Reading Between Really Simple Lines

Real Simple, despite its grammatically flawed moniker, is a hefty and well crafted magazine. It is one of the biggest success stories in publishing, right up there with O, Oprah’s category killer mag. I picked up an old issue while I was the gym and found a guide to “Reading Between the Lines,” or, how to decipher commonly misunderstood things.

For example, when reading a wine label, Olivier Flosse, the sommelier at Cafe Boulud, says. “Words like ‘reserve’ and ‘private selection’ basically mean nothing, they’re just marketing. Same for bin or bottle numbers. The grape, the winemaker and the vintage are the most important things on the label.”

Or, a Menu, according to Anthony Bourdain, executive chef at Les Halles in NYC.
“Watch out for a menu that is too big, with too many dishes, or one that mixes in foreign words or phrases…the word ‘fresh’ is also a warning bell. I’m assuming it’s fresh. Why lay it on so thick? Smacks of a guilty conscience.”