CFD: What is a foodie?

originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
That is indeed what I think. Calling a wine "hedonistic," is a futzed up (note the technical term) way of saying it is pleasurable, which is what we English speakers would say.
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What about 'gift' and 'source' becoming verbs and all the other evolutions/mangled uses of parts of speech. It's a constantly moving target.

Seems like these threads always resort to pet peeves!
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This is Mark Squires's defense of "varietal." In the long view you are right that usage will determine meaning. It's because the OED records usage that it is such a wonderful instrument. But usage occurs because people make choices. One of the choices they make is to follow a neologism or decide it is a solecism and razz it. Making certain nouns into verbs that essentially relate to the nouns and save ancillary phrases (gifting instead of giving a gift) provides a stylistic alternative and is sensical. Changing a philosophical term into a synonym for pleasurable seems to be just to add a false feeling of flash, just as referring to "varietal" no doubt sounds fancier to people when in fact it destroys a meaningful distinction.

One can no more accede to usage than one can stop its progress. All one can do is participate in its development. And one way is to complain when the reason seems right, just as it seems right to you to complain against the misuse of "gourmand" even though that misuse is widely spread enough so that some people here at first didn't even know you were complaining about it.
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This kind of well reasoned argument is why I pay the subscription fees here.
 
Will that cost me extra? Because I'm kind of tapped out.

But if it's included in the basic package, I'm up for it.

I also am looking forward to finding a way to work 'sensical' into a conversation.
 
Hesitant to wade in, but I'd define a foodie as someone who cares about food. That may manifest in many different ways: wanting to try a new way of preparing a dish, caring about the quality of ingredients when cooking, wanting to try a new restaurant, wanting to taste the latest trend, wanting to track down especially fine versions of a classic dish, etc. The common point as in all geekery is that they find food (in whatever manifestation interests them) fascinating and, alas, in the less socially skilled manifestations don't necessarily understand why others wouldn't share that interest.
 
That great American A.J. Liebling maintained that the distinction between gourmet and gourmand was false, as the true gourmet would of course want plenty of it.
'Foodie' is really a horrible term. What's wrong with 'gastronome'?
 
I don't know about that. Have you ever eaten a whole meal of foie gras? I have, and I'll never do it again. I didn't feel so good for a few days. Some things are best in moderation - thus "gourmet" > "gourmand".
 
originally posted by Tom Blach:
That great American A.J. Liebling maintained that the distinction between gourmet and gourmand was false, as the true gourmet would of course want plenty of it.
'Foodie' is really a horrible term. What's wrong with 'gastronome'?
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A picture is worth 1000 words, I've heard:

030522_AJ_Liebling.jpg
Mark Lipton
 
originally posted by MLipton:
originally posted by Tom Blach:
That great American A.J. Liebling maintained that the distinction between gourmet and gourmand was false, as the true gourmet would of course want plenty of it.
'Foodie' is really a horrible term. What's wrong with 'gastronome'?
Click to expand...

A picture is worth 1000 words, I've heard:

030522_AJ_Liebling.jpg
Mark Lipton
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Is that a picture of you Mark? Or Liebling?
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
That is indeed what I think. Calling a wine "hedonistic," is a futzed up (note the technical term) way of saying it is pleasurable, which is what we English speakers would say.
Click to expand...

What about 'gift' and 'source' becoming verbs and all the other evolutions/mangled uses of parts of speech. It's a constantly moving target.

Seems like these threads always resort to pet peeves!
Click to expand...

We must also reclaim Begging the Question. It's the least we can do for future generations.
 
originally posted by Rahsaan:
originally posted by Jonathan Loesberg:
That is indeed what I think. Calling a wine "hedonistic," is a futzed up (note the technical term) way of saying it is pleasurable, which is what we English speakers would say.
Click to expand...

What about 'gift' and 'source' becoming verbs and all the other evolutions/mangled uses of parts of speech. It's a constantly moving target.

Seems like these threads always resort to pet peeves!
Click to expand...

Calling "hedonistic wines" a pet peeve is like calling poison ivy a little itchy feeling.

The vulgarians are storming the castle, man, it's time to boil some oil and deploy the cross-bows and cow-orkers.
 
originally posted by Tom Blach:
one should admire unreserved commitment, I feel.
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The same could be said for being commited to respecting food and diet and not turning it into a freak show of damaging proportions.
 
originally posted by Chris Coad:
originally posted by Rahsaan:

What about 'gift' and 'source' becoming verbs and all the other evolutions/mangled uses of parts of speech. It's a constantly moving target.

Seems like these threads always resort to pet peeves!
Click to expand...

We must also reclaim Begging the Question. It's the least we can do for future generations.
Click to expand...

A lost cause, I'm afraid, and one that's been fought for several generations already with no obvious effect. While we're piling on linguistic pet peeves, I'll add my own: finalize and the use of impact instead of affect. I'm not opposed to neologisms per se, just useless ones.

Mark Lipton
(Still battling on the supersede/supercede front, too)
 
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