pour se faire plaisir: It’s basically not about stuffing but taking pleasure.
It was in Paris where I cried after experiencing the most beautiful sole Meunière ever. The maître d’hôtel deftly deboned and filleted the noble fish tableside and I waited with bated breath and mounting anticipation. A light, crisp golden coating of flour with that rich, buttery flavor gave way to a cloudlike flesh, perfectly seasoned with a touch of brightness from a gentle squeeze of lemon. Perhaps it was the abundant wine and the wonderful company, but the beauty of the simplicity and perfection of it all profoundly touched my soul.
It was at the kitchens of the Ritz where I first tried les girolles, perfectly cooked fresh chanterelles in brown butter, earthy with a hint of garlic and chervil. The exact balance of crisp and tender burnt sweetness in a cannelé in Bordeaux. And frankly, I am not sure where exactly I was in France, which restaurant or who I was with, perhaps due to the copious amounts of wine, but I do vividly remember the moment. That glorious moment where I discovered Époisses: runny, almost liquid, stunningly pungent, velvety and rich, aggressively charming, then turning into a delicate being with a gentle, nutty quality when paired with a Pouilly-Fuissé.
Whenever I go back to France I feel at home. In my element. Complete with the same love-hate relationship that the French have with themselves and their culture and politics. I would use in French the word “rentrer,” which means “to go home” instead of the more correct partir, which is “to go to.” I feel like it’s a pilgrimage. I go back to old favorites and wander about, flâner, allow it to take hold and bring about whatever culinary pleasures it has to offer.
Fortunately this week one doesn’t need a one-way ticket to Paris to experience the same as the French Embassy officially launches the beginning of the Semaine Gastronomique or Gastronomic Week, where a number of exciting activities are held in honor of its gastronomical heritage. In partnership with the French Chamber of Commerce and the Mercato Centrale Group, the outdoor food market common to the streets of France will be making its way to Bonifacio Global City on Oct. 18 at the Mercato Centrale tent. The public will be able to choose from different culinary offerings and organic produce and participate in various activities such as cooking demonstrations, wine appreciation classes, and pétanque games. If sitting at the table is more your speed, participating French restaurants such as Aubergine, Brasserie Girolle, Le Champêtre, and Le Jardin will be preparing special set menus throughout the month of October to give the public the best French culinary experience the metro has to offer.
SM Aura Premier will also be hosting a special wine and cheese festival at the Level 1 Atrium ongoing until Oct. 17.
One of the leading oenologists in the world, Jacques Puisais, and Dr. Georges Halpern, a well-respected health specialist and academician, will grace the weeklong event. Based at Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Dr. Halpern specializes in internal medicine and nutrition and has been published extensively in various academic journals.
Puisais, known as the “Poet of Wine,” is the founder of France’s Ecole du Goût and a founding member of the Chaine des Rôtisseurs. He is credited for being a pioneer in the development of the rules in the art of wine pairing.
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For information, visit www.ambafrance-ph.org or the Embassy of France Facebook page www.facebook.com/FrenchEmbassyManila.