Friday, December 28, 2007

Food Jargon of the Day: Vores

Having a hard time figuring out where you fit on the food chain these days? In honor of locavore's designation as the New Oxford American Dictionary 2007 word of the year, we offer a list of -vores for you to choose from. The suffix -vore comes from the Latin word vorare, meaning to devour, and is used to form nouns indicating what kind of a diet an animal has.

Careful Carnivore/Caring Carnivore/Conscientious Carnivore
Ethical meat eaters who eat only humanely-raised meat.

Humanocarnivore

Introduced by Micheal Pollan in a 2002 NY Times article to define a dietary category wherein individuals limit the meat they eat to nonindustrial, non-factory farmed animals.

Conscientious Omnivore
Individuals who choose to eat sea animals rather than land animals because they are lower on the evolutionary ladder (i.e., scallops don't feel pain)

Localvore
Vermont locavores.

Yokelvore
Individuals who eat only what they grow and/or produce.

Burgervore
From a 2006 Wendy's TV commercial. According to Fast Food Nation, the typical American consumes approximately 3 hamburgers every week.