System D

What MacGyver (and cooks in extremis) uses to “get out of the weeds”—meaning, any corner-cutting improvisation, shortcut, substitution, or sleazy abrogation of policy to attain one’s ends. Classic French bistros, with their tiny kitchen spaces, are a breeding ground for every variety of System D trickery. A classic (and unforgivable) System D move would be to sear a duck breast stone raw, slice it, then “color” it, or finish it under the broiler or salamander. Or squeeze a medium-rare filet with one’s total body weight to make it “medium.” Or use a microwave for anything.