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Words To Eat By

The surprising stories behind our food names

Diet
What We Talk About When We Talk About Bread

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on January 23, 2012

Can't we think of tortillas, injeeras, parathas, lavashes, and all the other wonderful flatbreads of the world not as inferior to, but simply as different from the loaves of risen wheat bread that almost invariably come to mind when we think about bread?

Can't we think of tortillas, injeeras, parathas, lavashes, and all the other wonderful flatbreads of the world not as inferior to, but simply as different from the loaves of risen wheat bread that almost invariably come to mind when we think about bread?

Diet
The Meat Market

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on January 10, 2012

When it comes to meat, we English speakers seem to have a hard time confronting the reality of what we eat and so we resort to many different strategies to avoid stating the obvious.

When it comes to meat, we English speakers seem to have a hard time confronting the reality of what we eat and so we resort to many different strategies to avoid stating the obvious.

Postpartum Depression
The Great Brownie Debate

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on January 6, 2012

Some people like their brownies on the cakey side, but I find that more people prefer them the slightest bit undercooked, resulting in a consistency somewhere in between sticky, moist, and fudgy—or what the English call squidgy.

Some people like their brownies on the cakey side, but I find that more people prefer them the slightest bit undercooked, resulting in a consistency somewhere in between sticky, moist, and fudgy—or what the English call squidgy.

Fear
A New Year's Eve Dinner

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on December 29, 2011

Why is it that some people are vigilant to the point of phobia about what they put in their mouths while others don't give a fig?

Why is it that some people are vigilant to the point of phobia about what they put in their mouths while others don't give a fig?

Play
Latkes & Applesauce

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on December 20, 2011

Oil isn't something I typically use by the quart and it's astonishing how much oil you need to fry up a batch of latkes.

Oil isn't something I typically use by the quart and it's astonishing how much oil you need to fry up a batch of latkes.

Appetite
The United Colors of Rice

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on December 12, 2011

I may have a fixation with rice, but to my defense, so does the rest of the world: it's the staple food for roughly three and a half billion people.

I may have a fixation with rice, but to my defense, so does the rest of the world: it's the staple food for roughly three and a half billion people.

Fantasies
Turkey Day: Fact or Fiction?

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on November 21, 2011

Anyone who knows anything about the pilgrims knows that a day of thanksgiving would have been spent on one's knees thanking God in church, not gluttonously feasting around a groaning board.

Anyone who knows anything about the pilgrims knows that a day of thanksgiving would have been spent on one's knees thanking God in church, not gluttonously feasting around a groaning board.

Diet
Munchkins, Gherkins, Napkins . . . and Pumpkins?

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on November 14, 2011

Here's what I don't get. Munchkins are little bites. Gherkins are little pickles. Napkins are little cloths. Manikins are little men. And pumpkins? Little . . . what? Who could ever have looked at a pumpkin and called it little?

Here's what I don't get. Munchkins are little bites. Gherkins are little pickles. Napkins are little cloths. Manikins are little men. And pumpkins? Little . . . what? Who could ever have looked at a pumpkin and called it little?

Spirituality
"Soup of the Evening, Beautiful Soup!"

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on November 7, 2011

There are two types of people in the world: those who like soup for dinner and those who don't.

There are two types of people in the world: those who like soup for dinner and those who don't.

Marriage
The Case of Pie v. Tart

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on October 24, 2011

Face it: a tarte aux pommes sounds more elegant than an apple pie, even though your guests might think you a bit snooty if you were to serve one next Thanksgiving.

Face it: a tarte aux pommes sounds more elegant than an apple pie, even though your guests might think you a bit snooty if you were to serve one next Thanksgiving.

Cognition
On Chutney

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on October 17, 2011

I don’t know about you, but to me, a spare hour or two plus apples and cranberries equals chutney.

I don’t know about you, but to me, a spare hour or two plus apples and cranberries equals chutney.

Marriage
Chili Peppers and Chocolate

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on October 10, 2011

How about instead of an all-American meal, we celebrate Columbus Day with a truly global meal, a meal that represents the marriage of Old and New?

How about instead of an all-American meal, we celebrate Columbus Day with a truly global meal, a meal that represents the marriage of Old and New?

Relationships
An Armchair Foodie

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on October 3, 2011

Call it my oral obsession if you must, but to my mind food and words go together like bread and butter, ham and cheese, peanut butter and jelly—well, you get the picture.

Call it my oral obsession if you must, but to my mind food and words go together like bread and butter, ham and cheese, peanut butter and jelly—well, you get the picture.

Relationships
On Pudding—Bread, Rice, or Porpoise?

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on September 26, 2011

Is there a lowest common denominator, a non-negotiable, a sine qua non when it comes to puddings—a Platonic ideal of puddinghood?

Is there a lowest common denominator, a non-negotiable, a sine qua non when it comes to puddings—a Platonic ideal of puddinghood?

PANDAS
My Problem with Honey

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on September 19, 2011

If your taste buds are anything like mine and you prefer a spice bread to a cloying honey cake, this is the seasonal dessert for you.

If your taste buds are anything like mine and you prefer a spice bread to a cloying honey cake, this is the seasonal dessert for you.

Jealousy
Forbidden Fruit

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on September 12, 2011

Although I have neither polls nor statistics to back me up, I'm confident that, if I were to ask you what fruit it was that Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden, nine out of ten of you would answer it was an apple.

Although I have neither polls nor statistics to back me up, I'm confident that, if I were to ask you what fruit it was that Adam and Eve ate in the Garden of Eden, nine out of ten of you would answer it was an apple.

Cognition
A Labor Day Pig-Pickin'

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on September 6, 2011

"And we hope y'all can join us for our Annual-Welcome-to-North-Carolina-Labor Day-Pig-Pickin'." A pig-pickin'? Were they kidding? What was a pig-pickin' in the first place and, in the second place, no thank you.

"And we hope y'all can join us for our Annual-Welcome-to-North-Carolina-Labor Day-Pig-Pickin'." A pig-pickin'? Were they kidding? What was a pig-pickin' in the first place and, in the second place, no thank you.

Cognition
A New Viking Invasion?

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on September 1, 2011

From Julius Caesar to Julia Child, French and Italian food has reigned supreme—but no longer.

From Julius Caesar to Julia Child, French and Italian food has reigned supreme—but no longer.

Spirituality
Comfort Foods

Ina Lipkowitz Ph.D. on August 29, 2011

Food is not simply what we buy at the store, but the very stuff of our lives—personal, physical, spiritual, and sociable.

Food is not simply what we buy at the store, but the very stuff of our lives—personal, physical, spiritual, and sociable.