So 2008 you've been fun. We've had good times. But now you're leaving and there's some of the worst of 2008 to kick to the curb with you.
The words "delish" and "foodie": I have a visceral nails-on-a-chalkboard reaction to these words. Delish is a cop-out. If something is truly delicious, show some proper gratitude and take the time to say the entire word. It's not fair for some chef to spend four hours making one dish but you can't be bothered to say the last syllable. Not going through the effort sums up what chefs hate about the main user of this word, Rachel Ray.
As for "foodie":
I don't know of any chefs who refer to themselves by this title. For me, the word is a warning that says, "Hey, I'm not any fun to have a meal
with." I'm all for people enjoying the hell out of food, but not if it
means they have to give themselves a title to lord over "non-foodies."
Passion for food should be shown through actions, not titles. I like
the olden days when people who enjoyed food the most were simply called
overweight.
Misleading organic labels: The laws on what
is and isn't organic are so muddled right now that the USDA couldn't fine
the largest organic company -- Aurora Organic -- for breaking the law
but merely for breaking the spirit of the law. From the Huffington Post: "Aurora, another big organic milk
company, has been sued by the Cornucopia Institute for violating the
standards by confining cows in giant feedlots rather than letting them
out on pasture. The USDA has been pathetically lax in forcing the big
guys to comply with the rules."
Power & Light District Dress Code: There's much written
about the Power & Light District's dress code and how almost-laughably racist
it is. Except racism isn't funny and the dress code isn't fair. If Power & Light truly cared about keeping out all the troublemakers, it would ban striped shirts and Red-Bull-based alcoholic drinks -- or better yet, not ban anything and let individual establishments decide their own dress codes.
Fourth Meal: I'd be happy if Taco Bell's annoying "Fourth Meal" commercials disappeared. It takes some audacity to imply that Americans really need a fourth meal. I understand the marketing, but at least they could show the real target audience. Not one of these commercials features a heavy or even slightly chubby actor. It's always guys who look like they just got back from Gold's Gym. Taco Bell needs to be the next target of those Truth Ads about cigarettes.
American Ale: Budweiser created an ale to compete with micro-breweries, but a microbrewery would go out of business serving this ale. The first time I tasted American Ale in October, I said it was like there was a battery in the bottom of the beer. That American Ale was on draft. A month later, I had one from a bottle and my reaction was the same: The first sip was not bad but by the third sip, there was that alkaline flavor in my mouth again. Of all the products released this year, this is the only one that left a literal aftertaste.
-- Owen Morris
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