Biannual

biannual • \bye-AN-yuh-wul\ • adjective

1 : occurring twice a year

2 : occurring every two years (biennial?)

Culinary Olympics Begin in France
(published January 28, 2009)

"Tuesday was the opening of the Bocuse d’Or, the two-day, biennial global culinary contest founded by the 82-year-old master, Paul Bocuse, and considered by organizers the Olympics of cooking."

Bocuse d'Or is a cooking competition in Lyon that is held every two years. The competition is named after French chefPaul Bocuse. The first competition of this kind was in 1987. This contest attracts teams from all over the world; there are currently 24 slots available in the contest, and teams are admitted in a variety of ways. "The top 12 finalists of the Bocuse d'Or Europe qualify, from a pool of 20 nations; the top 4 finalists of Bocuse d'Or Asia qualify, from a pool of 12 nations; the top 3 finalists of the Copa Azteca Latin American competition qualify, from a pool of 12 nations. Furthermore 3 entrants are selected from national application, as well as 2 wild card selections" (Wikipedia). Each team has two chefs: one lead chef and an assistant chef (who must be under 22). They have 5 hours and 35 minutes to create the dishes they choose to present, and they do so in front of an audience, the press, and the jury who will decide the winners. Besides the grand prize and the silver and bronze medals, there are also prizes for individual achievements.

France has always been known for its gastronomical talents, but I actually was not aware of this competition. It's probably because American competitors have never finished higher than sixth place (so of course we never hear about it). It's a little like Iron Chef but not quite so quick.

So who won it this year? Norway. They got 20,000 euros and this trophy:

Diaphanous / Acedia (double post!)

As you may or may not know, Melissa and I just took comps last Thursday. During the study blitz leading up to the exam, I let this slide a bit, and so "acedia" is being presented alongside this week's word, "diaphanous". It's quite a juxtaposition. Anyway, you can comment on both of these or just one of them - your call.

diaphanous • \dye-AF-uh-nus\ • adjective

1 : of so fine a texture as to be transparent

2 : characterized by extreme delicacy of form : ethereal

3 : insubstantial, vague

Well, if I hadn't already talked about lace I might have used it here. It would certainly fit the definition.

The definition that inspired me was the second one, and I thought about les macarons. Delicious.



The picture above came from the Ladurée website, where you can also read a history of the macaron as it is known today.

There is often some confusion between macarons (the French pastries) and macaroons as we know them here. Macaroons as we know them are made with coconut and are usually kind of bumpy. Macarons are sandwiches made with cookies and fillings, and can be in any number of flavors. The best description of how a macaron should be can be found at Serious Eats. This site also tells you a little more about the history of the macaron before Ladurée.

Baking is generally very precise, but macarons require a high degree of delicacy and patience to come out just right. The flavor and texture are very important. Macarons aren't dense, but they are light and smooth. I don't know that I would have come up with diaphanous as an adjective for them on my own, but considering the definition I think it's appropriate.

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acedia • \uh-SEE-dee-uh\ • noun

: apathy, boredom

The first thing I thought of was ennui, which is more or less a synonym of acedia. Ennui indicates the same kind of boredom, disinterest, and lack of motivation that acedia does, but it is also often linked to depression. I tend to associate the idea of ennui (and thus also acedia) with French literature. Here's one good example.

In the introductory poem to Les Fleurs du mal, "Au lecteur," Charles Baudelaire invokes "l'Ennui" and laments its role as the ugliest and worst influence on society. We are human and prone to sin and wrongdoing, but Baudelaire claims that ennui is the ultimate danger. It may not seem like as evident a danger as things like murder and rape on the surface, but it lies beneath everything and threatens to undermine human relations. Baudelaire seems to indicate that it is the worst of the troubles that the devil has set upon society.

Read "Au lecteur" here (in the original French plus six different English translations).

Acedia and ennui are ideas that seem to come up time and time again in our society. We are so often dissatisfied with our lot in life that we detach from what's around us and continually ask ourselves, "What's the point?" Baudelaire's condemnation of ennui serves as a reminder that we have to care about and take interest in all aspects of society or else we'll never have any hope of getting beyond the other negative aspects of society. Ignorance isn't bliss; it's just a Band-Aid on a gaping wound - not good enough to heal anything.