Sensual Living: An Epicurean Life Defined

With the exception of the correct pronunciation of this blog's title, the question of what the meaning of "epicurean lifestyle" is one that I receive fairly often.

(To set the record straight, goûter is the French verb, "to taste," and it is also the masculine noun for "a snack." It is pronounced: "goo-tay", not "goo-ter," certainly not "gow-ter" and not "goo-tee-ay." To those who can't pronounce this word -- you know who you are, and let's practice saying it together sometime.)

The word "epicurean" comes from the 3rd and 4th century Greek philosopher, Epicurus, who initiated the Epicureanism movement in a school that started in his home. The school taught the principles of pleasure and sensual living, with an optimistic and secular world view with humans and relationships at the center. He taught his philosophy in the garden of his home; the gate of the school's garden bore the inscription: "Stranger, here you will do well to tarry; here our highest good is pleasure."

Epicurus' school was the first Greek philosophy school to admit women, and it stressed the importance of friendship and kinship through its teachings about following a life of pleasure. Epicurus glorified the body, and developed a non-religious spirituality through his belief in pain and pleasure as measures to know evil from good. Contrary to criticisms of his philosophy, Epicurus did not advocate hedonistic revelry: "By pleasure we mean the absence of pain in the body and of trouble in the soul. It is not an unbroken succession of drinking-bouts and of revelry, not sexual lust, not the enjoyment of the fish and other delicacies of a luxurious table, which produce a pleasant life; it is sober reasoning, searching out the grounds of every choice and avoidance, and banishing those beliefs through which the greatest tumults take possession of the soul. Of all this the beginning and the greatest good is wisdom." [From Letter to Menoeceus] Instead, he posited that pleasure is (when taken in measure) a kind of human divinity that should be celebrated and admired:

Epicurus did recognize the potential problems with a life of pleasure: "No pleasure is a bad thing in itself, but the things which produce certain pleasures entail disturbances many times greater than the pleasures themselves." [8th Principal Doctrine] So what happens when Epicureans go wild? The ubiquitous restaurant critic of the New York Times, Frank Bruni, published an article in yesterday's paper entitled: "Fine Diner to Riffraff: Tipsy Tales of 4-Star Benders." Mr. Bruni goes inside New York's most lavish restaurants to find that despite the most formal décor, some restaurant-goers have hard time maintaining decorum.

Mr. Bruni cheekily recounts some of the most raucous and raunchy stories from New York's finest epicurean destinations. There is episode of the table-top dancing woman at Daniel; skinny-dipping in the restaurant pool at the Four Seasons; Sex-sous-la-Table; Sleeping between courses at Picholine; and countering foie gras protesters by showing bodily proof of the effects of "fat liver" on a fat man.

Clearly, these diners are hardly epicureans because they lack the most important qualities of an epicurean life: temperance, wisdom and appreciation. Perhaps I should correct myself; I am sure that some of them heartily appreciated their meals and their misadventures. I certainly enjoyed reading about them. But what is epicureanism, and what does an epicurean life mean?

I've been called a "flâneuse" after Baudelaire's "Le Flâneur." From the French "flâner," "to stroll," the term describes he or she who strolls city streets and takes the role of the detached observer. To me, this love of ambling about and observing my environment is a product of my epicurean lifestyle. I lived my life in Paris almost entirely through my senses; the above picture is of the table of my 21st birthday, where I celebrated with my dearest of friends at my favorite Moroccan Restaurant, 404 Restaurant Familial in the Marais district. After our dinner of lamb and vegetable tagines, couscous, fresh salads, North African wine, and honey-drenched sweets with mint tea poured from on high, we lingered around a table cluttered with glasses of all shapes and sizes that sparkled in the dancing candlelight.

I observe, I read, I taste, I touch, I feel. Cooking for me is an incredibly sensual experience: my hands are my tools. I cannot cook without touching and tasting everything. If this is a surprise or repulsive to you, just have a look inside any professional kitchen -- you're not the first to taste what has been put on your plate. I believe that part of being a good chef means having a relationship with your food; if you can pick your vegetables, get your fingers covered in the earth. Go to a spice market and let the spice aromas dance under your nose. Always taste while you are cooking so that the flavor romances you as your meal unfolds. Eat with those whom you love, for eating is a communal experience to be done slowly, with attention, and with care.

This savoring of food, ingredients, time and friends is part of what defines an epicurean lifestyle for. Of course, one should always save room for dessert -- for what would a life of good taste be with a sweet and happy ending?


Epicurus, from Letter to Menoeceus:

"We must remember that the future is neither wholly ours nor wholly not ours, so that neither must we count upon it as quite certain to come nor despair of it as quite certain not to come."



404 Restaurant Familial

69, Rue des Gravilliers

75003 Paris
+(33) 1 42 74 57 81



Leave me a comment with your definition of epicurean lifestyle. And as always: bon appétit!