Professionals from all walks of life have their own slang that can go viral as new trends gain popularity. And that’s completely normal. But someone who has a silver tongue (or corporate backing) can spin the truth and hype up something that is entirely ordinary.
For some, a deconstructed meal is the pinnacle of the fine dining experience. For others, they’ve heard the word so often that it’s a sign that things have become entirely too corporatized, that the chef might be lazy and pretentious, or that their ‘foodie’ friend wants to show off. Redditor u/zzzzzzzzzra started a discussion on r/Cooking, asking folks to share popular foodie terms that they find particularly annoying. Scroll down to read their opinions, and remember to upvote the ones you agree are overused.
We wanted to learn more about the evolution of food trends and terms, so we got in touch with pie artist Jessica Leigh Clark-Bojin, @thepieous. She is a published author, the founder of the Pies Are Awesome project, and you’ll find Bored Panda’s full interview with her as you read on.
#1
I had guests visiting and I ordered us all Indian takeaway (since our local place was honestly one of the best I’ve ever tasted). While eating, they discussed the food and shared their favorites, and it pleased me to see them enjoying it! Until they looked at me with zero irony and said “‘…Oh, sorry. We’re foodies! We like to find new tastes and discuss them just for fun.’ What did they think I’d done the multiple times I’d eaten from there before?! Just ram it into my mouth hole while sniffing detergent to block out the taste? Yeah, self-identifying as a ‘foodie’ makes me cringe at the soul level.
Image source: SnifterOfNonsense, PICHA
#2
‘Better-Than-Sex’. I saw a story somewhere about a woman who sold Better-Than-Sex Banana Bread at her local farmer’s market. One day, it was changed to Almost-Better-Than-Sex Banana Bread. Girl must’ve had QUITE the experience…
Image source: EvyEarthling
#3
I’m Indian and we have so many dishes which have no animal products. Suddenly some of my favourite dishes are vegan and people start telling me the benifits of the dishes I have been eating decades.
Image source: Life_Percentage_2218
#4
Stop deconstructing my food. Just tell me you were too lazy to present me a completed dish.
Image source: daughter_of_tides, Jeff Vinluan
#5
“Sinful”. Any recipe trying to make you feel evil for eating a slice of cake is stupid as hell
Image source: rileyrulesu, Valeria Boltneva
#6
The whole idea of ‘superfoods’ is toxic and reductive. It’s the reason culture gets fixated on singular savior-foods like kale or quinoa and we have to deal with them being in everything for years. No single food should be fetishized like that.
Image source: zzzzzzzzzra
#7
i cant stand the excessive cost trend…like the $1000 burger or whatever. adding gold leaf and caviar and diamond dust or whatever for no other reason than the “bling” factor is so dumb. gold leaf on pastry i kind of get, but its absolutely pointless in savoury dishes…it has no flavor or nutritional value.
Image source: AbsolutStoli148
#8
STOP SAYING MOUTHFEEL. It’s literally called texture.
Image source: daddydunc
#9
I love when a product label says it’s gluten-free, when there’s no gluten in it in the first place.
Image source: leperbacon
#10
Describing healthy food as “Clean”
Image source: kjr51922, Karolina Grabowska
#11
Can’t stand “artisanal” anymore, I think it’s been used now to describe subway’s “artisanal bread”…yeah right
Image source: n8gardener, Kate Remmer
#12
I’ve been making stock since I was a teenager. My daughter (who saw me make it often) tried to introduce me to ‘bone broth’ like it was some new and magical invention.
Image source: SomebodyElseAsWell
#13
*Guilt free* anything, I absolutely hate that. Why associate food with guilt? Just don’t eat too much of an unhealthy food
Image source: Boggie135
#14
God I hate the whole idea of food porn. Nothing makes me more uncomfortable than someone eating food and making pleasure noises like there’s someone feeling them up under the table. Just say it’s nice! Don’t be weirdly sexual!!
Image source: ChiefLazarus86
#15
Stuff like za or za’s for Pizza, sammy for sandwich, nugs for chicken nuggets, etc. Each time I’m at my sister’s and she wants pizza delivered she will say something like “so how bout sum zahs, brah?” and it is one of the most grating things for me. I physically tense up and have to try not to frown.
Image source: PM_ME_UR_BUTTONQUAIL
#16
“Authentic” and “not authentic”. I’m sick and tired of the authenticity police when someone doesn’t use a speciality ingredient found in the Amazon or they don’t have a 1000 year old wok in their kitchen.
Image source: Macarons124
#17
The word porn in food. Hey guys don’t want to turn on TV and have some idiot keep shouting porn in front of my kids.
Image source: Life_Percentage_2218, Chad Montano
#18
‘Deconstructed’. Next thing you know, you’ll have a restaurant charging $40 for a Deconstructed Caesar salad that’s just a bowl of lettuce next to a bowl of croutons next to a block of whole Parmesan.
Image source: GamerLeFay
#19
I hate recipes that refer to the food as “crack” or “crack-like”.
Image source: Plus-Ambassador-5034, T.Tseng
#20
Foodie
Image source: RobMcD222, Adrienn
#21
“Hack” when it’s just a fast food order.
Image source: Trees4Gs, Khalid Boutchich
#22
I can’t stand ‘hack’ when it’s literally just an alternative recipe to a popular dish…like ‘ramen hack’
Image source: JimmyNeutronsDaddy
#23
Just the exhagerated “omg soooo good” faces people make on their cooking channels after they take the first bite.
Image source: lightbulb-joke
#24
Grass fed… like ok I know that in America a lot of cattle are grain fed so it actually means something, but it’s become pervasive in Europe too where almost all cattle are fed outside on grass, like, it means nothing.
Hen’s egg. So many menus with a hen’s egg. Like, if it’s a f*****g duck egg, or a quail egg, just say that, but if you just say egg I think we’ll get which damned bird it’s coming from.
GGGGRRWWAAARAARRRRRGGGGHHHH
Image source: castlerigger, Tobi
#25
Any abbreviation of sandwich, i.e. “Sando” or “Sammie”
Just stop
Image source: anon
#26
The hipster convention of naming a restaurant two random, unrelated nouns, (e.g. Wrench & Rodent Seabastropub.)
Image source: calamarichris
#27
‘Handhelds’. They’re talking about sandwiches like they’re a Game Boy. It’s so weird.
Image source: ATwopoint0
#28
Rustic, for just about everything.
Image source: rope-springs-eternal, Jonathan Borba
#29
‘Umami bomb’. So many TV chefs and YouTube personalities use this term. You know, like ‘I’m gonna drop an umami bomb and add some miso to this…’
Image source: zzzzzzzzzra, ALTEREDSNAPS
#30
“Crack”. Every recipe on Pinterest: ‘Tuna Casserole Crack!! My kids can’t get enough!!!!'”
Image source: Majestic_Definition3, EKATERINA BOLOVTSOVA
#31
Aioli. Stop calling anything with a glop of mayo in it aioli.
Image source: puertomexitaliano, Irfan Y.
#32
‘Better-than-takeout’. Of course the burger you spent $30 and four hours on is better than the Big Mac they slap together for $4.
Image source: BenjaminGeiger
#33
I have two: the entirety of “Thug Kitchen” (my sister got me the cookbook as a gift, very thoughtful but the whole book is cringe) and “better than sex”. Ma’am if that chocolate cake is better than sex I am concerned your needs are not being met.
*Edit* I am fully aware asexual people exist, I apologize if this joke came off as insensitive.
Image source: dani_oakley_69, Polina Tankilevitch
#34
‘Nom’ and ‘yummy’ are both VERY high on my list of words that make my body retract into itself. I have no defense for this, but it absolutely is nails on the chalkboard for me.
Image source: Film_At_Eleven, Nathan Cowley
#35
I hate it when people say or type “chef’s kiss”, especially with emojis. It triggers irrational anger and annoyance in me.
Image source: GhostIsGone
#36
Gastropub. Just stop it.
Image source: adifferentvision, fauxels
#37
Farm to table. If you grew up on a farm this will set your hair on fire!
Image source: Interesting_Cup8621
#38
Maybe it’s more of a trend than a term but it feels like it’s just a turn of phrase to me where now everything is a god damned “bowl”. Noodle bowl, burrito bowl, etc. It’s a damn bowl of noodles and I could put that “burrito bowl” on a plate and it would be a taco salad. Just give me some damned stir-fry not an “asian bowl”.
Image source: nebock
#39
That trend where people called stock “bone broth” for a while.
Image source: Saint_Jiub_, Bluebird Provisions
#40
I’m a sous chef at a local restaurant that has various ‘aiolis’ on the menu. What we’ve found is that you can put chipotle mayo on a menu and it’ll do OK…call it aioli, though, and suddenly it’s ‘high class’ and people want it on everything.
Image source: CrossFox42
#41
I’ll add _protein(s)_ _crisp up_, _mouthfeel_, _food porn_ and anything to do with orgasms or sexual pleasure_.
Image source: MissionSalamander5
#42
These food porn sandwiches that have an entire chicken worth of fried cutlets and a full jar of sauce dripping over it with 100 slices of melted cheese all on a roll. First comment is an emoji with heart eyes and “I must have this in my life”.
Image source: frenchfret
#43
‘Clean’ is a big one for me. I follow a few weight-loss motivation groups, including a couple of fitness-focused ones. I freaking hate when someone describes their diet as ‘clean-eating.’ It literally tells me nothing about what they’re eating…” In bodybuilding/CrossFit groups, ‘clean eating’ seems to be ingrained into their lexicon. I can’t stand it.
Image source: PlanetMarklar
#44
I love the idea of a gastropub. A place that serves high-quality pub grub with great service and a nice atmosphere is super appealing to me! Too bad most ‘gastropubs’ serve the same junk you can get anywhere…just on a square plate with truffle oil on the top.
Image source: funkgerm
#45
Unctuous. It doesn’t mean what people think it means. It used to be pejorative.
1. (of a person) excessively or ingratiatingly flattering; oily.
2. (chiefly of minerals) having a greasy or soapy feel.
Image source: pdxscout, Seriously Low Carb
#46
Restaurants that refer to themselves as an “eatery” annoys me for no reason
Image source: No_Progress9069
#47
An ex back in the day couldn’t stop raving about their Grandma’s ‘Dump Soup,’ and could hardly wait for the day that I’d finally try it. Just the name alone turned me off to ever wanting to experience it
Image source: Truthamania, Cup of Couple
#48
Ordering off of the ‘secret menu’ isn’t a hack — you’re just customizing a hamburger.
Image source: Fledgeling
#49
Ooey-gooey. Every time I hear that phrase I want to vomit
Image source: linengray
#50
Decadent. Giada said it like 14 thousand times in one freaking video once.
Image source: RogerRabbit522
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