Evidently presentation is everything when it comes to gourmet meals. I discovered this when I chased down the meaning of the word etiolate which I had come across in an article in the NY Times. The article was about a “ghost stroller” which has appeared on a street in New York, chained to a pole. It has been there for several weeks, seeming to be a memorial to a child who was killed there, but there is no record of that having happened. The author of the article referred to the white stroller as being etiolated.
So what does this “ghost stroller” have to do with gourmet meals? Well, the term etiolate is most frequently used to describe vegetables (especially asparagus) which have been bagged to prevent them from being exposed to the light. In doing so, the green color disappears and the chef is left with pure white asparagus. The word is pronounced “ee’ -tee-o-late” with the accent on the first syllable.
Why do this to asparagus? The only explanation I can find is that it provides a tasty vegetable that doesn’t clash in color with the plate on which it is served or the other items displayed on the plate. Evidently etiolating asparagus does not affect the taste, but makes the asparagus more attractive on plates with colors that don’t go well with green.
The “ghost stroller,” it turns out, has been painted white and there are no colors visible on it. I’m sure there is a message in all that.
The word can be used in other ways, as well. For instance, when someone is confronted by news that “drains” them, they can be said to have etiolated. Or a disease can be the cause of a person taking on an etiolated countenance.
So the word has a use in writing. I suspect that its use is somewhat limited, however. But you never know when it will come in handy.
I sure hope someone figures out why that etiolated stroller is on the sidewalk in New York.
Photo Credit: alphadictionary.com
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That’s the way the American English and the British English differ, Alan. Hitch up your braces, step off the lift and push your stroller to the park. Thanks for your comment.
I happened to know the meaning of the word “etiolate” but I had difficulty with “stroller”. I’m British, and to us a stroller is simply someone who strolls. We use “baby buggy” to describe a baby carriage.