The Unfettered Critic – December 2018/January 2019

’Tis the season for ye olde Unfettered Critics to remind (okay—nag) everyone to give back to your community by shopping local. Which brings up a question that has been bothering us for some time—what’s with this weird word we used at the top: “’Tis?”

Think about it. It’s obviously a shortening of “it is,” (known to grammar nerds like us as a proclitic because it’s pronounced almost the same as if it hadn’t been shortened in the first place).

So why did we use it? Why, to start this “shop local” story by referencing “’Tis the season to be jolly,” the line that follows “Deck the halls with boughs of holly” in a tune generally heard only during this very season, when we again pop up to remind everyone to give back to your community by shopping local.

Whew. Aren’t you glad we got that out of the way?

“Decking the halls,” means decorating, an activity that many of us share over these early winter months. Some of us, of course, embellish far beyond just hanging boughs of holly. The owners of Jacksonville’s own Gogi’s Restaurant, for instance. They decided to go all out and redecorate from scratch. While the menu—“international fine dining,” as Chef Gabriel puts it—remains mouth-wateringly ever-changing— the brothers Murphy decided the dining experience they offered was past due for a redo.

“We wanted to shed the skin that Gogi, the location’s founder, had created over twenty years ago—a rather gaudy Russian-themed restaurant,” front manager Jonoah explains. During a brief period of construction, the brothers changed the main room’s former dark yellow walls to a smoky gray-blue. “The color gives the room a much lighter feel and makes it seem larger.” The ambience is heightened further by the new-retro (yes, there is such a thing) Edison lighting and iron piping that casts diners in a soft, warm glow. Replacing old carpeting with new flooring led to installing acoustic ceiling panels to facilitate an intimate and conversation-friendly sound level. Four new custom-made booths have replaced the restaurant’s three older ones. And adorning the walls: a display of portraits by local contemporary artist Gabriel Mark Lipper, curated by Jacksonville’s Élan Gallery. “The art is semi-permanent,” notes Jonoah, “because the pieces are for sale. When a customer buys one, Élan will bring another.”

Outside of the entrance, enhancing the patio, a new twenty-four (and-a-half—let’s be accurate here) foot-long exterior bar will accommodate seating for twelve additional customers during the warmer months, providing a venue for cocktails, appetizers, or a full al fresco experience. “The patio likely won’t do much for us during the winter,” admits Jonoah, who built the red cedar structure at home in his shop, “but we opened it late last summer and it was full almost every night!”

Likewise, throughout the city, shops and cafes are decking their halls and stocking their shelves to make purchasing goodies for your Santa sack a holiday treat.

Which brings us back (or not) to the word “’tis.” Surprisingly, ’tis not alone as a grammatical oddity. (See what we did there?) A persona no less than the Bard himself has caused countless actors to recite (in Macbeth’s soliloquy): “If it were done when ’tis done, then ’twere well it were done quickly.” We can’t think of any Christmas carols that use the proclitic (remember?) “’Twere.” And we couldn’t be happier about it; just imagine us trying to explain something that we don’t understand ourselves.

But you know what we do understand? Shopping local! And we’re confident ’tis true—that you do too! Happy Holidays!