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Friday List: Food Words That Drive Me Crazy

August 3, 2012

I don’t have cable anymore, but when I did, I watched a lot of those shows like Unique Eats and Unique Sweets.  It was pretty interesting to learn about new foods in unfamiliar places, but one thing drove me absolutely mad: the “foodie” words that I kept hearing over. And over. And over.  Here are just a few.

1.  Artisan/artisanal

I mentioned this a while back when discussing food trends that annoy me.  This word is used so much that it has lost its meaning.  Everything is artisanal.  Including tortilla chips.  Made by Tostitos.  Whatever.

2.  Rustic

Rustic no doubt refers to things that seem thrown together, or simple, or homey….and so on, and so on.  It seems that I hear this word used more often to describe bread than anything else.  The thing about things that are “rustic” is that producers spend a lot of time making things seem “rustic” so they can charge you more for those rustic food items.  Hmmmm.

3.  Earthy

Would someone please tell me what this word means?  I’ll be honest, I don’t hear a lot of my friends describing foods as “earthy”….but it’s a word I hear constantly on television.  It doesn’t seem like a compliment to me.  Isn’t earth synonymous with dirt?  So it tastes like dirt?  Do you like to eat dirt?  I’d prefer not to.  But, I mean, that’s just me…..

4.  Robust

Another word that just doesn’t make sense to me.  When I looked this up on dictionary.com, I found that the word means “rich and full-bodied”.  I don’t think I get that any more than the word “robust”.  What does full-bodied mean?  And I thought “rich” was a word to describe high-fat foods.  I’m so confused.

5.  Party in Your Mouth

Sorry, but this just makes me think of Anchorman.  “Are you coming to the pants….party?”  Totally inappropriate.  So is the aforementioned term.  It’s gross.  Don’t say it.

6.  Locavore

Ack.  Seeing as how my blog is titled “Chattavore” and it’s about local food, I probably shouldn’t cringe when I hear this word.  But something about it…bothers me.  One of my blog followers tweeted me this link earlier today that stated that the word “locavore” had been added to the Oxford English dictionary: http://www.mentalfloss.com/blogs/archives/136111 (thanks, Emily!).  I certainly appreciate the term, but you won’t catch me using it.  And honestly, this word did not even enter my mind when I was naming my blog.  I promise.

7.  Meaty

Only in reference to things that aren’t meat.  Well, I guess I don’t really care for it in relation to meat, either…because who doesn’t know that meat is meaty?  But anyway…this word seems to be used mostly to describe mushrooms, which are a common stand-in for meat.  I use them frequently, and love them.  But they’re not meat, yo.

8.  Unctuous

I’ve heard (from Julia Child, nonetheless) that this word sounds much better in French.  Let’s leave it there.  To me, when someone says food is “unctuous”, it does not make me want to eat it.  Sorry.

9.  Foodie

Again, what does this word really mean?  Yep, I like food.  I like to cook.  I typically describe myself as obsessed with food.  I have probably used the term “foodie” somewhere on this blog, I won’t lie.  But I really do hate it.  I can’t stand it when someone asks me if I’m a “foodie”.  I think it’s just too general and too overused.

10.  Mouthfeel

Oh my heavens.  That just sounds so disgusting.  I get the meaning of the word, I do.  The texture of a food is important…the amount of fat, the amount of grit, the thickness.  Come on, though.  Mouthfeel?  That word makes me want to vomit.  And it sounds….dirty.  So unappetizing.

Honorable Mention: Poopy

Okay, so maybe this word doesn’t drive me crazy…but it makes me laugh and cringe at the same time.  I didn’t put it in the official “list” because I’ve only heard it used once, on an episode of Bizarre Foods, Andrew Zimmern described something as “poopy, but in a good way.”  I almost fell off of my chair.  Actually, I saw an episode recently where they were recounting funny moments, and this one got a mention.  I think even Zimmern himself was a little unsure after the fact of what that statement meant….

I know there are more.  I KNOW there are.  I just can’t think of them at the moment.  Tell me, what “foodie” words (hahaha!) annoy you?

 

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Filed Under: Chattavore Chats Tagged With: writing By Mary // Chattavore 9 Comments

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Comments

  1. _emily_rose says

    August 3, 2012 at 11:28 am

    I agree with you 100% on 'earthy'. I'm not sure what the right word people are looking for when they use the word earthy is, but there has to be a better word. I do think of dirt and roots... and not anything appealing.
    Reply
  2. Steve Powell says

    August 3, 2012 at 5:50 pm

    I have to agree on "earthy". I think it refers more to what the food was grown in. As for "poopy", I saw that episode! I remember sitting there astounded, thinking, "Did he really just use that word to describe food???" Although, he does eat some strange things! Our language has gone from speaking eloquently to speaking trendy.
    Reply
  3. Angie says

    August 3, 2012 at 10:54 pm

    I like to use the word "mouthfeel" but it stems from my many food science class where we had to rate each other's projects...and that was one category we had a lot of fun with. lol. I don't think any of these bother me...except for foodie. Sounds so dumb. What about EVOO? lol
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      August 3, 2012 at 11:09 pm

      Oh man, yes! I hate EVOO. The term, not the ingredient. I pretty much hate any "Rachael Ray-ism". Like yummo? That one drove me nuts. Your excuse for using "mouthfeel" is acceptable. :)
      Reply
    • Chattavore says

      August 3, 2012 at 11:09 pm

      And I want to take a food science class!
      Reply
  4. Beth {local milk} says

    August 4, 2012 at 6:45 pm

    I virtually *never* go out to eat unless it's a) to write about a place b) Sluggo's for vegan fare c) Easy for oysters or d) the big the exception: sushi. I feel a little silly eating sushi in a landlocked town, but when I don't feel like cooking, I eat sushi. Period. And I don't go in for rolls with silly names. I generally like mine nigiri or sashimi style. And I don't deal in anything that involves crab stick or cream cheese! We usually go to Sekisui (we go there so often they know us by name!) because it's so affordable, but we really like Sushi Nabe too. We ate at Toto once. It was alright, but I'd need to go back to form a clearer opinion. Big Korean influence on their menu. I wouldn't eat sushi at any other places in town. I'd be scared to. But yeah, if you're looking to review a sushi place, as a total sushi fiend, I recommend Sekisui or Sushi Nabe, hands down.
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      August 4, 2012 at 8:41 pm

      Thanks for the recs. We've been to Sushi Nabe, but it's been years. Philip was a big fan of Hiroshi's. He went with people from work a few times...I never got to try before they closed. All of the places you mentioned are on my "list"....it's just a matter of getting to them!
      Reply
  5. Tiffany says

    August 14, 2012 at 7:55 am

    I distinctly remember being at a Tongan restaurant in Memphis and they had something with mole sauce on the menu. I'd never heard of it so I asked about it. The waitress said it had an "earthy" taste. Being the idiot that I was, I thought that sounded super cool, so I ordered it. Yeah, it tasted like they poured mud on my food. So "earthy" is now a big red flag for me!
    Reply
    • Chattavore says

      August 14, 2012 at 4:32 pm

      That is one of the funniest (and most unfortunate) things I've ever heard! I'll remember not to order anything with mole sauce at a Tongan restaurant!
      Reply

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About Chattavore

Hi, I'm Mary! Welcome to Chattavore, a destination for people who want to feed themselves and their families well every day! Life can be crazy, which means that getting dinner on the table can be a challenge (more often than not!) and my mission is to take all your favorite recipes and figure out how to serve them on a Tuesday.

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