Food Descriptions

Last night, while dining with a group who may wish to remain nameless, two descriptions were made of our entree selections which keep playing through my head.

A new one to me:
describing a plate of pig's intestines with Chinese celery as "Stinky, but in a good way"

An old fav:
describing the broth from a lamb and fish stew as

"Pleasantly greasy"

I guess my question is what are your favorite off the wall ways to describe the items which we gladly send down our gullet?

Flip

Flip:

"Stinky"

I think the world must know that it was dicksond who brought that olfactorily-oriented term to bear upon the Chinese chitlin's and it was absolutely apt. I think I added the qualification:

"Stinky, but in a good way"

... just in case anyone might think 'stinky' to be a purely negative term...

And the phrase...

"Pleasantly greasy"

... seemed to me to capture the rounded wash of chile heat that was conveyed by the combined oil and lamb fat to touch gently both lips and all parts of the buccal cavity... (That was, incidently, a marvelous dish)... the grease sort of worked like napalm... but in a good way...

My all time favourite term of praise for a dish is somewhat broad in nature but, because of this broadness, it is all the more handy and can, as it has for me, become a well-worn but always refreshing stock phrase. The phrase appears in Roger Williams' book on the language of the Narragansett Indians (1643) and is used to describe a dish of human head and brains reputedly enjoyed by the Mohawk:

"A delicious monstrous dish"

A more widely applicable phrase than you might think...

A

When I was an undergraduate and just beginning to drink wine, my mentor in these matters provided me with the following short-hand distinctions for authentic burgundy nose:

"White burgundy smells like garbage, red burgundy smells like shit."

(Needless to say, both were meant "in a good way.")

And in fact, one of the things I really miss in global chardonnay is the complete absence of "garbage" grounding all the vanilla and tropical fuit, and in northwestern P.N. the lack of - shall we say 'barnyard aromas 'underneath all the bright fuit.

"Stinky"

I think the world must know that it was dicksond who brought that olfactorily-oriented term to bear upon the Chinese chitlin's and it was absolutely apt. I think I added the qualification:

"Stinky, but in a good way"

Sorry Antonius, I did not mean to misquote. You are in fact correct. I also believe the napalm analogy is very fitting

Flip

Flip:

No, no problem... I just wanted to give the 'd' his due, since 'stinky' would not have occurred to me but was absolutely right... What I liked so much was that there was no hint (so far as I could tell) of any stinky smell (the intestines just smelled like fried stuff) and yet, when dicksond said 'stinky' it seemed to describe the taste perfectly... (and in a good way)...

A

My favorite description, in fact this would be my handle if I weren't already known as Mike G, was Monica Eng's husband's description of cuy as tasting like "fish bacon."

What words and phrases do you use to describe food/dining experience and why? Just like when people describe wines there are often key words to use to communicate what you're tasting/experiencing. I've been writing and talking a lot of about food recently and I would like to know what words and phrases I can use to express what I taste/experience in a more universal way.

I would rather just hear what people think instead of argue about technicalities.

Guinness--not sure what you're asking (I used to work in the wine business and there are an almost infinite number of terms people use in describing wine--the most common of which are technical.) Not sure you're going to find anyone who can really tell you how to "talk" about food though...

If you want to see how people on LTH write about food, I would suggest digging in and reading threads--there is one somewhere that is kind of a "Best of LTH" threads--perhaps someone can put in the link for the one I'm thinking of. Or you can just pick one of the sections that you find interesting and scroll through. LOTS of interesting writers about lots of interesting topics. Enjoy!!

You might find it helpful to use a thesaurus to find the most vivid terms, typically adjectives, for what you're sensing.

Ask yourself these questions before you write:

What does it look like? Describe the food in terms of color, shape, arrangement, texture, symmetry, attractiveness and resemblance to what its supposed to be.

What does it smell like? Is it strongly odorous?

What does it taste like? Describe the mouthfeel, the flavor -- salty? bitter? sweet? neutral? -- and how well it fits with your expectations for the kind of food.

Follow LAZ's advice, focus on clear language, use your own voice and don't get hung up looking for a word that you think others might use.

Oh, and steer clear of "tasty" - a pet peeve of mine; the least descriptive food term imaginable.

Unless I am speaking to an actual customer, I try to stick with either "this f*****g shit ROCKS!" or "this f*****g shit SUCKS!" I find that these words get the point across very well.

With customers I might use other words.

spinynorman99 wrote:Follow LAZ's advice, focus on clear language, use your own voice and don't get hung up looking for a word that you think others might use.

Oh, and steer clear of "tasty" - a pet peeve of mine; the least descriptive food term imaginable.

I found a whole thread on another pet peeve word: solid.

Regards,

spinynorman99 wrote:Oh, and steer clear of "tasty" - a pet peeve of mine...

I strongly disagree about "tasty." My all-time favorite LTHer uses it a lot.

You'd prefer "delicious," "delectable," "delightful," or "scrumptious"? No, wait. I bet you're into "yummy."
--Rich