The word “bourgeois” has a long history, and its meaning has shifted many times. In the context of Tender at the Bone, “bourgeois” is repeatedly used—by Reichl and by her friends—to describe the upper-middle class and upper class and their conventional values. They speak about shedding bourgeois values as a part of their embrace of Bohemianism. For Reichl, this rejection of the bourgeois is both political and personal: She identifies her parents as bourgeois people, and distancing herself from bourgeois values is a way to distance herself from them.

Although in America “chartreuse” is most often thought of as a bright green-yellow color—or perhaps as the herbal liqueur of a similar color—in Reichl’s memoir it refers to a high-status and old-fashioned French cooking technique. A “chartreuse of partridge”—a dish that Reichl has at the du Croix residence in Quebec—refers to partridge meat layered with vegetables in an elaborate pattern and cooked in a dome-shaped mold.

“Comme il faut” is a French idiomatic expression that means “as it is necessary” and refers to having correct manners or conforming to accepted standards. When Reichl uses this expression in Chapter 7 to mock her mother’s expectations for her behavior, she ironically uses the French expression rather than an English equivalent in order to point out another of her mother’s bourgeois beliefs—that it is sophisticated and high-class to speak French.

Croquettes are small, deep-fried rolls of chopped fish, meat and/or vegetables coated with breading. They entered American cuisine from French cooking, although similar dishes are made in other world cuisines. They peaked in popularity in the early-to-mid 20th century. Although originally intended as a way to use up leftover scraps, they became a popular feature of ladies’ luncheons in America. They are mentioned in Chapter 2 as a dish that Reichl’s maternal grandmother challenges Alice to make for Reichl.

“Hors d’oeuvre” is a French expression meaning “outside the work.” It has historically been used in American English to refer to a selection of small or bite-sized dishes served on their own, but in recent years the term has become essentially synonymous with “appetizers” and is often used to refer to a course served as the first part of a multi-course meal. The term is used in Chapter 1, when Reichl is inventorying the foods Miriam has laid in for Bob’s engagement party.

In Chapter 4, when Reichl attends a boarding school in Montreal, in Canada’s Quebec Province, she discovers a local specialty called smoked meat. This is a salted, spiced, and smoke-cured brisket often sliced and served as a sandwich meat, similar to pastrami or corned beef. Smoked meat of this kind is closely tied to Quebecois cultural identity.

Reichl makes a dish called matzo brei for her friends in Chapter 5. This dish consists of eggs scrambled with a flat, cracker-like bread called matzo. Matzo is a traditional part of Jewish culture and cuisine. It is unleavened and therefore approved (kosher) for the Passover holiday, during which no leavening must be consumed. Miriam is delighted to see Reichl making matzo brei for her friends because it means not only that Reichl is “not lonely,” but also that she takes her pride in her heritage and wishes to share it with her friends (87).

“Tabula rasa” is a Latin expression that means “blank slate.” It idiomatically refers to the condition of having no prior knowledge or information. Reichl uses this expression in Chapter 6 when she is explaining her decision to attend the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Ann Arbor, she reasons, is far enough away from her parents and unfamiliar enough to her that she can have a completely fresh start. It will be a “blank slate” upon which she can write whatever identity and future she desires, unconstrained by her past.