BP#3: More than a Definition

        Connotations have great significance in the English language. Using a word that, in a dictionary, has the same meaning as another can result in drastic contextual implications that may entirely alter the meaning of the sentence in which it is found. One example of this is the difference between the word foodie and the word gourmet. The connotations surrounding the latter conjure thoughts of prix fixe menus, foie gras, maitre’ds and sommeliers. Foodie, however, is a word at which many of those gourmets would cringe; those elite connoisseurs of the upper class could never be so robbed of sophistication as to refer to themselves as—or desire for themselves to be referred to as—foodies. The fact that foodie is not a connotative adjective of gourmet or connoisseur implies that it has a different meaning. This meaning is, then, a broader meaning than such exclusivist words can convey; it means simply, “one who loves food,” and one’s socioeconomic status is unrelated to one’s being or not being a foodie.
        Though all speak the same language, not all understand the meaning of a sentence in the same way. This is excellently demonstrated by the telephone game played in many elementary schools around the nation. When someone hears something, he hears the words, but takes in the meaning. When the message is passed around the circle of people back to the person who first said the message, the message often transforms into something entirely different than the original meaning. This is due to the large number of people who hear the words, take in the meaning, and try to put it back into the same words while maintaining the original meaning. This results in transformation that are individually insignificant but collectively critical to the ultimate outcome. When a person hears a word, she hears that word with all of the images that she associates with it, with all of the songs that she has heard it in, and all of the associations that she makes with it. The level of experience with the word determines the meaning of the word to the person. The word foodie is not very prevalent in everyday speech and is, therefore, associated most frequently with words like it (gourmet, epicure, bon vivant, connoisseur, and etcetera). This leads to misinterpretations of the actual meaning of the word which results in misuse of the word that leads to widespread confusion as to the actual meaning. This has happened to the word foodie, and direction is required to provide a solid definition of this commonly misused word.
        Other words of similar meaning to foodie, such as gourmet and bon vivant, stem from the French, during a period when only the wealthy were able to partake of the most refined and tasteful foods, and all others ate only the bare minimum required to sustain them. But the word foodie…that is a word that takes its roots in America, and is, therefore, distinctly American: there are no kings to pay homage to, there are no lords to distribute rations; there is the promise of a dream. The American Dream allows anyone to do whatever he wants, anyone to be whomever he desires, anyone to live however he wants. If an American desires to love food, then he will. The spirit of America pervades this word of American origin, and if someone is poor, he can be a foodie. If someone is middle class, she can be a foodie. If someone is rich, he can be a foodie. That’s because in America, a foodie is someone who enjoys food, and, in America, the land of opportunity, anyone can enjoy food.
        Enjoying food does not necessarily even mean eating food. One can enjoy the preparation of food, shopping for food, or even watching some food-related T.V. show. The advent of food television is proof positive for the fact that Americans need not be rich to be foodies; enjoyment of food comes easily and often to those who have the modicum of monetary means to afford television. This means that anyone of the middle class can be a foodie—enjoy food—by the definition herein established. What of those without the monetary means for television? They also may enjoy food. The incredible variety of inexpensive foods to be found in the supermarkets from which all Americans (nearly) buy their food allows for food idolization through exploration of creative preparation, unique tastes, and diverse textures. Furthermore, anyone with the ability to read has the capacity to enjoy food, providing opportunities for the vast majority to enjoy food.
        A magnificent number of books take their roots in food, and discuss the impact of some aspect of food on the writers’ or characters’ lives. As these books nearly all provide an opportunity for readers to enjoy reading about the benefits of food, they also provide an avenue by which one may become a foodie. Aside from these, there are hundreds of restaurant reviews published daily, which are not merely meant to be scientific analyses of the food, to tell the reader whether or not he will enjoy the food, but rather as entertainment in and of themselves. America has, according the CIA World Factbook, a 99% literacy rate. Literacy is not a socioeconomically dependent statistic, as education in the United States is free for all who elect to take advantage of the opportunity. Food literature, accessible in many forms, is meant to be an enjoyable experience regardless of whether or not the reader plans to try the restaurant or the recipe, which means that it is very inexpensive for someone to enjoy the fruits of food.
        Ruth Reichl, in her book Garlic and Sapphires, discusses what her college years were like. Being the future restaurant reviewer of the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times and a future editor of Gourmet magazine, she most definitely qualifies as a foodie. Even though she could not enjoy the finest, chef-crafted course at the fanciest, designer-decorated restaurants, she found herself enjoying cooking for others, eating with others, cooking for herself, and enjoying food by herself. She was in no position to spend large quantities of money on elaborate, expensive meals, but she was nonetheless able to satisfy her own food fixation with the little money that she had. (Garlic)She truly found a passion in food that others cannot find which put her, a socioeconomic proletarian, into the category of “foodie.”
        Reichl’s book compares with The Official Foodie Handbook of Paul Levy and Ann Barr very little, except in that they both examine the importance of food in life. Where Ruth discusses the impact that food can have on an individual, Levy and Barr examine the impact of food on society. The very first sentence of the book asks the question, “What is a foodie?” These authorities on foodies go on to answer, within the ensuing paragraph, the question by saying simply that “a foodie is a person who is very very very interested in food.” (Original)By that definition, a beggar on the streets of Atlanta and a retired CEO in his penthouse suite could both be foodies. The person need not be able to read or write, be able to taste or prepare the food, or be able to distinguish between cuisines. According to the definition of those who first printed the word foodie, if one is interested in food, he or she is a foodie.
        Connotations have been found to have great importance to the meaning of the word foodie. Clearly, from the definition provided by the food experts, Levy and Barr, the word refers simply to someone who is passionately interested in food. This shows that common associations with the word, such as fancy restaurants and expensive meals, really apply to words like foodie, such as gourmet. All of these elitist titles (gourmet, epicure, and etcetera) fall into the category of foodie, but so does a restaurant critic, a poor baker who loves her job, and a beggar who is very interested in the next morsel of food that he will be able to scrounge. A foodie is nothing more than a person who loves food, regardless of how that love is manifested in their being. Whether they write of sustenance, or read about fine cuisine, or meditate on fine future food, they are foodies if they often display, inwardly or outwardly, a love of food.
        The word foodie, with its American roots and broad definition, allows for anyone to enjoy what he or she wants to enjoy. The word foodie, by its very definition, takes all who love food into its arms and embraces them, regardless of their socioeconomic status. The word’s intention is to be all-inclusive and undiscriminating, and that is the connotation that those who use the word and hear the word and read the word and think the word should associate with it. It’s very existence is proof of the torn-down walls between the rich and the poor in America that allow anyone and everyone to live the American Dream, whether that Dream is to be a Muslim, a protestant, or a food-worshiping foodie.

Works Cited
Original Foodie. 2005. The Sydney Morning Herald. 26 Oct. 2009 .
Reichl, Ruth. Garlic and Sapphires The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise. New York: Penguin (Non-Classics), 2006.
The World Factbook. 14 Oct. 2009. The Central Intelligence Agency. 26 Oct. 2009 .