Manon Fleury x Delphine de Vigan: the same sacred fire for human beings

There's the rightness of the words and the rightness of the seasonings. There's the rhythm of phrases, like the relief of textures on a plate. Their modes of expression may differ, but both use their left hands to transcribe their times, with the same end in mind: that their works be devoured. Both Delphine de Vigan and Manon Fleury are connected to reality, from which they draw common sources of inspiration to portray a sometimes violent world. The author and the chef played the game at this meeting organized by Gault&Millau at the Datil restaurant, nourishing the exchange with a shared sensitivity and benevolence. It was a first time as unsettling as a true story transcribed into a novel, and we were privileged witnesses to it.

Manon, why did you want to meet Delphine de Vigan?

Manon Fleury: I'm such a fan, and so proud to be able to meet her! In fact, I took "Rien ne s'oppose à la nuit" with me to get an autograph (smiles). She's the contemporary writer whose books I know. I've always been touched by their sensitivity. I started when I was a teenager with "Jours sans faim", when I went through a brief period of anorexia, so the story spoke to me.

Did you, Delphine, know Manon Fleury, her cooking and her various commitments?

Delphine de Vigan: I confess I discovered them when I studied the opportunity of this meeting. It seemed important to me to have an affinity with Manon's proposals. And that's exactly what happened, first of all, with everything you've developed around the human element, about violence in the kitchen. And then there's the cooking itself. I have a strong affinity for vegetables, even if I don't exclude animal proteins. In fact, I was very surprised not to have heard of your restaurant before this meeting. But it's true that my partner and I are more inclined to seek out gastronomic experiences in the regions, rather than in Paris where we have our neighborhood habits.

How do you choose the restaurants where you book Delphine?

D.D.V.: Guidebook awards can confirm or reinforce a desire, but I rely first and foremost on word-of-mouth.

M.F.: It's like literary prizes! The famous banners also encourage us to choose a book. And we may read a novel because it's been recommended to us.

Before lunch, you had a telephone conversation. What did you discuss?

M.F.: I wanted to ask Delphine about her tastes. They say so much about a personality, about who we are. They define us. I also wanted to check that they coincided with Datil's cooking. If I'd found out she liked prime rib, I'd have been annoyed (laughs). Fortunately, Delphine told me about fruit, almonds and so on.

D.D.V.: My diet has never really been carnivorous. Nowadays, I'm more aware of where products come from and whether they're in season.

Do you cook?

D.D.V.: When my children were younger, I used to cook a lot of Asian-inspired recipes, particularly Thai. My partner is a great cook! He loves it, so I've taken a bit of a break from the stove. I'd love to get back into it though. I've been getting back into it lately thanks to Ottolenghi's cooking. I really enjoy being the cook when I have guests at home. On the other hand, I apply recipes, I don't create. Manon, how did your switch to cooking come about, since I've read that you fantasize about food?

M.F.: That's true. In high school, I read a lot about cooking. I was obsessed with food. When I took classes in hypokhâgne, I related everything to food. For example, I chose subjects around malnutrition. In fact, at that time, I spent all day behind a desk, after having experienced top-level sport as a fencer. That year, I asked myself a lot of questions and ended up enrolling at Ferrandi, saying to myself "We'll see what happens". And yet, I didn't grow up in the restaurant culture. However, I was made aware of the importance of eating well from an early age. The fridge was stocked with seaweed and organic spreads. I had a deep connection with food, not cooking. I spent summers with my grandparents, who had orchards from which we picked fruit and made jam.

D.D.V.: My childhood memories were also marked by my grandmother in the kitchen. She was the family cook! For Christmas, she always made different flavors of ice cream. The challenge was to increase the panel. I remember a record 14 flavors!

Delphine, what is your relationship with food today?

D.D.V.: I went through a period of severe anorexia, for which I was hospitalized, and which I describe in part in "Jours sans faim". The state of malnutrition was like a drug at one point. I was looking for a form of anaesthesia for the hyperactive period I was going through. It gives you a certain feeling of power, like in sport. It gives the illusion of putting you at a distance from things when, in reality, you're destroying yourself. As I'm very sensitive, I felt I was protecting myself. When I recovered, I had to learn to eat again. I must say, though, that I've always loved to eat. In fact, I often say that anorexia is a disease of the appetite for life.

Could food, if not the restaurant business, be a source of inspiration for a future novel?

D.D.V.: It's not on the agenda yet, but why not? Cooking is a theme that has been taken up by many writers. In fact, novels are self-imposed and depend on real-life moments, like this encounter, which is likely to infuse. And finally, I'd ask Manon to come and do a workshop at your place (laughs). It's true that a meal in a restaurant is a source of emotions. I remember a friend who cried because she was so moved by a dish. I thought it was a beautiful thing that she took it upon herself to be overwhelmed by a taste experience. It's a moment that could inspire me. You can cry in front of a book just as you can in front of a plate.

There are so many similarities between literature and gastronomy. First of all, there's a real need for upstream research, a prerequisite for creativity...

M.F.: We meet with our producers for inspiration and to establish a relationship of trust, particularly by understanding their constraints. Then, storytelling is important for the coherence of our dishes. For example, the radish millefeuille we've just tasted was inspired by the radishes harvested by our market gardeners in the Paris region between November and February. Some are spicy, others sweet. Each product comes from a different terroir. We wanted to show how to adapt to these long radishes while following the famous radish/butter thread, hence the service of this hyper-regressive blini.

You also draw inspiration from the arts in all their diversity, why?

M.F.: It's important to cultivate one's imagination and to have diverse sources of representation. I love the Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-Eda and his film Still Walking. It's the story of a family meal. There's a scene in which the grandmother makes corn fritters, which we reproduced at Datil. I think it's interesting to start with an inspiring image and to have this moment of sharing with the team.

D.D.V.: It's funny how many parallels there are with literature. I'm thinking, for example, of the trigger that leads to creation. It could be a scene from a film, a news report or something like that. As far as I'm concerned, it's often something external that connects with the interior, by connecting with memories or sensations. It can also be smells, which suddenly strike. I'm also looking for this sensory connection. Reading isn't just something cerebral. I try to provoke something in the reader's body. The power or multiplication of adjectives, the violence of certain words, the rhythm of sentences all have an impact. You have to put everything together like a chef does with ingredients. The work of precision and accuracy is a real parallel.

Were you aware before this encounter that there was such a close relationship between your two disciplines?

D.D.V.: I certainly knew that gastronomy was an art form, in my opinion. The ephemeral doesn't change anything. A chef creates something, just as I create a book.

M.F.: I was talking to a jewelry designer recently, and we also found a lot of parallels, both in the time it takes to research and the time it takes to complete a creation. Sometimes, there are dishes that resist us and others with which it's crystal clear!

D.D.V.: Our texts too can resist us, and others are so easy to work with! I can use so many of the same words.