Élan and eloquence in French language and the French coffee ritual

Dear friends, I live and work in Brussels, but I carry my heart (my homeland) on my sleeve. Every day before I go to work I pass by the Greek cafe for my favourite coffee. It is a social choreography ensouled as my friends who work there often draw hearts on the cup they offer me as we wish each other the best for the day.

I feel being seen, in this sense this vignette very much resonates with the essence of the language of my Greek origin. Light in the our coffee ritual is about the sense of I get you when it comes to sharing how we feel. This is related to how each language embodies the art of living-

Having said that let’s turn to the French coffee ritual:

To being with,

We will examine it in relation to elegance [1] (16=7) and élan ( 1+5= 6) both of which are characteristics of the French language and culture.

Let’s start with elegance which seems easier to describe. I could associate French elegance with the form of the Greek letters: the capital ones — poised, linear monumental and the small ones , fluid  melodic each balancing each other, with the French language dancing in between ~~

Elegance in the form of the French language

• Mot juste

This expression literally means the exact word. It encapsulates the pursuit of precision in speech and writing, however, it actually is so much more than finding a word that fits. It captures the though with perfect nuance, rhythm and resonance It is connected with:

• 1. Clarity as beauty

French literally tradition prizes clarity and lucidity over ornament. Le mot juste reflects this issue – it is associated with reduction of ambiguity to a crystalline phrase.

• 2. Brevity of expression

French writing from Blaise Pascal  to Albert Camus values brevity, clarity  an sharpness. French phrases are often compact yet potent.

• 3. Musicality of precision

French language is a language highly sensitive to euphony, the mot juste isn’t just semantically precise , it also  sounds right.

Imagine this

Apollonian choreography softened – French coffee ritual

A shot of espresso, a noisette, or cafe crème served in a small porcelain cup is  deliberate There is  no excess of  any ornaments and syrup.It has the elegance of minimalism, like pure geometric form, or the spatial silence of a leading hotel of the world The porcelain itself preserves heat well and releases aroma slowly something which makes each sip deliberate On another note it is inert and odourless, which means it doesn’t tint flavour.

Regarding small details, the French love nuance :

• The cup is never overfilled-  there is space for air;

• Micro gestures-  the silent etiquette :

• The silver spoon rests, not stirring too much but gliding;
  • Sugar  is used with intention, if used it is minimal fully dissolved;
  • Visual grammar: triad composition cup- saucer- spoon -add just one accent a square of chocolate and stop;
  • Colour discipline :white cup –silver spoon wood or linen beneath.

Turning to élan:

Élan

This word displays some of the quality it names. The  accent on the é certainly looks  ready to burst forth The word often seems to mean ‘flair’ or ‘verve’  but dictionaries describe it as ‘vivacity’, ‘impetuousness’, ‘dash’. The smooth and quick liquid sound of the word adds an elegance. Élan is seen in Élan Vιtal, a concept set forth by Henri Bergson in his book creative evolution , an idea of a kind of vital force in all things that wants to burst forth.

Élan in the French language

In French language it manifest itself through :

• Momentum in sound;

             Liaison and elision propel speech forward carrying the listener along;

• Exclamatory burst voila! Bon! explosions of energy as quick as an espresso shot;

• Irony and paradox turns of thoughts delivered lightly overriding expectation with wit.

Élan and French coffee ritual

 Turning back to the French coffee ritual some vignettes where it slips through are the following:

• The  sip of coffee sharp live – energizing it  as punctuation;

The turning of chair outwards the gaze sweeping the street ;

• The spoons three silent circles are tiny but full of style  this is not mechanical it is graceful as if the smallest act can carry poise;
• It is at times  bending  the rules just enough so that life sparks:

The terrace hums with its visual rhythm. Instead of turning your chair outward like everyone else you face slightly inward. When the waiter comes  you order not the expected quick cafe but a cafe crème at an hour most Parisians would not. The waiter raises an eyebrow but you are meeting him with a faint knowing smile The coffee arrives normally you get one sip in two 3 measured motions. Instead you let the cup stay untouched for a moment  Only after a pause do you lift it and take a sudden decisive sip to display passion ~

If coffee ritual for the Greeks is ontological , a sense of being seen, in French it is about, micro gestures of chic , the art of conversation and setting the table

I hope you enjoy your coffee in France – A votre santé !

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Fragnance card

World: The visible world- the ritual as culture choreography

Accord: French nuance, refinement

Undertones : Greek, clarity, geometric brilliance-  Hebrew, the undercurrent of rooted ritual

Aura : A porcelain cup leaving behind a trail  of warmth , lucidity and  elegance.

Pefumes are both science and poetry: If the mot juste is science, élan is the poetic touch-.

---

[1] 5+5+1+5 = 16=7.  We take the number   of each vowel of the word  in the English alphabet and add them. For example letter i has the value of 9. When we get a 2 digit number we add the digits again till we have a one digit number  This way I am creating links between words which have the same number through the entire blog.

---