Sick of Cooks Misusing the Word Decadent

[Wolf Frankula]

Decadent does NOT mean rich, luxurious, tasty. Decadent means declining, decaying, morally suspect. Decadent foods are made by harming people, or from endangered species. Decadent foods are eaten to show off, not because they are tasty. Ham omelets are not decadent. Lampreys fattened on human flesh is decadent. Chocolate strawberry cheesecake is not decadent. Bread fried in pimple pus is decadent. Churros are not decadent. Tiger penis soup is decadent.

Wolf

[Chan790]

1. Ordalons are decadent...but so is the 1500cal slice of chocolate cake. n/t

[3catwoman3]

2. The late Edwin Newman would be proud of you.

Newman wrote two of my favorite books about language use and misuse - Strictly Speaking and A Civil Tongue. In one of them, he devotes a whole chapter to language crimes committed by the culinary industry.

One example I remember, and which I have both seen and heard in person, is "roast beef with au jus." The with is, of course, completely superfluous.

[Paper Roses]

4. The 'with' always bugged the heck out of me. --with with..... n/t

[malthaussen]

6. I presume you are also aware of houses...

... where the master bedroom is "with en suite."

-- Mal

[3catwoman3]

8. We have been in the same house for 21 years, with no...

...immediate plans to move. I have not had any recent need to look at real estate listings, so I was not aware of that one. Thanks for adding to my knowledge base.

When I read books like those of Newman's I cited above, I am occasionally embarrassed and frustrated when I cannot figure out what is wrong with a particular example being given. Equally frustrating are those few times when I borrow a book from the library and have to go to dictionary.com 5 times on the first page. Always humbling for someone who considers herself to have a good vocabulary.

[frogmarch]

3. Me too!

It's always bugged me. The word is used a lot in TV commercials too, to describe rich desserts and such. Ugh.

Thank you for your post!

[seveneyes]

5. Full of Sin

[PRB]

7. Sort of like the ESPN blowed dried boys

using the words sick or ridiculous. Someone must sit in an office and come up with this stuff.