Food Jargon Watch

This post originally appeared on Vinotheque.

In the March 8 Food Section of the Washington Post, Jane Mengenhauser shared a list of culinary euphemisms that she had culled from various print publications and the Web.

I know that at least one blogger deemed the article fluff, but I find the collision of cuisine and lexiocology interesting, even more so when certain phrases enter popular culture (food porn being my all-time favorite). WIRED magazine has a long history of tracking technology-related phrases with its Jargon Watch column. Why not do the same for food and drink?

So, here’s Vinotheque’s first official Food Jargon Watch listing:
Chefpertise
I found this on the American Culinary Federation Website. "Chefpertise" as in "I took a class with Chef Doe and found his chefpertise in the area of French cuisine invaluable."

Foodish
This phrase is from Jon Bonne's Amuse Bouche blog, which is subtitled “confessions of a foodish man.” I don’t know exactly what he means by "foodish" but I nominate this term as a replacement for the dreaded "foodie" and the elitist "foodist" (see below).

Whole Paycheck
I ran across this term last week in a Slate article. Denotes the seductive quality - and higher prices - of Whole Foods Market. As in " I ran into Whole Paycheck to just pick-up some lettuce and ended-up spending $70!"

Gastrotechnology
Term for technology-related food news coming from the Circuits section of the NY Times. Fom Michael Yee's foodstudies.net blog.

Paper Chef
One of my fav phrases from food blog culture. The title of "Paper Chef" is awarded to the winner of an online food blogger event.

Foodist
From Free Range on Food, a discussion with Washington Post Food section staff. meaning someone who is "discrimitive (or ultra snobby)" about food.