Watchwords: An Appetite For 'h'orderves'? - Montreal Gazette
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In Omaha, Nebraska, there’s a “food truck catering company” with the great name of Mosaic Pickle. You can order things like bacon-wrapped dates, stuffed mushrooms, and angel eggs (“same as deviled eggs — but only heavenly”). These and other items fall under the category of “h’orderves.”
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Email Addressor View more offersArticle contentWhen a friend alerted me to the existence of “h’orderves” — he noticed the term in a forum discussing rosé wines — I didn’t believe him. I thought it was a one-off mistake by someone who’d quaffed a little too much rosé before pressing Send. But I was wrong. Back in 2011, in a Huffington Post column, Eric Lurio wrote: “We are told that after the tour is over, there’s a reception with lots of h’orderves.” Today, on the menu of the Cajun Country Event Center in Louisiana, you’ll find both “cold h’orderves” (such as bottled water) and “hot h’orderves” (such as coffee). I can forgive the Cajun Country Event Center, up to a point; it serves jambalaya too. What I find harder to forgive is the Oxford Handbook of Philosophy and Race (New York, 2017), in which a quasi-academic essay features this surprising boast: “I was asked by a Washington, D.C., literary agent at her posh Georgetown home enjoying h’orderves with other potential authors to write a book on Jesse Jackson.”
Article contentArticle contentAdvertisement 1Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentOver the past few decades, Americans have learned to spell quesadilla, sashimi and Sriracha. Have they forgotten how to spell hors d’oeuvres?
Article contentMany of them still remember, of course. But it’s worth thinking about why “h’orderves” is gathering force — and to ask if that ridiculous spelling might cross the border into Canada.
Article contentThe 2011 census in the United States showed that 1.3 million Americans speak French at home. It’s a substantial figure — although less than the number who speak Tagalog, Vietnamese or Chinese at home, and just a tiny fraction of the 37.5 million Americans whose home language is Spanish. Understandably, Spanish has displaced French as the second language in American education (of course, many U.S. students never take a class in anything except English). South of the border, French is on its way to becoming exotic.
Article contentOne consequence is that words like “hors,” in which two letters aren’t pronounced, and “oeuvres,” with its abundance of vowels, can act as stumbling blocks to comprehension. That single “d,” followed by an apostrophe, makes no sense if you don’t know French. And few non-francophones are adept at pronouncing “oeu.” The expression’s literal meaning — outside the works — is scarcely helpful. All in all, you can see why “hors d’oeuvres” poses problems. But what’s wrong with “appetizers,” anyway?
Article contentAdvertisement 2Story continues belowThis advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below.Article contentMy guess is that “appetizer” is not seen as classy enough in the posh Georgetown homes — even perhaps the Omaha food trucks — where hors d’oeuvres are served. In the United States, French food and wine retain a certain prestige. There was, admittedly, an attempt to turn french fries into “freedom fries” after France wisely refused to join the U.S. invasion of Iraq. But even in 2003, many American restaurants continued to serve “entrées,” accent often included, although American entreés have a different meaning than those in France, Britain or Quebec.
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Likewise, that baffling apostrophe in “h’orderves” may be felt to add a touch of class. Some websites, though, have begun to drop it, resulting now in the occasional “orderves.”
Article contentThis sorry transformation has a precedent. Think of “manoeuvre,” a French word still spelled like that in Britain and (usually) Canada. But in the United States, for the past century, the normal spelling has been “maneuver.” It’s simpler to write, especially if you don’t know French, and it suits the word’s English-language pronunciation. I wouldn’t bet against “orderves” sweeping America and heading north. Words containing apostrophes don’t last long in English — do they, Homer Simpson?
Article contentD’oh.
Article contentArticle contentAdvertisement 1This advertisement has not loaded yet.TrendingTag » How Do You Spell Appetite
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