The breadsticks meme
I’ve been reading about dinosaur ichnology so I’ve been seeing a lot of the word “meme” in its original sense: a behavior or pattern of behaviors that is transmitted socially among […]
Category Archives: Language
Taste, text, and everyday synaesthesia
When I was reading The Language of Food by Dan Jurafsky, I was gratified to see some discussion of the mild everyday synaesthesia that accompanies food-related language such as brand […]
What color is this cabbage?
I would have been thoroughly confused by the whole #TheDress meme if I hadn’t been sitting on a couch next to someone who swore she saw a white and gold dress, although […]
The Secret Language of Yelp Reviews
I recently picked up The Language of Food by Dan Jurafsky, which turned out to be an entirely enjoyable, accessible collection of essays about food nouns and adjectives. A little more than half […]
More Obscure Food Words
Like many bookish people, I have a real weakness for rare and obscure words, words with unusual etymologies, and words that were totally common and sensible in a different period […]
Sound bites: Claude Levi-Strauss
“Cooking is a language through which society unconsciously reveals its structure.” —Claude Lévi-Strauss In The Origin of Table Matters, Lévi-Strauss explains and elaborates on his use of a “culinary triangle” […]
Quick Hit: Pumpkin Spice the Movie
This is too good not to share: a trailer for Pumpkin Spice the Movie, by Official Comedy (h/t The Hairpin). I loathe “Pumpkin Spice” products, for what it’s worth. I’m […]
The Semiotics of Spam
I’ve been thinking a lot about spam. This blog remains a fairly quiet corner of the internet where I can happily hold forth about food and books without feeling too […]
The metaphors of mass consumerism
Inequality by (interior) Design, a smart sociology blog you should be following if you aren’t already, included a shout-out to Janice Radway in a post describing the way books written […]
One way of looking at “Foodies”
Back when I managed book exhibits at scholarly conferences, I noted the frequency with which book-booth neighbors would pass the time by talking about good, sophisticated food options in a […]
