Are you confused about crudité, relish trays, charcuterie, Pootie Tang, Jean Nate? I hope by this time you are laughing because when I was thinking about this column, I was on the floor. I was talking to a few lady friends about the words crudité and charcuterie, and we were confused—were they two different things? A friend who was not part of this discussion tried to tell me that I was mispronouncing the words, he said crudité was pronounced charcuterie and they were one and the same. Because I didn’t feel like challenging him at the time, I let it go. But in the beauty shop, me and a few other ladies decided to get to the bottom of this critical issue so that we would never be corrected again. Crudites are French appetizers consisting of sliced or whole raw vegetables that are typically dipped in a vinaigrette or other dipping sauce. Examples of crudites include celery sticks, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks, bell pepper strips, broccoli and cauliflower. Back in the day, it was referred to as a relish tray. Crudites means raw things. So, what is a charcuterie board? Typically, it consists of cured meats, various cheeses, olives, nuts, fruit, crackers or small slices of bread and jelly or jam. So yes, two different things. You can actually order a board that is especially for charcuterie, or at least that is what they are telling you. Pull out a cutting board or a large platter, and it will serve the same purpose. Words are so funny, and my hope for 2023 is that people will use the proper word at the proper time and not let their computers or social media determine which word to use. One of my biggest pet peeves is to hear people say they are going to Giant Eagles. I always wonder how many stores are you going to? More than one? This column isn’t long enough to talk about all of the words that are used incorrectly. As for Pootie Tang and Jean Nate, I threw those in because they seemed to fit with the other words and they made me laugh. Yes, more laughter in 2023.
Email the columnist at debbienorrell@aol.com
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