System D
Encyclopedia
System D is a shorthand term that refers back to the French word débrouillard or démerder. The verb se débrouiller means "to untangle". The verb se démerder means to literally to remove oneself from the shit. The basic theory of System D is that it is a manner of responding to challenges that requires one to have the ability to think fast, to adapt, and to improvise when getting the job done. It has the connotation of getting around the system, managing to accomplish, or breaking the rules.
The term gained wider popularity in the United States, after appearing in the 2006 publication of Anthony Bourdain
's The Nasty Bits
. Bourdain's sous-chef likens the use of System D to being a modern-day MacGyver
(i.e., one who is able to get the job done with a mix of whatever resources are available and a great deal of personal innovation).
In The Nasty Bits, Bourdain references first coming upon the term while reading Nicolas Freeling
's memoir, The Kitchen, written about Freeling's years as a Grand Hotel cook in France.
The term gained wider popularity in the United States, after appearing in the 2006 publication of Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Bourdain
Anthony Michael "Tony" Bourdain is an American chef, author and television personality. He is well known for his 2000 book Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly, and is the host of Travel Channel's culinary and cultural adventure program Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations.A...
's The Nasty Bits
The Nasty Bits
The Nasty Bits: Collected Varietal Cuts, Usable Trim, Scraps, and Bones, is a largely nonfiction New York Times bestselling book by Anthony Bourdain, published in 2006. The book is a collection of 37 exotic, provocative, and humorous anecdotes and essays, many of them centered around food, followed...
. Bourdain's sous-chef likens the use of System D to being a modern-day MacGyver
MacGyver
MacGyver is an American action-adventure television series created by Lee David Zlotoff. Henry Winkler and John Rich were the executive producers. The show ran for seven seasons on ABC in the United States and various other networks abroad from 1985 to 1992. The series was filmed in Los Angeles...
(i.e., one who is able to get the job done with a mix of whatever resources are available and a great deal of personal innovation).
In The Nasty Bits, Bourdain references first coming upon the term while reading Nicolas Freeling
Nicolas Freeling
Nicolas Freeling, born Nicolas Davidson , was a British crime novelist, best known as the author of the Van der Valk series of detective novels...
's memoir, The Kitchen, written about Freeling's years as a Grand Hotel cook in France.