# La cuisine est mise à toutes les sauces



## Icetrance

Hello,

En Lorraine et autour de Nancy, *la cuisine est mise à toutes les sauces*, en pot, en conserve, en pâté, en gelée, en eau-de-vie… et à tous les mots tant les intitulés des recettes sont splendides et témoignent du plaisir gourmand de la table cette région.

I would say: _In Lorraine and around Nancy, the cuisine fits the bill for all cooking occasions, whether its canning or making pâtés, jellies, spirits and jar food. _

Literally, "has been made to be suitable for all cooking situations."

J'ai peut-être tout faux.


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## floise

Hello Icetrance,

Maybe something like:

'...regional food products come in all shapes and sizes, from canned goods to preserves, from patés to jellies....'

floise


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## Icetrance

floise said:


> Hello Icetrance,
> 
> Maybe something like:
> 
> '...regional food products come in all shapes and sizes, from canned goods to preserves, from patés to jellies....'
> 
> floise



Thanks, maybe I'm not understanding this expression very well. But, I do see where you are coming from with this.

If something is "est mis à toutes les sauces", I thought it mean that is suited/adapted for every occasion.  Peut-être en comprends-je mal ici le sens.


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## floise

Icetrance,

Probably I've not understood it accurately. 

Let's see what others contribute.

floise


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## Icetrance

floise said:


> Icetrance,
> 
> Probably I've not understood it accurately.
> 
> Let's see what others contribute.
> 
> floise



I think you're on the right track, but my translation seems a bit more complicated. God, how did I come with that one?


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## jann

The TLF defines _à toutes les sauces_ as:


> De toutes les façons, sous toutes les formes


I think floise has understood it properly - in this case, it's not that the cuisine is _adapted _to many forms, but rather that it _takes_ many forms, i.e., in different combinations and permutations, different variations on a theme.  It makes culinary sense, after all - if you serve chicken in many different sauces, you've dressed it up differently, but it's still chicken. 

So the idiom is being turned on itself, you have _cuisine à toutes les sauces_, which would therefore be quite varied!


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## Icetrance

I got confused because one my dictionairies gives an example that is quite vague.

_Cet exemple est mis à toutes les sauces = This example has been adapted to all situations (or "many situations"). 

_This is why I've been so confused.
Literally, "has been put in all the sauces", which means it does take many forms, but couldn't it also mean that it's been "adapted to many forms"? Don't they really mean the same thing? Maybe, I'm completely wrong.

_La cuisine est mise à toutes les sauces = The cuisine covers the realm of cooking occasions_ (freezing, canning, making jellies, spirits, preserving, etc)

In other words, this cuisine has lots of variety, and thus can be adapted to any cooking situation: canning, making jellies, spirits, etc...

Your are both probably right...it's just that brain is in overdrive.


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## jann

I'm having second thoughts.

When you say that a person has been _mis(e) à toutes les sauces_, it means that you are making him do any job that's going.  And as you say, when an example is _mis à toutes les sauces_, it means it has been adapted to fit any case.

So there is an aspect of forcing the thing/person into all those different forms or variations... 

I think the French usage must be a bit of a stretch.  They wanted the word play, and they list many forms of cuisine (preserves, pâtés, liqueurs, etc)... but there's no real meaning.  I think it's just "cute."

For a similar effect in English, the cooking "comes in all flavors"... and then you would list salty things, sweet things, spicy, etc.  Of course this doesn't actually translate your text.

I wish we could get input from a native speaker regarding the original.


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## kme

jann said:


> I think the French usage must be a bit of a stretch. They wanted the word play, and they list many forms of cuisine (preserves, pâtés, liqueurs, etc)... but there's no real meaning. I think it's just "cute."
> 
> For a similar effect in English, the cooking "comes in all flavors"... and then you would list salty things, sweet things, spicy, etc. Of course this doesn't actually translate your text.


 
I think you're spot on with the word play... it just means, local specialities come in all different shape, size, flavour, process, variety...


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## wildan1

Yes, " sauce " is used in French to explain variety (cooking oblige !).

I think this has to be culturally adapted. Picking up on the flavors jann suggested, how about:

_In Lorraine, there's a different cooking flavor every month..._

(Ice cream shops here offer a _"flavor of the month,"_ and we use that term to talk about anything that is always changing or a brief popular focus: _"Getting friendly with France again is just Bush's flavor of the month."_)


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## Icetrance

kme said:


> I think you're spot on with the word play... it just means, local specialities come in all different shape, size, flavour, process, variety...



Je ne suis pas en désaccord avec toi, mais je dois dire que l'expression n'est pas tout à fait claire pour moi. Le sens peut changer considérablement selon le contexte. 

Literally, "_the cuisine has been put in all the sauces."_ 

Perhaps, "the cuisine is multi-dimensional", whether it's jellies, canning, etc...

In the beginning, I said _"the cuisine covers the realm of cooking occasions, whether it's jellies, spirits, etc"_,  which, to me, means pretty much the same thing as _"the cuisine is multi-dimensional, whether it's..."_


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## Punky Zoé

Icetrance said:


> I got confused because one my dictionairies gives an example that is quite vague.
> _Cet exemple est mis à toutes les sauces = This example has been adapted to all situations (or "many situations"). IMHO used in all situations would be better than adapted
> _


Hello
There is no link with any purpose of the packing/cooking forms. There is, as said before, a play on word on sauces - element of cooking - and "à toutes les sauces" - meaning the variety of packing.
(no question of fresh fooding here).
In Lorraine cooking is made in order to be eaten anytime, anywhere.


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## Icetrance

Punky Zoé said:


> Hello
> There is no link with any purpose of the packing/cooking forms. There is, as said before, a play on word on sauces - element of cooking - and "à toutes les sauces" - meaning the variety of packing.
> no question of fresh fooding here).
> In Lorraine cooking is made in order to be eaten anytime, anywhere.(seems like a very "liberal" translation, but you may know something that I do not know..lol)




Merci!

Peut-être si je disais: _Cuisine is Lorraine is served in all kinds of ways (as cans, jars, pâtés, jellies)_

When you say _"expressions à toutes les sauces_", aren't you saying that "all kinds of expressions."


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## floise

Icetrance,

I don't think you can say in English 'Cuisine in Lorraine is served....' One cannot really 'serve cuisine'.

Maybe something like (I know this is similar to my original post (2)):

'Evidence of regional cuisine can be found in products of every shape and size, be it canned goods, preserves, patés, jellies,....'

floise


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## Punky Zoé

> In Lorraine cooking is made in order to be eaten anytime, anywhere.(seems like a very "liberal" translation, but you may know something that I do not know..lol)


Not a translation, an explanation ! 
About "expressions à toutes les sauces", I would say expressions used for all purposes.


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## BigRedDog

floise said:


> Hello Icetrance,
> 
> Maybe something like:
> 
> '.*..regional food products come in all shapes and sizes, from canned goods to preserves, from patés to jellies....*'
> 
> floise



What is everybody thinking about?!! floise translation is *excellent*!! 

A large part of the confusion stems from the fact that the author is using an idiomatic expression (as often in French referring to cooking but *never *used in this context anymore) in the context of cuisine just for the sake of a pun. 

So let's be clear: 
"mettre à toutes les sauces" is in fact usually pejorative and means something like "to use in as many forms or versions possible" 

So floise succeeded in rendering both the meaning and the pun. Can't ask for better than that!!


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## wildan1

BigRedDog said:


> So let's be clear:
> "mettre à toutes les sauces" is in fact usually pejorative and means something like "to use in as many form or version possible"


 
A way to replicate the coincidence of a saying that comes from cooking but doesn't have a culinary meaning anymore (like _à toutes les sauces)_ is _"slice it and dice it" --_ phrase popularized by those people at a fair or show who sell cheap kitchen tools that will cut a cucumber or carrot in five different ways.

_In Lorraine they can *slice and dice* menu choices any way you want._

(It often just means to break something down in detail in different ways -- "_He is slicing and dicing the data to see what he finds."_ In that case it is not pejorative.)


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## GamblingCamel

_Icetrance_:
Don't you have to make sure that however you translate _à toutes les sauces _is parallel with your EN translation of _à tous les mots_ ?


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## floise

GamblingCamel,

Bravo. The whole context has not been taken into consideration here, so focused we all were on the part of the sentence preceding the ....

But I don't think that 'à tous les mots' is idiomatic, so that's one less hurdle.

And technically, a discussion of the second part of the sentence would necessitate opening a separate thread, right?

floise


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## Icetrance

Punky Zoé said:


> Not a translation, an explanation !
> About "expressions à toutes les sauces", I would say expressions used for all purposes(c'est bien ça).


 
I still like _"covers the realm of cooking situations_". You can do anything you want with "cuisine lorraine."


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## Icetrance

Perhaps, "there's a recipe for everything from jellies, canned foods, etc..."

I believe, as I said above, that the idea is that lorraine cuisine covers all cooking situations (lots of variety).

Anyways, I think the original French is silly...ça tente de faire de l'esprit, mais je pense que c'est mal réussi. 

Btw, "lorraine cuisine comes in all sizes and shapes" sounds very silly in English, especially in the context of food.


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## floise

Icetrance said:


> Btw, "lorraine cuisine comes in all sizes and shapes" sounds very silly in English, especially in the context of food.



Hi Icetrance,

Here are some google examples of the use of 'comes in all shapes and sizes' in food contexts:

Restaurateurs beefing up menus in *all shapes and sizes

*It *comes in all shapes and sizes* - fresh, soft, semi-cured and dry to name a few.

Sweet German dishes also *come in all shapes and sizes*.

 The diverse köftes of *all shapes and sizes* are a culinary world of their own. *...

*Barbeque *comes in all shapes and sizes*, but nothing compares to *...

*They *come in all shapes and sizes*: from little nuggets hiding a peanut to white discs marbled *...

*Today, frozen dinners *come in all shapes and sizes*. *...

*Cafés ( kavine ) *come in all shapes and sizes*: some are trendy and modern *...

*Food products *come in all shapes and sizes* and it is very difficult to decipher what you need and what is good for you. Just seeing the wrapper does not *.

*Pumpkin pie, as traditional a dessert as they *come*, still *comes in all shapes* *and sizes*.

Comfort foods *come in all shapes and sizes*, *...
*
And there are lots more. floise


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## Icetrance

floise said:


> Hi Icetrance,
> 
> Here are some google examples of the use of 'comes in all shapes and sizes' in food contexts:
> 
> Restaurateurs beefing up menus in *all shapes and sizes*
> 
> It *comes in all shapes and sizes* - fresh, soft, semi-cured and dry to name a few.
> 
> Sweet German dishes also *come in all shapes and sizes*.
> 
> The diverse köftes of *all shapes and sizes* are a culinary world of their own. *...*
> 
> Barbeque *comes in all shapes and sizes*, but nothing compares to *...*
> 
> They *come in all shapes and sizes*: from little nuggets hiding a peanut to white discs marbled *...*
> 
> Today, frozen dinners *come in all shapes and sizes*. *...*
> 
> Cafés ( kavine ) *come in all shapes and sizes*: some are trendy and modern *...*
> 
> Food products *come in all shapes and sizes* and it is very difficult to decipher what you need and what is good for you. Just seeing the wrapper does not *.*
> 
> Pumpkin pie, as traditional a dessert as they *come*, still *comes in all shapes* *and sizes*.
> 
> Comfort foods *come in all shapes and sizes*, *...*
> 
> And there are lots more. floise


 
Thanks, but are they translated from another language? I just don't like it. But, that doesn't mean you're wrong. lol. I value your opinion very much, Floise.

Yes, I know it's a play on words, but I know what it means in my head, but I am not satisfied with any translation given, including my own. I don't think that "covers all cooking occasions" is wrong, but I don't love it either. 

Is this idea that you can do anything with the "la cuisine lorraine"? It's very flexible, that's why it can be preparted in so many ways. There's a recipe for anything.


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## floise

Hi Icetrance,

No, I don't think those are translated from other languages, but I did not verify. 

May I make one more suggestion:

'Lorraine's cuisine finds its expression in a whole array of products, from x to y, etc.'

floise


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## BigRedDog

What about:

 In Lorraine and around Nancy, you can only wonder what’s in (the food) store for you :


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## Icetrance

floise said:


> Hi Icetrance,
> 
> No, I don't think those are translated from other languages, but I did not verify.
> 
> May I make one more suggestion:
> 
> 'Lorraine's cuisine finds its expression in a whole array of products, from x to y, etc.'
> 
> floise


 
Now, I'm hard to please, but I think that is nice

But, I'm not sure why I also take this to mean "you could do anything with food in the region". That's why I said "covers all cooking situations", or "there's a recipe for anything."

I've always understood this expression before in different contexts, but it's really hurt my brain this time. Once in a while, there comes along a French sentence that I just can't seem to grasp too well.


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## Icetrance

BigRedDog said:


> What about:
> 
> In Lorraine and around Nancy, you can only wonder what’s in (the food) store for you :


 
I like the idea behind this, but I wouldn't say quite like that. But, no, it's not bad at all.


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## BigRedDog

What about:

 In Lorraine and around Nancy, you will find everything from soup to nuts:


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## Punky Zoé

IMHO, and according to my poor understanding in English, I think all the suggestions missed one of the French meaning : cooking is part of culture in Lorraine, "à toutes les sauces" signifie aussi que la cuisine est omniprésente, on la pratique dans toutes ses formes.


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## BigRedDog

Punky Zoé said:


> IMHO, and according to my poor understanding in English, I think all the suggestions missed one of the French meaning : cooking is part of culture in Lorraine, "à toutes les sauces" signifie aussi que la cuisine est omniprésente, on la pratique dans toutes ses formes.



Do you honestly know of any part of France to which this doesn't apply?!! C'mon punky Zoé!!


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## Nicomon

floise said:


> May I make one more suggestion:
> 
> 'Lorraine's cuisine finds its expression in a whole array of products, from x to y, etc.' floise


 
I'm late at the party, but so far, this one gets my vote Why? Because the word "expression" would also work fine with the second part of the sentence... words.


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## Teafrog

I also late at the party (sorry if I missed the aperitif ).
How about “In Lorraine and the Nancy are, cooking is fully adaptable…” ?



floise said:


> …  '...regional food products come in all shapes and sizes, from canned goods to preserves, from patés to jellies....'


 



Punky Zoé said:


> … "à toutes les sauces" signifie aussi que la cuisine est omniprésente, on la pratique dans toutes ses formes.


That's the way I understaood it. This expression can be used for all sorts of situations, and not only for food.



floise said:


> … 'Lorraine's cuisine finds its expression in a whole array of products, from x to y, etc.' …


 nicely said


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## Icetrance

Teafrog said:


> I also late at the party (sorry if I missed the aperitif ).
> How about “In Lorraine and the Nancy are, cooking is fully adaptable…”



Well, that's how I originally understood it, Teafrog.  My original translation was "The cuisine in Lorraine and in around Nancy covers the realm cooking occasions. In other words, it's very rich in variety, and there's a recipe for anything.

But, I've been told that there is no notion of "adaptability", although it clearly seems that it's implied.  I'm not anyone understands where I'm coming from in this whole thread. Maybe, I'm just hopelessly confused to some degree.

That's said I think Floise's last translation is fine.


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## wildan1

Icetrance said:


> Teafrog said:
> 
> 
> 
> I also late at the party (sorry if I missed the aperitif ).
> How about “In Lorraine and the Nancy are, cooking is fully adaptable…” ?
> 
> Well, that's how I originally understood it, Teafrog. My translations was "The cuisine in Lorraine and in around Nancy covers the realm cooking occasions. In other words, it's very rich in variety, and there's a recipe for anything.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Well, if that's the sense you get from it, try this:
> 
> _Cuisine in Nancy and the Lorraine region is very *eclectic...*_
Click to expand...


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## BigRedDog

Here is another one:

 In Lorraine and around Nancy, all sizzle yet there is steak aplenty:


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## Icetrance

BigRedDog said:


> Here is another one:
> 
> In Lorraine and around Nancy, all sizzle yet there is steak aplenty:



Je préfère celle proposée avant celle-ci.  Tes traductions sont...comment dirais-je...mignonnes. Franchement, je n'emploirais ni l'autre ni l'autre. 

As-tu d'autres à proposer? Je le dis avec sérieux.


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## BigRedDog

Ok so before I go cute again , let me remind you that "A toutes les sauces" is an expression ...well familiar enough; nothing close from some of the (over-) sophistication I've seen here and then.


Local cuisine let you enjoy every  possible dish from soup to nuts whether in pots, preserves, pâté, aspic, “à  l’eau-de-vie” … and every word as well, so delectable  are those recipes titles showing that “Les plaisirs de la table” have been here elevated to an art of life.


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