New Year's Eve and The Great Perhaps
On his deathbed, a French writer says something kinda cool.
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As he was dying, the 16th century French writer Francois Rabelais supposedly said this:
I go to seek a great perhaps.
Deathbed utterances seem to carry lots of power, spoken with one foot out the door. Thoreau was asked by a well-meaning relative if he'd made his peace with God.
"I didn't know we had ever quarreled," he answered.
But The Great Perhaps?
It has a symphonic quality to it, a stunning way to describe hope. And hope — with one foot in 2025, and the other stepping out into 2026 — is a good friend to have right now.
Sum up 2025? I laughed more than I ever have in one year, and also wept more than I ever have in one year. (Do they go hand-in-hand?)
I first heard of Rabelais's The Great Perhaps from Ross McCammon's column in the Texas Monthly; he got it from Larry McMurtry's uncle, who wrote the phrase in a letter.
So, from France to Texas to Chattanooga.
The Great Perhaps doesn't ignore heartache, cruelty and chaos; it just pushes more chips in on the possibility of communion, love and the synchronicity and surprise that life can bring.
The Great Perhaps uses attitude and intention as its compass, not getting lost in the things that can't happen, may not happen, probably won't happen or couldn't even be imagined to happen.
Yet ... those things? That's where my mind often goes.
The Great Perhaps is ultimately a statement of faith that rides shotgun as we set out on whatever crossroads and journeys are before us.
A decision about work. Or family. Or illness. Or new year. Or, for the Frenchman, death.
"Going toward the great perhaps means setting out for there but having faith only that you will get somewhere. The important part is the setting out. Not knowing where you'll end up makes the effort noble," McCammon writes.
No doubt 2026 will shake our cages. You may be facing one of those 3 am decisions (can't sleep, mind going upstairs and down, trying to figure things out) or life may decide things for you in some uncontrollable way. We've known both.
Regardless, my hope: somewhere along the year, The Great Perhaps becomes very true for you and us all.
Like the Gentry brothers, who launched a brewery in 1993 — you're doing what? A brewery? Downtown? — which was about as bold a decision as they come.
Lo and behold, it changed everything. That was a Great Perhaps moment for our city.
This Sunday, we'll look back at our Food as a Verb photos and moments from 2025.
But for now, whatever glass you're raising tonight, we toast you: to The Great Perhaps in 2026.
This coming year, we've got our eye on a few things already.
- Hungry Mother, the Houston Street breakfast/lunch deli that we keep hearing fabulous things about.
One friend goes each Saturday. He stopped by on another weekday, but Hungry Mother was closed.
"I had tears in my eyes," he said.
- Kenny's Southside Sandwiches on Market St. Owner Caroline Curtis is an all-star, pushing the Market St. restaurant into the next tier. Kenny's occupies that oft-forgotten block between Main Street and Warehouse Row, and Caroline — possibly the youngest female restaurant owner in town — has some brilliant ideas for 2026.
- This spring, Lupi's Pizza Pies turns 30. We can't overstate the importance of Dorris Shober (but we'll keep trying) and what Lupi's has done to our city and region.
- Chef Andrew Millsap and Old Man Rivers at the foot of Signal Mountain. If you haven't been, go. It's packed every time we walk in the door and for good reason. Our old friend Alex Rivers has created something special here.
- The return of Mac's Kitchen & Bar. The opening of Garth Poe and Chef Joe Milenkovic's new joint. The spring-time opening of the HiLo Market, our city's true Saturday green farmer's market.
- The ongoing crisis facing the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, and the deeper crisis facing the thousands and thousands of people who rely on it.
- And the ongoing elevation of our city via the six regional restaurants named to the Michelin Guide.
Really, both these stories are the top stories for 2025 and into 2026.
On one end of the spectrum, people are hungrier as instability rises. The Food Bank faces its second toughest year in a row. (Did you read about the two working moms trying to help?)
On the other end, the Michelin Guide, which is the high water mark for our city in its food and culinary history. Six local restaurants — three owned by the paragon Amanda and Chef Erik Niel — in a global guide seen as unparalleled in its reviews by diners across the world.
Have you been to these six restaurants?
It feels like the best of times and some of the toughest of times, to tweak Dickens. Where is the line that runs between each end of the spectrum? It's there, I know it.
So, into The Great Perhaps: more abundance, more common ground, more moments where the headaches and heartaches don't come true.
Happy 2026, Food as a Verb family. Blossoms are right around the corner.
Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com
This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.
food as a verb thanks our sustaining partner:
food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:
Mapleleaf Realco
As he was dying, the 16th century French writer Francois Rabelais supposedly said this:
I go to seek a great perhaps.
Deathbed utterances seem to carry lots of power, spoken with one foot out the door. Thoreau was asked by a well-meaning relative if he'd made his peace with God.
"I didn't know we had ever quarreled," he answered.
But The Great Perhaps?
It has a symphonic quality to it, a stunning way to describe hope. And hope — with one foot in 2025, and the other stepping out into 2026 — is a good friend to have right now.
Sum up 2025? I laughed more than I ever have in one year, and also wept more than I ever have in one year. (Do they go hand-in-hand?)
I first heard of Rabelais's The Great Perhaps from Ross McCammon's column in the Texas Monthly; he got it from Larry McMurtry's uncle, who wrote the phrase in a letter.
So, from France to Texas to Chattanooga.
The Great Perhaps doesn't ignore heartache, cruelty and chaos; it just pushes more chips in on the possibility of communion, love and the synchronicity and surprise that life can bring.
The Great Perhaps uses attitude and intention as its compass, not getting lost in the things that can't happen, may not happen, probably won't happen or couldn't even be imagined to happen.
Yet ... those things? That's where my mind often goes.
The Great Perhaps is ultimately a statement of faith that rides shotgun as we set out on whatever crossroads and journeys are before us.
A decision about work. Or family. Or illness. Or new year. Or, for the Frenchman, death.
"Going toward the great perhaps means setting out for there but having faith only that you will get somewhere. The important part is the setting out. Not knowing where you'll end up makes the effort noble," McCammon writes.
No doubt 2026 will shake our cages. You may be facing one of those 3 am decisions (can't sleep, mind going upstairs and down, trying to figure things out) or life may decide things for you in some uncontrollable way. We've known both.
Regardless, my hope: somewhere along the year, The Great Perhaps becomes very true for you and us all.
Like the Gentry brothers, who launched a brewery in 1993 — you're doing what? A brewery? Downtown? — which was about as bold a decision as they come.
Lo and behold, it changed everything. That was a Great Perhaps moment for our city.
This Sunday, we'll look back at our Food as a Verb photos and moments from 2025.
But for now, whatever glass you're raising tonight, we toast you: to The Great Perhaps in 2026.
This coming year, we've got our eye on a few things already.
- Hungry Mother, the Houston Street breakfast/lunch deli that we keep hearing fabulous things about.
One friend goes each Saturday. He stopped by on another weekday, but Hungry Mother was closed.
"I had tears in my eyes," he said.
- Kenny's Southside Sandwiches on Market St. Owner Caroline Curtis is an all-star, pushing the Market St. restaurant into the next tier. Kenny's occupies that oft-forgotten block between Main Street and Warehouse Row, and Caroline — possibly the youngest female restaurant owner in town — has some brilliant ideas for 2026.
- This spring, Lupi's Pizza Pies turns 30. We can't overstate the importance of Dorris Shober (but we'll keep trying) and what Lupi's has done to our city and region.
- Chef Andrew Millsap and Old Man Rivers at the foot of Signal Mountain. If you haven't been, go. It's packed every time we walk in the door and for good reason. Our old friend Alex Rivers has created something special here.
- The return of Mac's Kitchen & Bar. The opening of Garth Poe and Chef Joe Milenkovic's new joint. The spring-time opening of the HiLo Market, our city's true Saturday green farmer's market.
- The ongoing crisis facing the Chattanooga Area Food Bank, and the deeper crisis facing the thousands and thousands of people who rely on it.
- And the ongoing elevation of our city via the six regional restaurants named to the Michelin Guide.
Really, both these stories are the top stories for 2025 and into 2026.
On one end of the spectrum, people are hungrier as instability rises. The Food Bank faces its second toughest year in a row. (Did you read about the two working moms trying to help?)
On the other end, the Michelin Guide, which is the high water mark for our city in its food and culinary history. Six local restaurants — three owned by the paragon Amanda and Chef Erik Niel — in a global guide seen as unparalleled in its reviews by diners across the world.
Have you been to these six restaurants?
It feels like the best of times and some of the toughest of times, to tweak Dickens. Where is the line that runs between each end of the spectrum? It's there, I know it.
So, into The Great Perhaps: more abundance, more common ground, more moments where the headaches and heartaches don't come true.
Happy 2026, Food as a Verb family. Blossoms are right around the corner.
Story ideas, questions, feedback? Interested in partnering with us? Email: david@foodasaverb.com
This story is 100% human generated; no AI chatbot was used in the creation of this content.
Food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:
Food as a Verb Thanks our sustaining partner:
Food as a verb thanks our story sponsor:
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