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TDG: Table Dancing: The Moody Foodie


Fat Guy

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Call Tim Davis moody, just not a foodie . . .

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Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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The lady in the accompanying picture looks like she could use some food and/or sexual healing, and but quick.

Now why was my very first impression of the picture along the lines of "Prozac: the Most Profound Amuse Bouche" ....

She looks oh-so-retro when something more current might have cheered her out of her morose state ... perhaps new Manolo Blahniks? or even a little Isaac Mizrahi couture (although that is an oxymoron when paired with Target) .... at her local Target?

In any event, the article had me contemplating the far too common use of the term "foodie" ... one must opt for the latest, au courant meaning, no? :rolleyes:

Edited by Gifted Gourmet (log)

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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I may be dense (and that's probably the case), but I don't get the "Table Dance" reference in the title (or in the others in the series).

It certainly conjurs up images other than those culinary.

That is the general objective all of us foodporn writers are aiming for ...

Having just written a similar piece for my local website, AtlantaCuisine.com, I find a highly stimulating correlation between the sensuality of eating and the sensuality of sexual matters ... so much so, in fact, that my first attempt at writing is entitled "Table Dance for the Gourmand" ...

and the reading of Tim Davis' article here this morning prompted me to email him today to share my article ...hopefully, once my editor allows me to do so, I will be able to share it here on eGullet for your personal pleasure (no lubricant needed ...). :rolleyes:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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I may be dense (and that's probably the case), but I don't get the "Table Dance" reference in the title (or in the others in the series).

It certainly conjurs up images other than those culinary.

basically, the "table dancing" title was an attempt to mix the word table, with its food connotations, with something that would denote that the column would skip from topic to topic (thus the dancing). The stripping connotation was sort of a bonus. but it's just a title, really.

Timothy C. Davis

Charlotte, NC

timothycdavis@earthlink.net

www.themoodyfoodie.com

www.cln.com

www.southernfoodways.com

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Not to mention, before the surgery, Tim was an exotic dancer.

Steven A. Shaw aka "Fat Guy"
Co-founder, Society for Culinary Arts & Letters, sshaw@egstaff.org
Proud signatory to the eG Ethics code
Director, New Media Studies, International Culinary Center (take my food-blogging course)

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I believe, in football parlance (ie, *not* soccer to our EuroReaders), this is what they term "piling on," no?

(edited for a rather horrible misspelling...)

Edited by timothycdavis (log)

Timothy C. Davis

Charlotte, NC

timothycdavis@earthlink.net

www.themoodyfoodie.com

www.cln.com

www.southernfoodways.com

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I don't really like the term "foodie" either. I like "food geek" best. But anything is better than "chowhound." And I don't mean the website either, I just really hate that term. I'm not a dog, and I'm not interested in mere chow (usually).

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But anything is better than "chowhound." And I don't mean the website either, I just really hate that term. I'm not a dog, and I'm not interested in mere chow (usually).

as a Purina purist, I think any reference to any kind of chow primarily helps to further the promotion of the feed-and-grain industry ...

but that's another silo for another day ... :laugh:

Melissa Goodman aka "Gifted Gourmet"

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I don't quite get the point of the article.

Are you saying that we (foodie-like people) don't need the false comfort or false karass of a label and we should just seek out our culinary satisfaction for our own sakes? I can agree with that, but many people do seem to have a pack instinct. (eGullet Burger Club excluded of course :smile: ).

Or do you just want a better nickname.

Or do you not like people who wear tee-shirts, baseball caps and drive Lexii?

--mh

--mark

Everybody has Problems, but Chemists have Solutions.

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I don't quite get the point of the article.

Are you saying that we (foodie-like people) don't need the false comfort or false karass of a label and we should just seek out our culinary satisfaction for our own sakes?  I can agree with that, but many people do seem to have a pack instinct. (eGullet Burger Club excluded of course  :smile: ).

Or do you just want a better nickname.

Or do you not like people who wear tee-shirts, baseball caps and drive Lexii?

--mh

First - a better nickname. "Foodie" sounds like "Trekkie" in too many ways, conjuring images of people with no real life who gain comfort from a shared obsession. It sounds like dilletante housewives and boorish attorneys who enjoy the expense and obscurity of their food and wine more than the taste and experience of it. It sounds like a high school club. There has to be a term somewhere between "gourmand" and "epicure" -- which sound pretentious, regardless of the dictionary definition -- and "foodie" that we can adopt, beginning right here on eGullet.

Second, if I may venture into a little Vonnegutian analysis, the "foodie" phenomenon as a false karass is profoundly irritating. People using food as an excuse to climb socially, find a date, or demonstrate the superiority of their taste, sophistication or wallets are odious dinner guests and boring at parties. They are like people who listen to talk radio and then offer deep insights into the political scene. And, at thet end of the day, they will socialize with you, or not, for all the "wrong" reasons.

On the other hand, the true karass -- say, the folks at Varmint's this week-end -- have food as their first priority and will accept and even revel in other differences because there is a true common bond. In fact, even social climbers, people looking for dates and (worst of all, perhaps because there are so many of them) those with more money and taste than myself can be delightful dining companions because we have in comman an appreciation and affecion for fine food and those who produce it.

Finally, people who find artisans cute, without an idea of the hard work barbecuers or cheesemakers or butchers or French chefs must do or an appreciation for the extraordinary goods they produce, should have their baseball caps forcibly turned bill-forward and their Lexii (?) dinged by reckless valets.

I'm on the pavement

Thinking about the government.

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Here's what I don't get....

In general, I find it completely ironic that people who are passionate about something would need to discuss coming up with a witty name or slogan to describe their passion.

Witty names like these seem to be, in my opinion, developed by those who are reporting on the passionate people and need to find a way to desribe them. The passionate people rarely describe themselves in this way.

For instance, does an Indie rock band desribe themselves to their friends as being indie rockers? No, they just play rocking music. Do stamp collectors call themselves "stampers"? No, they probably say they are just really into stamps.

Clearly, these phrases are overthought and show it. Worse, they are rarely developed by those in the know, in my opinion. I think we should all go back to talking about the food and the wine, rather than the cool marketing term that best describes us.

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"Conscious eater," maybe? I'm not sure there's a good answer for this.

I think busboy put it nicely in his Vonnegutian (!) analysis. Keep it real, as the kids say -- enjoy whatever the hell you want to, and by all means explore at will -- but don't assume that you are anything other than just a hifalutin' hobbyist (culinary pros of course excepted). Of course, we all love collecting culinary knowledge and techniques and the like, but, to many in the outside world, we're just stamp collectors.

er, philatelists.

Timothy C. Davis

Charlotte, NC

timothycdavis@earthlink.net

www.themoodyfoodie.com

www.cln.com

www.southernfoodways.com

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First - a better nickname.  "Foodie" sounds like "Trekkie" in too many ways, conjuring images of people with no real life who gain comfort from a shared obsession.  It sounds like dilletante housewives and boorish attorneys who enjoy the expense and obscurity of their food and wine more than the taste and experience of it.  It sounds like a high school club.  There has to be a term somewhere between "gourmand"  and "epicure" -- which sound pretentious, regardless of the dictionary definition -- and "foodie" that we can adopt, beginning right here on eGullet.

As a "foodie" and a "Trekkie", I gotta comment... :wink:

In both cases, we like to pretend that there's no such thing, but we know in our hearts there is. And in both cases, the difference between an enthusuast and an "-ie" is a sense of superiority and pride based on the ability (okay, the CHOICE) to spend an inordinate amount of time, effort, brain power and of course MONEY on the object of one's obsession - often to the detriment of other aspects of one's life, and focused on something that is not quite worth being proud of.

Frankly, I see little difference between an individual who will only use Madagascar bourbon vanilla (despite the outrageous prices from a suspicious shortage) or will only cook with a particular brand of cookware or knives... and a 40 year old that has lives with his parents, but has all the Trek series on DVD.

/me runs for the hills before she's pummelled by Neiman-Massey bottles

"Give me 8 hours, 3 people, wine, conversation and natural ingredients and I'll give you one of the best nights in your life. Outside of this forum - there would be no takers."- Wine_Dad, egullet.org

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Gourmet or gourmand would do for me. Or fat greedy git.

Problem with gourmet though, is that it's been misused to the point of meaninglessness.

"Gourmet" is no longer reserved for fine resturants, or a magazine about good food & good living... it is also applied to popcorn, cold cuts, cookies, any variety of specialty food, regardless of its actual quality.

I attended the Fancy Foods Show at the Javitz Center in NYC. A staggering array of wonderful specialty items, a showcase of quality and creativity. Compare that to the Gourmet Food Show in my hometown. Maybe 2-3 vendors selling high-quality foods. The rest were either pure novelty - pumpkin fudge, chocolates filled with chili peppers - or were from local companies.

it seems like "gourmet" is just a catchall term for novelty items or vendors that make their products in-house. Shouldn't there be a higher standard?

Edited by laurenmilan (log)

"Give me 8 hours, 3 people, wine, conversation and natural ingredients and I'll give you one of the best nights in your life. Outside of this forum - there would be no takers."- Wine_Dad, egullet.org

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The lady in the accompanying picture looks like she could use some food and/or sexual healing, and but quick. 

She just needs some advice for the foodlorn.

I also dislike the word "foodie" -- not for what it signifies (Webster 10: "a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads."), but for its meaninglessness due to overuse, just like "gourmet." I'd rather be called a "Good Eater," with all the philosophical implications of good as well as eater. :biggrin:

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Damn good article! I've considered myself a foodie, but I was acutely aware that I didn't quite fit the definition some have.

Makes me feel much less guilty for occasionally enjoying a nice piece of Southern fried chicken. Or for that time I drove an hour just to try the country ham and grits in a small breakfast dive in Thomaston, GA. (It was damn good, btw. Big, home cured hanging-over-the-edge-of-the-plate ham steak was so salty it brought tears to the eyes, eggs were cooked to order, and the grits sat on the fork like a small puffy cloud....add a good cup of coffee and a solid homemade biscuit, and breakfast don't get much better than that.)

It's not what or where you eat that's important....it's how you feel about it afterwards...

Be polite with dragons, for thou art crunchy and goeth down well with ketchup....

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  • 2 weeks later...

I'm just that dilletante housewife mentioned above... however, I'm one with an opinion. The worst kind I'm sure. :wink:

Here is my theory on why the foodie lable rubs so many the wrong way:

Food, at the base level, is extremely accessable. Passions usually relate to those things that are at least somewhat inaccessable, so it seems to me that "foodies" or gourmands or whatever we are spend our time building the art of making the food to mouth habit into something grander than the ordinary, thus worthy of passions. (If you doubt me, spend a little time reading the latest cassoulet thread.) Foodie is not in the least bit a grand title and diminishes the effort that is spent in the pursuit. We are all about what feels good on the lips and palate. Bottom line is, the word just doesn't roll off the tongue well.

Too simplistic?

Singapore, beautiful description of the afterglow, btw. You made me really look forward to breakfast.

What's wrong with peanut butter and mustard? What else is a guy supposed to do when we are out of jelly?

-Dad

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