elegance parisien

Simone Beck and Julia Child in the kitchen. Photo courtesy of the Chicago Tribune.

I am not sure why my 4-year old daughter loves so very much to watch old clips of Julia Child, but I am so very happy that she does. We enjoy these times together. I find it so very interesting that while I am trained as an architect, I am finding that I may have nearly as much enjoyment in life out of cooking, and finding great recipes, and then enjoying them ever so much the same.



Furthermore, I have always found it to be compelling that many architects, such as those working for Bing Thom Architects, and others I met in Vancouver, B.C. Canada, are avid lovers of excellent cuisine. Outside of the office, the number one thing we did while I was touring Vancouver and interviewing these architects was to eat the most delicious food.

Why, and I have asked this question before, why do architects love gourmet food? Why do we love its artform? While watching the "Spinach Twins" episode of Julia Child where both she and Simone Beck make a spinach pastry, I believe I finally came upon the reason why architects and cooking are interconnected.

While making the spinach pastry, Simone explains how important it is that the spinach, mushrooms, and ham are placed so precisely and carefully within the pastry dough. She talks about the food as if it is an artform. Julia comments with her usual laugh and says, "Well, yes, you know this is an example of elegance parisien!"

Ah ha, after having lived a year in Paris during undergraduate school, I do indeed know what Julia and Simone were referencing. It is not enough to make food for consumption, but it had better look good. To fulfill a simple set of parameters and to then forget entirely about the aesthetics by which that item is presented would be a great offense to the French people. Voila, the term "elegance parisien" emerges.

Any architect that practices excellent design would then find gourmet food pleasing because after all both in buildings and in food... we are searching for the same solution. A means to satisfy a human need while at the same time reaching out to make sure the end product is gorgeous. Happy baking!