The C Word
Have you noticed the prevalence of particular words entering the zeitgeist this past year? There are several words that I know you will be very familiar with now, as there is basically no escape from them.
The two that come to immediate mind are Catastrophic and Unprecedented. Both are used everywhere and, in any situation, sometimes in the same description and very often completely out of context.
As you all know, I am a lover of fine cuisine. It's a passion and interest that fills my days and nights, whether I'm seated at a counter watching chefs create magic or reading about new food trends or a new restaurant, to discovering the latest openings from far flung corners of the globe.
There is now a word that has crept into the vocab of the food world that is impossible to escape. And it has been driving me bonkers. I know, as humans we tend to latch onto a descriptor, and it starts to spread like wildfire with anyone who follows the game. But it's beginning to get ridiculous.
The word is CULINARY. Restauranteurs use it for every description about what they are about, using it as part of their branding or in their marketing on their website and on their social media updates. It is used to describe dining out as an experience, which is the way marketers now position themselves, as something special. The incredible overuse of the word, however, now makes a restaurant's marketing spiel very same same. Every establishment seems to have the same story to tell.
The sustainable food practices, the cooking techniques using food and ingredients from local, organic producers, the relationships with local farmers, fishermen and purveyors - you know what I mean. Take a look at the sales pitch of a restaurant on their website. When you compare it to several others, they are all variations on each other.
That story is now told with the word culinary in extraordinary overabundance. So much so that the descriptions have begun to border on the silly. In the food world (or should I say, "culinary land"), this C word is the new “journey”, which for some time now has been the most overused word in experiential context, both mental and physical.
The two are very regularly paired together - a "culinary journey". The descriptions of a restaurant now stretch far beyond the necessary. I have seen culinary used over eight times in a single restaurant synopsis. I have populated this article with many examples I have found in magazines and online.
I’ll note this one in the pic below first, as it warrants its own separate mention. The wonderful Mandarin Oriental in Hong Kong sent me this pre-arrival confirmation. Note the recommendation they have given me, to enjoy a culinary adventure.
I was tempted to call and ask them exactly what they mean by that. Do I wear a pith helmet and wander through the kitchens slaughtering the livestock I may wish to eat? Or do I swing down by zipline from an adjacent skyscraper into my chosen restaurant and land in my seat where my food awaits?
It clearly and simply means enjoy dining in one of the hotels restaurants. Why didn’t they just state that. Why raise expectations for something adventurous? Why is it adventurous to dine there? Are we risking our lives? Please explain!
Naturally, during my observation of this new phenomenon, I have pondered what alternative word could be used in its place. Epicurean is one, though its rarely used as it is more related to a person, and it's bit fancy pants for a regular diner. But not that much more, in effect. Another is Gourmet, (totally overused in the 90’s and post 2000) but it’s a word that reaches too far from the masses, or the generality of cooking.
The other is Gastronomic, which I believe can work as a replacement, or at least an occasional alternative. But I've always taken issue with putting the word Gastro into anything related to food. How did a word so synonymous with stomach issues and throwing up, or, even worse, expelling from both ends, get used in the word Gastronomic, which highlights how high a chef can reach? The mind boggles.
Look at these examples that regularly appear:
Culinary Journey, Culinary Adventure, Culinary Odyssey, Culinary Experience, Culinary Prowess, Culinary Wonders, Culinary Sensation, Culinary Expertise, Culinary Offering, Culinary Empire (please!), Culinary Masterpiece, Culinary Leadership, Culinary Destination, Culinary Mastery, Culinary Lingus….sorry, I just couldn’t resist! ;)
Just try saying those all in a row. Unpleasant, right? It’s a word that even SOUNDS awful. I’ve heard Stanley Tucci pronounce it koo-lin-airy, which to my ear is so much better. A bit posher perhaps, but better. And hats off to The Tooch, for in his marvelous TV series “Searching For Italy” he only muttered the word a few times, max.
I know it’s nuts to focus on this so much, it may seem crazy that I do. It’s just that I can’t read anything at all on one of my favourite journalistic topics without being hit by it each and every time. It’s the earworm of the food world. How can copy proofers allow the C word to appear multiple times in a single article? Where are the Copy Police when you need them?! Everyone just needs to calm down!
Enjoy the following wild examples that stumbled across me over a short period of time, and you’ll get why it’s bothered me so much. It’s quite humorous when you see them all together. It’s a little game of “spot the Culinary”. I hope and pray that this may be short-lived, but as an alternative word remains elusive, we may well be stuck with it forever.
