“French toast” vs. “french fries”: The Wild West of Food Editing

“French toast” vs. “french fries”: The Wild West of Food Editing
Wendy Allen copy editor Organic Valley Edible Madison #ACESFoodEdit

Why is there so much inconsistency?
Pre-2000 vs. post-2000 Pre-2011 vs. post-2011 Bloggers are cowboys and cowgirls Subject matter experts in a field believe all Important Words must be Capitalized Prior to 2000 or so, recipes were only published in print -- cookbooks, magazines, newspapers -- which all had copy editors to ensure they adhered to a house style for recipes and other food terms. After 2000, the food blogging scene began to pick up, first with established food writers and cookbook authors taking their recipes and articles online. Once you didn’t need to know HTML to start a blog, the number of food blogs exploded. In 2015, there were 227 million blogs. Not sure how many exactly are food blogs, but it’s in the millions. The blog format recipe post that we all know and (may or may not) love was possibly first used around 2003. What happened in 2011? AP introduced their Food Guidelines section. This finally provides guidance to content producers who didn’t specialize in recipes and food writing. However, most food bloggers don’t subscribe to a style guide (or even know what they are), so this didn’t help the blogging wild west all that much. Bloggers don't consider themselves food writers. They see themselves as friends of their readers, not professional writers or cooks. They often have no background in writing, and have no idea that there are established -- if not well advertised -- food style guidelines. Subject matter experts who know their field intimately. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Editing Food Writing: Step 1 Learn to Cook
Spot missing or incorrect info Are the prep and cooking times realistic? (especially for your audience?) Know the difference between measurements oz. (weight) vs. oz. (fluid) other wet vs. dry converting volume (U.S.) to weight (the rest of the world) and vice versa Will it even taste good? It’s hard to edit recipes if you don’t know how to cook. But this doesn’t mean you have to test each recipe. Just like we do in a narrative article, a recipe proofreader must also be able to spot the outright errors as well as the missing information. Spot missing info: missing change in temperature, a missing ingredient, vague instructions, or missing critical instructions for your audience (such as tempering the eggs before adding all the hot liquid if you’re writing for an average home cook audience). Is it realistic? There’s no way it takes only 5 minutes to prep those ingredients… There’s no way you can caramelize onions in only 15 minutes… Measurements If you can’t visualize the difference between ounces and cups, you could end up with Wendy’s hot chocolate recipe. The rest of the world bakes using weight measurements – much more accurate. US volume cooking got started in 19th century with recipes for CUP cakes that were made using single cup measurements for most of the ingredients. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Editing Food Writing: Step 2 Words to Know
Scoville Terroir Béchamel Temper Blind bake beurre blanc Difference between… Al dente A la mode A la carte A la king alfresco Participation – have group shout out others ***And are they appropriate for your audience?*** Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Editing Food Writing: Step 2 Words to Know
Bundt® pan = fluted cake pan or tube pan Crock Pot® = slow cooker Broccolini® Ziploc® = zip-close bag Kitchenaid® = stand mixer Pam® = cooking spray Trademarks vs. common terms Broccolini (AP style notes the trademark, but you will rarely see it trademarked (and often not capitalized) in blogs) Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Editing Food Writing: Step 3 Get to Know Food Culture
What’s in season? What does “local” mean to your publication? To readers? How are other writers talking about [insert hot topic of the moment]? Dietary niches: paleo gluten-free allergy-friendly Nutrition Fitness Vegetarian Vegan kid-friendly/quick Not just recipes: Get to know food and food culture, in general. What’s in season for the region you’re editing for? “local” asparagus in fall in Wisconsin; oranges in August for Florida Is the writer using a food term correctly? (We’ll zip through a bunch of them in a little while) Do you know what paleo is? The difference between vegetarian and vegan? Did you know there are different types of vegetarianism? Hone your copy editor’s red flag. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Editing Food Writing: Step 4 Know the recipe Formula
Numerals, always Prep time / Cook time / Servings Ingredient list: Listed in order of appearance tablespoon or Tbsp. or tbsp. or Tb or tb or T? It’s never 5 tablespoons Method / Directions Begin sentences with equipment and technique, rather than ingredients. KISS Suggestions / Notes that don’t fit in the recipe proper This is recipes 101 – basic formula. Always use numerals. They stand out (in fact, some publications are moving that direction in regular copy, too) Equipment and technique first: In a medium saucepan over low heat, whisk together the butter and sugar. Suggestions and notes might include a suggested brand if you don’t want to specify it in the ingredient list, serving suggestions, prep notes to clarify a technique for your audience. When proofing, if you have access to the photo that they plan to publish with it, you can also verify that the photo looks like what you’d expect the recipe to look like, including prep specifics like “cucumber cut into half-moons” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

This or That? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

1 cup flour, sifted or 1 cup sifted flour?
Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Size Matters Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Unless it is required by the recipe to have a specific type of pan, just say “rimmed baking sheet.” 9.5 x 13 inches – quarter sheet pan 10.5 x 15.5 inches – jelly roll 13 x 18 inches – half sheet pan Also note difference between these pans and cookie sheets. Cookie sheets don’t have rims. So if the recipe needs rims, definitely say “rimmed baking sheet” or specify the type of pan. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Size Matters II Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
I know this isn’t readable, but it’s just to demonstrate the scope of ways you can chop vegetables. The main ones to know are Dice Chop Slice Half-moons Mince Julienne These are the most common ones, but there are so many more… Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Lengthwise or Crosswise?
Lengthwise = the long way Crosswise = across, perpendicular Usually this is obvious, but you have to know how to get lengthwise vs. crosswise on a round food. And sometimes it can make a difference in a recipe. Sometimes this really matters: such as slicing zucchini planks to grill: if you sliced them crosswise, you’ll have a lot of zucchini coins falling into the coals when you try to flip them. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Not all salts are created equal…
Kosher Coarse Sea Table Pickling Fine Flake Finishing Himalayan Hawaiian Celtic Fleur de sel Kala namak 1 teaspoon of each one has a very different volume because of the varying coarseness. Kosher salt is not always certified Kosher. Kosher salt is usually coarse, but sometimes not as coarse as “coarse” salt. Sea salt often has additional mineral residues from being dried from seawater Sea salt is often coarse but you can find fine sea salt too, but packages don’t always say the coarseness. Table salt is finer than the others, but not as fine as “fine” or flake” Table salt may have iodine and anti-clumping agents added. Pickling salt does not. Pickling salt does not taste like pickles, so you could use it as your everyday salt if you don’t feel like keeping different kinds around for eating vs. canning. Fine salt has many variants too, including superfine popcorn salt Flake salt is also finishing salt Fancy colored or named salts are claimed to have special properties, but they taste the same as any salt when used in cooking. Maaay have different flavors to the super-tasters in the crowd, but it’s mostly marketing. Hawaiian salt can be red or black Celtic salt is gray…and it’s actually from France. Fleur de sel “flower of salt” comes from tidal pools off the coast of Brittany, France. Hand harvested using traditional wooden rakes on sunny days with a slight breeze. It can run $80/lb. Kala namak is Himalayan salt that’s been packed in a jar with charcoal, herbs, seeds and bark, then fired in a furnace for 24 hours and then aged. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Not all salts are created equal…
Different densities/ crystal sizes 1 teaspoon fine sea or table salt = roughly 1 1/4 teaspoons Morton’s kosher salt = roughly 1 3/4 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt Basically though, you can think of a teaspoon of fine sea salt, regular old table salt or Morton salt as just about equivalent in salty impact. If you’d like to use Diamond kosher salt instead of table or sea salt in a recipe, use double. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Celery or Celeriac? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
You all know what celery is. Celeriac is also known as celery root, but it is NOT the root of the celery we eat. It’s specifically cultivated to have a large root. Has celery flavor and holds up well in soups, stews, and even is good boiled and mashed with potatoes. (Peel it first, obviously.) Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Cilantro or Coriander? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Cilantro is the leaves of the coriander plant. Coriander also refers to the seeds and the ground spice. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Kimchee or Kimchi? M-W says kimchi and that w/ two e’s is a less common variant. Fun note: I was researching this session last June and AP Food Guidelines said kimchee, and I noted that I wondered when they would change it. Well, they changed it on Nov. 1, 2016, so I’m glad I checked again last night to be sure! Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Cannellini vs. Cannelloni
1 cannellini beans 2 cannelloni pasta 3 cannoli pastries (although they’re often called cannellonis too - google “cannelloni pastry”) Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Palate or Palette? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Grassfed or Grass-fed? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Trick question. It’s both. Going to call out my own company on this one… The meat industry started to market grass-fed products first, and the American Grassfed (one word) Association led the way to making the closed compound the standard for the meat industry. Grass-fed dairy was introduced relatively recently, and they didn’t consult the beef marketers on it. So now we have this…and this… and lots of confusion for people in my company who are writing about the grass-fed products. Neither is in the dictionary, so if you have to deal with this one, do your research and set your preferred style early! Photos: Organic Valley Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Grassfed or Grass-fed? Use preferred spelling for the brand/product’s full, proper name. Or use preferred spelling of the trade’s audience: grassfed for meat-related audiences grass-fed for dairy-related audiences Use grass-fed when writing in general about grass-fed products or agriculture. These are Organic Valley’s style preferences. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Grazer or Grazier? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Photos: Organic Valley Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

What’s up with cheese? Asiago Parmesan Parmigiano-Reggiano Brie
Camembert Muenster Jack cheese but…  Swiss Emmenthal / Emmenthaler Limburger Gouda Gruyere Romano cheddar fontina colby provolone manchego havarti pepper jack taleggio mascarpone chevre pecorino farmstead These are AP’s style, but they don’t really make a lot of sense. Cheddar and Colby are both cities, so you’d think they should be caps, and parmesan would come from parma, Italy, but the name has changed, so you’d think it would be lowercase, but it’s not. Brie was lowercase last year but caps this year Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Don’t be bleu. (Be blue.) Roquefort Gorgonzola Stilton blue bleu
Use “blue,” not “bleu” in American writing. Roquefort – french from Roquefort region Gorgonzola – Italian Stilton Blue - american Bleu - french Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

BBQ Bar-B-Q Barbeque Barbecue
Vote BUT take search into account too. And when writing for the web, you may have to use BBQ Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Farmers Market Farmer’s Market Farmers’ Market
Vote Farmers market: It is a market made up of many farmers; it’s not a market owned (possessed) by the farmers. (That is, unless it is…) Use the apostrophe when part of a proper noun / official name of the market, though. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Hummus Hommus Hommos Houmous Hummous Humus Hamous
AP says hummus, so we’ll just go with that. UNLESS it’s spelled differently for the product name… Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Natural or Organic? Regardless of how you feel about natural or organic foods, there are things to consider for the sake of accuracy for your readers: Natural has little to no regulation. From the FDA: “The FDA has considered the term “natural” to mean that nothing artificial or synthetic (including all color additives regardless of source) has been included in, or has been added to, a food that would not normally be expected to be in that food. However, this policy was not intended to address food production methods, such as the use of pesticides, nor did it explicitly address food processing or manufacturing methods, such as thermal technologies, pasteurization, or irradiation. The FDA also did not consider whether the term “natural” should describe any nutritional or other health benefit.” Certified organic is a highly regulated system of agricultural production and food processing that was an act of Congress and is regulated by the USDA. Certified organic governs the food at all stages of its production. It prohibits pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, synthetic hormones, antibiotics, GMOs on the farm. It requires farms to think about conservation and biodiversity on their land. Processors also have to follow strict regulations. And all involved have to be certified by a 3rd party certifier so there’s no conflict of interest. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

GMO or GE? Genetically modified organism. GMO is acceptable on second reference. Refers to food grown from seeds that are genetically engineered in a laboratory. Chapter Food Guidelines ; Created on Dec 18, 2014 Vote: who thinks it should be GMO? Who thinks GE? Interchangable? No idea? The AP Stylebook has an entry for GMO that defines what it is, but it doesn’t give any guidance on whether it should be used when constructing a sentence. The stylebook also doesn’t have an entry for GE, so we can’t compare how they’d recommend using them similarly or differently. So we’ve had to figure out some guidelines ourselves. But first, what do they stand for? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

GMO or GE? Genetically modified organism (n.) GMO (adj.) corn
“genetically modified organism” says what it is Genetically engineered (adj.) GE (adj.) corn “genetic engineering” is sciency and passive What do they stand for? What is genetic engineering/modification? How’s it different from traditional breeding? Lab vs. field Few years vs years Usage gets weird… Genetically modified organism functions as a noun. Genetically engineered functions as an adjective. GMO acronym functions as an adjective: GMO corn. This is weird because you’d never say “genetically modified organism corn” – just like Department of Redundancy Department. GE acronym also functions as an adjective: GE corn. So that’s at least consistent. So far, it seems like we should opt for GE since it’s the most consistent. Unfortunately, it becomes more complicated as you dig into the background of human-driven genetic manipulation. Traditional cross-breeding also considered human-driven genetic engineering by scientists. But the organic movement and industry want to maintain that the two techniques are fundamentally different, which they are. The general public also doesn’t understand the phrase genetic engineering, which is sciency and passive, as much as genetically modified organism, which straightforwardly says what it is. So marketers usually prefer to say “GMO corn” rather than “GE corn” even though GE is more consistent and grammatically accurate. So what have we done about it? (click Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

GMO or GE? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
At Organic Valley, we’ve chosen to go with GMO because we want to recognize the distinct difference between how genetically modified organisms and traditionally cross-bred organisms come into existence for our audience, which is our customers and the general public. But the rest of the food industry has kind of done this… and in some cases where we can’t control the message, we just have to let it go too. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

French toast vs. french fries
french = a style of cut – hence, french fries, french green beans BUT French bread French dressing French toast Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

It’s Dr Pepper, period. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Madeline loved a buttery madeleine.

Artisan vs. Artisanal vs. Artesian
Artisan is the human. Artisanal describes the food. Artesian is a well. Or thinking of beer: The artisan makes artisanal beer using water from an artesian well. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Artesian Cheese? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
When I hear “artesian cheese” it makes me think of this… “click” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Healthy or Healthful? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
This is not a healthy pumpkin. Or is it? According to Merriam Webster, healthy is an adjective that means free from disease or pain and “beneficial or conducive to health” as in “healthy foods.” So it’s *technically* fine to say “healthy foods.” Although it would be more precise to say “nutritious.” HOWEVER – this is one that has complications if you’re editing marketing or packaging materials that describe a product as “healthy” which have nothing to do with grammar. When Organic Valley was doing a packaging redesign, we had to submit the draft packages to the government for review. We’d referred to the products as “healthy,” and the FDA and USDA rejected the packages. Both words are adjectives, but the first definition of “healthy” as “free from disease or pain” would not apply to a non-living food product. “beneficial or conducive to health” is the 3rd definition of healthy. But it was the 1st definition of “healthful.” So we rephrased and used “healthful” and they didn’t have a problem with that one. So it wasn’t a grammar thing, it all a weird regulatory thing (which has had a lot of uncomfortable copy situations since). So while this is a rare instance and may not apply to a lot of you, if you’re working for a company that makes food products, you could save your company weeks of work if you’re able to bring up regulatory quirks like this early in the copywriting process rather than waiting for it to get denied. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Filet or Fillet? What do you think? Common usage seems to assume that filet with 1 L is for steak and 2 L’s is for fish. But according to Merriam-Webster and AP, that’s incorrect, even though it seems to be the most common usage. 1. This is a filet mignon steak – it’s a very specific cut of meat from the tenderloin of a cow. However, this piece of meat is ALSO a fillet (fill-ay) with 2 L’s when used as a general noun referring to any ol’ boneless cut of fish or meat. 2 L’s is also the verb form for cutting or deboning a piece of meat OR fish. According to Merriam-Webster and AP stylebook, you’d never use filet with one L except as filet mignon, even when talking about steak. The only definition of filet with one L is (click 2) “a lace with a square mesh and geometric designs” And to make it even more fun, British English pronounces it “fill-it,” but merriam-webster indicates that in American English, “fill-it” is only for the definitions relating to fabric, joining, and architecture. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Chile / Chiles or Chili / Chilies?
AP says use the i… Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Chile / Chiles or Chili / Chilies?
EXCEPT! (This is English…there’s always an “except”) Except for Hatch chile, produced in Hatch, New Mexico Except! for Hatch chile, produced in Hatch, New Mexico. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

portobello portabella portabello
M-W recognizes all three, but has the 2 o’s as the first option and the a’s as less common variant. AP prefers portobello, and lowercase Unfortunately, MS office dictionary is based on Merriam Webster, so all 3 are recognized and not flagged. And MS office also thinks they need to be capitalized. So you may need to update your auto-correct options, and set your proofing options to always flag these 3 to be double-checked and confirmed. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

“Baby bellas” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Baby bella is the marketing name for crimini mushrooms, and they are indeed small portobellos. It only takes 1-2 days to go from this to (click) this. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Ancho peppers in their original state?
Ancho chilies are dried poblanos peppers Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Chipotle peppers in their original state?
Chipotle peppers are dried jalapenos. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Localvore Locavore Locovore
If you’re not a foodie, you might think they are loco, but they’re not. Locavore: first known use 2005 Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Gourmand or Gourmet? A gourmand is a person who likes good food and tends to eat to excess; a glutton. A gourmet is a person who likes fine food and is an excellent judge of food and drink. Note: M-W actually doesn’t list “gourmet” as an adjective (at least not in the free online version), but Dictionary.com does. Photo: Edible Madison Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

China or china? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Kaiser or kaiser rolls? It’s lowercase, even though Word wants to capitalize it, it should not be, so you may have to change that setting in Word. They were named after Emperor (Kaiser) Franz Joseph I of Austria. So even though nouns are capitalized in German, we follow English capitalization rules when using the word as any common noun. AP stylebook Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Mandolin or Mandoline? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Note: mandoline doesn’t appear in the dictionary, and PPT would not even let me type the ‘e’ at the end of the word…it kept deleting the ‘e’ when I hit the spacebar. Grrr Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Regionalisms Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Drinking fountain / water fountain / bubbler (yes, bubbler – Wisconsin) Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Ketchup or catsup? (this one may be more generational, but I hear it a lot from the Norwegian grandmas where I’m from) Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Casserole or hot dish? (I’ve only ever heard this from Minnesotans) What are some where you live? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Food and Conscious Language
Food and conscious language – not the same as “conscious food” … Going to get serious for a moment here, but only for a moment. An article originally published by Lucky Peach and republished by the Conscious Style Guide this past March 29 called “Why we should examine our culinary vocabulary” does a really nice job of showing how “Terminology can embed our prejudices, at least until our thinking and usage around those terms change.” Language is intimately linked with culture, so language that was once culturally acceptable will often evolve to no longer be acceptable. Like Pillsbury’s line of “Funny Faces” drinks with names like “Injun Orange” and “Chinese Cherry” … did you just cringe and shudder? Good. Even benign language may be inadvertently harmful and be worth changing (like “midget” instead of “small”). Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

“Addicting” There is a growing movement to avoid using addiction language to describe food when it’s not necessary, and often it’s not accurate either. Addictions are a serious mental illness, and using this language lightly can (and often does) cause mental illnesses to not be taken seriously by friends, family and even doctors. (click) This cauliflower definitely is not actually addicting (unless it has some sort of “special” ingredient. On the other hand, if you’re writing about foods like sugar or fast food that do have some kind of scientific basis that they’re addicting, then that might be an appropriate usage, but you should still be careful and decide if it’s really necessary. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

“Tastes like crack” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Same goes for using clichés like “tastes like crack” – food most definitely should not taste like crack… Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Cliché City Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Ok, now for something more lighthearted… Food writing is RIFE with clichés, and food writers are reluctant to let them go, saying it’s the best descriptor, or even worse, it’s “their voice.” It’s NOT their voice. Cliches don’t say that someone is clever – just the opposite. That they don’t have anything unique and interesting to say about that food. So it’s up to copy editors to kill the food writer’s darlings. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

“Cloyingly sweet” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Please, just say it’s too sweet. Plus, “cloyingly” is just plain hard to say. Even in your head. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

“Fresh sushi” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Would you want sushi to be anything other than fresh? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

“Better than sex” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
I pity the person for whom food is better than sex. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

“Orgasmic” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
I hate to say it, but I’ve never had an orgasm over chocolate pie. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

“Party in my mouth” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
As you can see, there’s a lot of sexual innuendo in food writing… Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Nom (v.) Noms (plural n.) Nom nom nom (exclamation)
Let’s just be done with this one. Thankfully this one seems to be on its way out even on social media and blogs. Oxford Living Dictionary online Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

“Mouthfeel” Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Now, this one caused a stir last year. What do you think? This is my reaction to it… The word is just gross. Why are we using gross words to describe delicious food? Now, mouthfeel does have a very complex definition and includes not just the texture, but also the taste, chewing experience, color, aroma and even sound. Which means the word is definitely important in culinary writing…but for what audience? It’s a really great example of how writers and even copy editors – since we’re concerned with accuracy and specificity – ignore the audience in order to sound smart. Average people, average home cooks, average food buyers – even those who purchase organic products – also have this reaction to the word. Mouthfeel is appropriate for upscale audiences – gourmet food and products. It’s an iffy one for marketers. Marketers love it because it sounds super fancy, but affluence is a pretty narrow demographic, and they tend to be low-quantity purchasers. So find another way to describe your food if you need to market to a broader audience so you don’t turn them off. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

It’s 5 o’clock somewhere!

What’s the deal with wine?
Chablis vs. chardonnay Bordeaux vs. cabernet sauvignon Champagne vs. sparkling wine Porto vs. port Wine names for grape varietals, such as chardonnay and shiraz, are not capitalized. Wines named for regions, such as Champagne or Chianti, are capitalized. Port from Porto, Portugal, can be capitalized, but not port from anywhere else. (wines named after a location, but if that word has changed over time or through translation, do not get caps) Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Tequila or Mezcal? It’s all in the agave.
Many agaves = mezcal Also, the iconic Mezcal worM Tequila = 1 region, 1 type of agave worM & Many agaves = mezcal Most good mezcals no longer have a worm, but it’s another way to remember whether it’s tequila or mezcal that does, if it ever comes up. Tequila = 1 region, 1 type agave Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Mezcal or Mescal? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Wellll, it depends. Merriam-Webster says mescal with an S is the first choice and mezcal with a Z is a variant. However, mezcal is what you’ll find on the bottles, and you’d think we could trust the people making the stuff to spell it right, right? Serious Eats also says, “some producers avoid that variation because of the mistaken association between mezcal and mescaline,” the hallucinogen found in peyote (which is NOT found in mezcal) When you look at Google Ngrams, mescal with an S appears much more frequently than mezcal with a Z prior to But if you Google the terms, When searching mescal with an S, the Wikipedia page for mezcal with a Z comes up first, and after that, the article dates are all over the place, jumping from 2017 to 2011 back to 2016, then back to A lot of the uses of mescal are prior to But searching for mezcal with a Z shows results that are consistently recent. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Mezcal or Mescal? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
S in short: Go go with AP, which is going to be ahead of the dictionary. But since the dictionary, and that’s what Office uses for spell check, you may need to reset your Word auto-corrects and dictionary. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Bourbon or Whiskey? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
No, I’m not asking you which you’d like… Kentucky bourbon (named after Bourbon County, KY) and Tennessee whiskey All bourbon is whiskey, but not all whiskey is bourbon. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

I prefer Scotch whisky to Irish whiskey.
Scotch, Canadian, Japanese whisky but Irish, Tennessee, bourbon, rye whiskey Capitalize Scotch and use the spelling whisky only when the two words are used together. Japanese whisky is made in the Scotch style, so it gets to drop the e too. Also Scotch whisky, but scotch salmon, scotch barley… Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Cocktail, anyone? Manhattan bloody mary Bellini rickey brandy Alexander Negroni caipirinha angostura bitters Cai-per-een-ee-a Negroni is gin, Campari and vermouth. It is not related to the word negro. Angostura is an odd one though because the Angostura bitters made by the House of Angostura is a registered trademark, yet AP still says to lowercase it. There are other kinds of bitters, though, so when editing recipes with bitters, especially if the author isn’t an experienced mixologist, then always question whether it’s truly angostura or another kind. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Opportunities Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit
Are traditional routes, like magazines and newspapers, still a possibility? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Cookbook authors & publishers need copy editors
Independent publishing is growing, whether that’s self-publishing or through an independent press. Check the bigger cities around you for local presses. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Food bloggers definitely need copy editors
How to approach food bloggers without saying “I noticed ALL THESE ERRORS on your website!” Attend food blogger conferences, events and meetups, like BlogHer Food, Eat Write Retreat, the International Food Bloggers Conference and the Wine Bloggers Conference, or even general lifestyle conferences like ShiftCon, SXSW and Thrive. Follow them, comment on their posts and social media, and then reach out to offer services because you recognize a service you can provide, not because you want to fix all the errors on their site. Hone a niche if you have a personal interest, such as high-end foods, fitness, nutrition, gluten-free, paleo, allergy-friendly, sustainable/organic, kid-friendly, or any other recipe niche or trend. Expand to a related subject, like farming, sustainable living, and food justice. Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Make friends with agents
Possible if you don’t live in a city? Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Handy Resources Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Resources AP Stylebook Food Guidelines Deluxe Food Lover’s Companion
y Sharon Tyler Herbst and Ron Herbst Recipes Into Type: A Handbook for Cookbook Writers & Editors By Joan Whitman Read (and cook) recipes from cookbooks and well- known magazines America’s Test Kitchen Cook’s Illustrated Bon Appetit Food & Wine Taste of Home Wendy Allen @DriftingEarth #ACESFoodEdit

Easy as pie. Wendy Allen editor, Organic Valley copy editor, Edible Madison magazine @DriftingEarth

“French toast” vs. “french fries”: The Wild West of Food Editing

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“French toast” vs. “french fries”: The Wild West of Food Editing

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Presentation on theme: "“French toast” vs. “french fries”: The Wild West of Food Editing"— Presentation transcript:

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