Can We Retire the Word 'Toothsome' Already?
Seriously... if I see it in one more blog posting I'm going to flip out.
I know it's hard to come up with a ton of different words to describe food- but enough already. Can you imagine using the word "toothsome" when talking to a friend about how perfectly something was prepared? No, you can't. Because they'd laugh in your face (and would be correct in doing so.)
Anybody with me on this?!?!
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19 Comments:
yeah, i'm with you on this .... toothsome .... i'm getting really tired of everything being "amazing" also.....
pooch at 4:07PM on 01/22/09
at least "amazing" is an honest word... I use that all the time. (i'm clearly not very... what's the word i'm thinking of... uh... when you are really good at expressing yourself verbally...uh... damn, I can't think of the word.)
But "toothsome", who says that in normal conversation? I think Serious Eats should institute a formal ban!
Zach Brooks at 4:12PM on 01/22/09
We had a thread like this several weeks ago. I think even then we were all in agreement!
izatryt at 4:16PM on 01/22/09
ooops. sorry! should have done a search...
http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2008/11/i-never-want-to-hear-the-words-toothsome-or-cloying-aga.html
Zach Brooks at 4:19PM on 01/22/09
Here's the thread from a few weeks ago that izatryt mentions: I Never Want to Hear the Words "Toothsome" or "Cloying" Again, and here's another one from July 2007: Overused Food Words.
Adam Kuban at 4:37PM on 01/22/09
I've compiled a quick list of the greatest hits (or misses) from both the earlier threads. Enjoy (or not):
aggressively seasoned
artisanal
authentic
cloying
crispy
decadent
deconstructed
earthy
flavor profile
foodie
go-to
local
melts in your mouth
mouthfeel
nutty
orgasmic
purist
reduce down (it's redundant)
rustic
sammie
seasonal
sensual
sinful
source (as a verb)
to die for
toothsome
tried-and-true
tuck in
unctuous
voila
yummy
Adam Kuban at 4:37PM on 01/22/09
Of the above list, most are questionsable, but I have no problem at all with: earthy, nutty, local, seasonal. Earthy and nutty are useful adjectives. Local and seasonal are important concepts and can't really be replaced with other words.
On the other hand, as much as I love "yummy", I avoid it in polite conversation!
nalega at 4:58PM on 01/22/09
Yuck, what about "belly up to the bar?"
blackliquorice at 5:24PM on 01/22/09
okay, okay, "amazing" can stay .... it's just so over-used, it's starting to make me amazingly intolerant of the word.
but "mouthfeel" is definitely from the planet of pretensia... and "to die for" ... well, i would hardly give my life for anything that's "toothsome and has a mouthfeel of blah blah blah"
now a good meal "makes me cry" ... should we put that on the list, too?
pooch at 5:25PM on 01/22/09
.... and "belly up to the bar" .... another way of saying "waddle" up to the bar.... oh i'm getting bi###y!!!!
pooch at 5:55PM on 01/22/09
No, I'm not. Honestly, I'm tired of people complaining about words because they're not used all the time in what they experience as normal, everyday conversation. One on the one hand people complain about the "dumbing down" of the Food Network and of cooking magazines and the like; but, on the other hand people complain about words used in restaurant reviews or to describe food because they're...what? Pretentious because they're accurate? Toothsome has a specific definition as do unctuous and cloying. If they're used incorrectly, that's a problem but as long as they're used properly I don't see the issue.
Expressions that are over-used are a different thing: those get annoying through repetition just like songs on the radio and television commercials. But words that have specific meanings are appropriate to use when the meaning of those words is what one wishes to convey.
ccbweb at 5:57PM on 01/22/09
Oops. I have used the word yummy several times here. Cut me a break though- I work with small children:) The only word I'm sick of is "amazing". Ever watch "The Bachelor"? Everything is "amazing" there. Just for crap and giggles, watch it next week and see how many amazings you hear. And, by the way, what other word could you use to describe seasonal or local? "I use the squash that Farmer Joe raised only 6 miles from my house, after all, squash is terribly popular in June" ??? Ha-Ha! Just kiddin', I'm just being a witch.
floridagirl at 6:45PM on 01/22/09
Perhaps some of these words have become so overused or misused in culinary chatter that people are looking for fresh adjectives or looking for more concise descriptions/reviews of food in general. I do agree with ccbweb about not dumbing down our food rhetoric. And we also need to be cognizant of the fact that while many words and phrases seem dull and tired, they are not without merit and may well be dredged up in the future as they may provide a more accurate description of the author's intention.
That being said--I have problem with "toothsome," not because of it's true meaning, but because of the image the word conveyed to me as a child. For me, "toothsome," has always made me think of the one toothed beggar offering the apple to Snow White and of the witch in Hansel and Gretyl. I've always thought of witches and old people losing a tooth or two in a "toothsome" treat. Too many older people with their dentures not in, combined with too many fairy tales as a kid, put forth this odd image in an imaginative kid I would guess.
dhorst at 7:28PM on 01/22/09
Quick, ccbweb -- without Googling it -- what does toothsome mean?
mince at 1:44AM on 01/23/09
I like don't have a problem with like the word toothsome if it is like used in an appropriate way. Overuse of like amazing or yummy (to which I am guilty of) can be like laziness or like lack of imagination. I can give like a pass to like non pro writers, but like not so much to like professional writers who should have like a much better vocabulary. Dude.
finsbigfan at 12:05PM on 01/23/09
"Spot on"
KB in Toledo at 4:05PM on 01/23/09
zach brooks - the word you're maybe looking for is "articulate", which means (more or less because I'm too lazy right now to get a dictionary) the ability to express oneself well with words.
There's also "eloquent", which implies an even greater ability to speak well, esp. as in poetic, profound, or memorable.
dhorst - thanks for the memories in that description of the witch...! (wart on nose and all..)
moibec at 5:18PM on 01/23/09
Here's what I found on "toothsome":
Adjective
S: (adj) palatable, toothsome (acceptable to the taste or mind) "palatable food"; "a palatable solution to the problem"
S: (adj) delectable, delicious, luscious, pleasant-tasting, scrumptious, toothsome, yummy (extremely pleasing to the sense of taste)
S: (adj) juicy, luscious, red-hot, toothsome, voluptuous (having strong sexual appeal) "juicy barmaids"; "a red-hot mama"; "a voluptuous woman"; "a toothsome blonde in a tight dress"
So, basically, it either means good-tasting (there's a specific definition, alright) or sexy. Yup. Anyone using the word "toothsome" either doesn't actually know what it means or just wants to sound more important.
buffy at 10:25PM on 01/23/09
Over time the meaning of words changes.
More and more people use toothsome to describe texture that is al dente (or "QQ" as the Taiwanese might say). That's what I think of when someone uses "toothsome" to describe something. I only use it specifically to talk about texture. There's nothing else really in English that describes the "toothsome" texture, is there?
http://www.seriouseats.com/talk/2008/08/how-do-you-describe-texture-of-perfectly-cooked-shrimp.html
kathryn at 6:33PM on 01/24/09