Naming a Food Column

[Verjuice]

For the last couple of months, I've been the food writer/restaurant critic for the Santa Fe Reporter, an alternative weekly newspaper.

The time has come to name the column, and I'm having trouble coming up with anything original. The previous columnist had called it "Total Pig", a tribute to her love of pork among other things, but thankfully she took the name of the column with her when she left.

The column runs about 850 words, and I like to mix it up, so in addition to restaurant reviews, I have written about cocktails, Santa Fe's evolution as a culinary destination, a local cooking school, being gluten-free for 30 days in a town obsessed with being gluten-free, and last week's eG-inpired story on things that restaurant patrons do that drive staff nuts, for which I interviewed two dozen local servers, managers and restaurateurs.

The first name I write under is simply the initial "A", so I'm not going to use my name or any other personal details, as it's a small town and I'm trying to keep a low profile.

Ideas greatly appreciated. Thank you.

[Tess]

Congratulations on the column! It looks wonderful.

Your predecessor's title was probably fine for her, but I can't imagine a single food reference suggesting the range of things you are doing with the column. The column and a quick browse through your food blog suggest to me something expressing the region of Santa Fe but in a cosmopolitan context-- maybe based on the idea of "desert" since you are in SF and your blog username includes the word sand?

[kbjesq]

I get so tired of people trying to be clever or cute when it comes to these things, "Total Pig" being the perfect example of what I don't like. There is a local paper here with a column titled, "Romancing the Stove . . . by the Granny Guru". Arghhhhh.

I much prefer simple, direct titles. In your case, since your subjects are so varied, I would title it something plain like: "About Food". Not witty or confusing, just straight out telling me that this column is going to contain an article dealing with food. A restaurant review, a recipe, shopping tips or something about the food industry? I'll just have to read it to find out.

Simple is best, IMHO.

And good luck, it sounds like fun!

[Holly Moore]

A. Eats

Works for me.

[bigbear]

Column A

Edited July 21, 2008 by bigbear (log)

[Verjuice]

Thank you for the kind words and suggestions!

I get so tired of people trying to be clever or cute when it comes to these things, "Total Pig" being the perfect example of what I don't like.  There is a local paper here with a column titled, "Romancing the Stove . . . by the Granny Guru".  Arghhhhh.

Simple is best, IMHO. 

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I feel the same way. It makes my skin crawl.