Category Archives: Language and Food
Recent Blog Posts
How Does Diet Shape Language? New Study Links Diet Changes to How We Pronounce “F” and “V”
July 19, 2019
Linguistically, “f,” “v,” and related sounds are thought to be relatively new. As recently as 20,000 to 100,000 years ago, humans may not have been able to produce these unique sounds. A recent study published in Science Magazine seeks to uncover the origins of the sounds. By linking to the […]
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A Cup o’ Joe and a Heart Attack on a Rack, Please – The Delicious History of American Diner Lingo
May 11, 2019
Along with Uncle Sam, Civil War daguerreotypes, and hot apple pies on Thanksgiving, diners are one of those nostalgia-inducing cultural artifacts that somehow get under the skin of millennials and baby boomers alike. Diners have long been a quintessential element of Americana, but along with bottomless coffee and the time-honored […]
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Cinco de Mayo: A Minor Mexican Holiday Turned Major American Drinking Day
May 2, 2019
In the United States, Cinco de Mayo is a day synonymous with tequila, recurring ethnic and culturally charged controversies, and more tequila. Long regarded by Americans as the boozy day in which both we and Mexico celebrate the independence of our neighbor to the South, many might be surprised to […]
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Lardcore: Southern Food, but Southern Style?
December 6, 2010
The holidays are often a time of overindulgence, especially when it comes to food. From Thanksgiving through New Years, Americans tend to stuff their faces with holiday mainstays. But it’s fair to say that a plate topped off North Dakota won’t look like one topped off in Alabama. Southern food […]
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Not So French? The Possible Etymologies of the French Fry
November 19, 2010
The weekends are often a time of culinary decadence—a respite from the long working week, at which time many people celebrate with candlelight, nice dinners, wine, etc. Some of us, though, aren’t so different from Clarence Worley in True Romance, and when we’re done with the week’s struggle, we want […]
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The Problematic Language of Corn Sugar
November 3, 2010
Only a few days have passed since Halloween, but some of you might already be reaching for the last few sweet treats in your (or more likely your child’s) candy bag. Among all the delectable chocolates, hard candies, and gelatinous goodies, you’ll surely find some form of corn syrup residing […]
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Currywurst: Language History in Every Bite
September 14, 2010
As a food writer, chef, and television guru Anthony Bourdain often points out during his show, No Reservations, that every culture has their “meat in tube form,” and, that more often than not, this meat product (i.e. hotdog, bratwurst, sausage of some form, etc.) is delicious. One of these meats […]
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Hegan: The New Male Vegan
March 25, 2010
It’s hard not to have fun when newspapers roll out with brand new words like the 2008 recessionista , the “style maven with a budget,” or, more recently, the femivore, a stay-at-home mother who finds empowerment through feeding her family organic and locally sourced food. The latest neologism is hegan. […]
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The Language of Liqueur
March 17, 2010
Liqueur and liquor may both stem from the same Latin verb liquere meaning “to be fluid” and the Old French noun licour meaning “liquid.” Nevertheless, liqueurs are entirely different liquids from their counterpart spirits. According to Stuart Walton, the author of The Bartender’s Guide to Cocktails and Mixed Drinks, liqueurs […]
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The Cream Christ Connection
October 14, 2009
There are few things that I love more than finding out that two seemingly very different words share the same root. Like the shared history of pomegranate and hand grenade, these connections between word origins sometimes surface in decidedly non-linguistic places. Today’s strange linguistic history comes from Harold McGee’s On […]
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