Can we all agree to stop using the words 'foodie'?

Here's that thread ("Overused Food Words") you're thinking about, LunaPier. "Foodie" doesn't bother me that much if used sparingly—which surprises me because overly "cutesy" words like "sammies," "sammiches," and "veggies" make me want to pull my hair out.

Adam Kuban at 4:33PM on 08/17/07

Adam, I'm so guilty of using many of the aforementioned words you brought up...I feel like such a goofball but I honestly find a bit of hilarity in using words like 'foodie' or 'sammich'...to me anyway, there is something funny and humbling to use such nutty terms. Of course, my genius gran-gran [yeah I wrote gran-gran] was an English Major and schoolteacher and probably would be mortified to know I use such sloppy slang online. :))

I really don't find any harm in using a bit of 'current' slang but I'd never use it on anything I'm very serious about... -But, what can I say...sometimes I like to slip off my sneakers and take a break, smile and write something absolutely silly. ;))))))

cheffy at 5:25PM on 08/17/07

I'm against it but use it till something better comes along.

There are times that I like it better than others - times when I have a strange sense of affection for the word, actually . . . and it just so happened that occured yesterday in a sudden rush after an online exchange with someone while discussing Top Chef.

"Who was that dickhead in the striped shirt anyway?" he asked.

And it came to me that the striped-shirted dickhead he was discussing simply had to be named "Dick Headfoodie".

God I love that name. And from that experience yesterday has sprung deep affectionate feelings towards the word.

I do wonder how long this feeling of happy contentment will last, however.

Karen Resta at 5:50PM on 08/17/07

RE: Karen Resta

Your whole post had me rolling and giggling. I'm sooooooo glad I'm not the only one with a tincture of 'potty' mouth. :))

"Dick Headfoodie" brought tears to my eyes...OMgosh I'm still laughing so hard...

Uhm...honestly? I can't think up anything...oh wait...Funkie? [food junkie]? Eh...I give up. :))

cheffy at 6:23PM on 08/17/07

I guess I just find the term demeaning. I don't find it funny or nutty or endearing. It suggests having some lame obsession, essentially being a "food groupie," an imbecile who lets themselves be easily swayed by fashion or trendiness.

cohaagen at 6:31PM on 08/17/07

Well, I think there's a difference between foodie and gourmand - I think foodies are really into food and gourmands know how to MAKE really good food! There are people who are only the former but I think many of us here are both.

charm city cupcake at 6:39PM on 08/17/07

I feel neutral about the "foodie" term.

JEP at 7:06PM on 08/17/07

Thanks, AK ... that's where I'd written, "since I brought up 'gourmet' at the beginning of this thread ... I'd rather be a food groupie than a high-falutin' gourmet anyday!"

"Gourmand" seems to me as another "high-falutin'" term ... rather hauty ...

Nah, "Foodie" works just fine for me, thanks!

LunaPierCook at 7:55PM on 08/17/07

Why need there be a word? We're Serious Eaters!

Barbara Hanson at 9:51PM on 08/17/07

"Foodie" is a term of endearment, methinks. Its connotation is certainly friendlier than "food geek" -- which is what I'm positive I get called behind my back :-)

I don't particularly like gourmande, epicure, or gastronome -- these being the synonyms provided by the Oxford English Dictionary for "foodie." They seem to imply a level of sophistication that I don't think I want to attain. Could you imagine an epicure with barbecue sauce up to his elbows in a shack in Kansas City? Me either -- but most of my fellow foodies have "been there, done that."

Dominic
the zen kitchen

dvchurch at 11:18PM on 08/17/07

@ charm city cupcakes: I think that people who make good food are called chefs! :-)

Interestingly, the OED defines a gourmand (and differentiates it from a "gourmet") as "a person who enjoys eating and often eats too much." This, to me, sounds almost derogatory -- certainly not something that one might call oneself!

Dominic
the zen kitchen

dvchurch at 11:24PM on 08/17/07

dvchurch wrote, "I think that people who make good food are called chefs!"

Oh ... not always ... [grimace!]

I like your thought that "foodie" is a term of endearment. But as I'm such a geek that I have a black t-shirt with the word "geek." on the front in white letters, I think "food geek" would work for me as well.

Am I a "Dick Headfoodie"? Only when my ex-wife's around ... ;-)

LunaPierCook at 5:42AM on 08/18/07

Nope... I'm fine with Foodie.

jonfoxx at 10:23AM on 08/18/07

There is only one Dick Headfoodie and apparently he turned out to be Madonna's brother who was called in to divest himself of his views on food and service during that last Top Chef episode.

The power of ex-spouses is legion, though. :)

I like BaHa's suggestion. It has a literate sound to it. "I am a seriouseater."

Karen Resta at 11:45AM on 08/18/07

I'm not crazy about "foodie", but I can live with it. However, describing a food as "gross" makes me feel like I'm listening to (or reading the writing of) a child. There have to be better ways to describe it, even for the most challenged of us.

lemons at 5:01PM on 08/18/07

Foodie is to us what ass man is to men. It just is so broad in interpretation.
I always liked the term epicurean. Foodie to me is like saying, "yo hey you like good food.."
In the words of my grandmother who I miss dearly, "we give a rat's ass about what we stick on our table."
God I miss her!

JerzeeTomato at 6:59PM on 08/18/07

I'm with you, cohaagen. To me, 'foodie' sounds ridiculous and childish, like-- as so many people have said-- 'groupie'. I don't really have any good ideas for an alternative, though.

Christina at 8:47PM on 08/18/07

First, I'm not sure I know what a "foodie" is.

If that's someone who likes:
1. Field trips to new Asian ( or insert any type of food-related store here) food store or restaurant supply store.
2. Trying new foods.
3. Watching other people cook (whether live or on TV).
4. Reading cookbooks.
5. Food blogging or reading food blogs.

Well, then I'm a "foodie." If it's called something else, fine. Call me that something else.

hereandthe at 10:23AM on 08/19/07

Another possibility just came to mind. How about "Hi. I'm allaboutfood."

Simple, descriptive.

The term used to describe one would be "She's all allabout'er."

Foolish perhaps but I like it. Big, global sounding, ya know?

Karen Resta at 11:14AM on 08/19/07

The definition hereandthe just provided is what I always imagine a foodie to be...and I find no shame in that! I actually like the term foodie and would be proud to be one! The term foodie is even taught in some food and culture college classes that I've taken. Fancy that!

I also love LunaPier's original take "I wear the Foodie term with pride ... and on occasion, with pants with an elastic waistband. ;-)" Well said!

Hillary
Chew on That

Chew on That at 4:58PM on 08/22/07

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