Bossa Nova is appalled by food writing clichés

In a few weeks, I'll be leading a workshop called "Extreme Food Writing Makeover" at the upcoming Vida Vegan Food Blogging Conference. While preparing for this talk, I've been thinking about how cliché some food terms have become, even among the culinary cogniscenti. Language is as organic and fluid as cooking. Just as we continually sample new foods to keep our palettes sharp, it's also important to "taste" new verbs, adjectives and metaphors.

Here's my list of 100 overused culinary words/phrases, gleaned from high-brow publications like Bon Appétit, menus, restaurant reviews, blogs [including my own], tweets and status updates. This list is not a manifesto, nor is it meant to chastise anyone's writing – I am certainly just as guilty as anyone of overusing some of these terms. Consider this list as a challenge to stretch the conventional boundaries of culinary writing and break out of the writing habits we all fall into. Feel free to add your peeves as comments. And to use this list as the foundation a trend that I predict will soon sweep the nation: for Food Cliché Bingo.

1. Vegan [as an adjective]: "Plant-based," to me, is so much more descriptive. 
2. Artisanal: Yawn
3. All Rachel Ray-isms, including but not limited to yumm-o, "stoop," EVOO and sammies
4. Farm-raised: Just skip it. Or be more specific, eg, "hydroponically raised" or "fresh from the factory farm"
5. Wilted: In a recipe for my upcoming cookbook, I used the direction "Roast the eggplant until it's pooped." "Correct verb use?" the copyeditor queried. "Stet (editor-speak for let it be)," I replied.
6. "[Insert umbrella term here] friendly," eg, vegan friendly, earthy friendly, budget friendly, heart friendly
7. Gastro-pub: Can we please just say "pretentious bar?"
8. Pop-up: Tired of it already
9. Locavore: Designed to make people feel better about themselves
10. Flexitarian: Face it, you're an omnivore
11. Micro-anything: eg, microbreweries, microgreens
12. Seasonal 
13. Summery
14. Wintery 
15. Autumnal
16. Anything "primavera"
17. Anything "Iron Chef"
18. Foodie
19. Fresh: I certainly hope it is
20. Rustic 
21. Silky
22. Sustainable
23. Flavorful
24. Earthy: I promise never to use it again
25. Contrast: Ditto
26. Infused: Ditto
27. DIY: I'm off it, I swear
28. Deconstructed: I vowed off this one after my first cookbook
29. Perfect/to perfection: Really, is anything perfect?
30. Hearty
31. Stick-to-your-ribs
32. Tasty: Specificity is your friend
33. Yummy
34. Mouth-watering
35. Wonderful
36. Floral
37. Creamy
38. Plump
39. Moist
40. Slider
41. Topped with
42. Paired with
43. Fair-trade
44. Delicious
45. Balanced
46. Comforting
47. Aromatic
48. Compliments
49. Drenched
50. Slathered
51. Smeared
52. Intense/intensely
53. Buttery
54. Sweet
55. Sour
56. Tart [as in acidic, not as in pie]
57. Tasty
58. Bite
59. Nibble
60. Tender
61. Crumbly
62. Flaky
63. Satisfying
64. Fragrant
65. Woody
66. Nutty
67. Decadent
68. Spicy
69. Packs a punch
70. Elegant
71. Homemade
72. Fusion 
73. Drizzled
74. Molten
75. Light
76. Savory
77. Succulent
78. Healthy
79. Easy
80. Crowd-pleaser
81. Cooling
82. Warming
83. Abundant
84. Gooey
85. Chewy
86. Quick
87. Subtle
88. Wholesome
89. Enhances
90. On-the-go 
91. Filling
92. Grown-up
93. Rich
94. Piquant
95. Sinful
96. Cloying
97. Chocolatey
98. Gorgeous
99. Amazing
100. Lovely
101. Fabulous