"style" news and stories

A gastronome is someone with a refined palate, someone who appreciates good food and seeks out the best. The word has previously been applied primarily to men, but in and of itself it is not really a gender-specific term. Due to this lack of specificity, it was really only a matter of time before the word was adapted to describe some of the very specific groups of people that it encompasses.

A new one, which may just have been invented by the writers of the NYT's Style magazine, is "gastronomista." It is so new that a Google search turns up nothing and it is so specific that only a handful of people fall under its umbrella. It means, apparently, means "a savvy woman who turns blogging about what she ate last night into a mini-industry" and sounds vaguely insulting in the way it is phrased, since it doesn't even include any references to the quality of the food. And what, precisely, constitutes a mini industry? The term probably will not be catching on soon, if ever, but it is still interesting to note that food blogging is inspiring new terminology beyond the very unfortunate blend "flogger" that a few people still continue to use.

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Last fall, the UK Observer christened her Queen of the Bloggers in their monthly food section, and today, food blogger Pim Techamuanvivit, who blogs at Chez Pim, was featured in the Style section of the New York Times. There is a short and sweet blurb about her blog and love of Thai cooking, followed by four of her recipes: Khao Soi, Shrimp Tiles With Cucumber Ajaad, Lychee and Orange Loy Gaew, Kanom Jeen Nam-Prik.

Recipes? Food blogging? You might ask yourself why this is in the Style section. The answer is that Pim loves fashion nearly as much as she loves food and is prominently featured in a slide show in which she (and people who are presumably her friends) are noshing Thai food in designer clothes.

[Photo NYT]

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Dylan Lauren, daughter of Ralph and kitschy queen of New York's sweets scene, has been ringing up the candy purchases of hip Manhattanite sugar freaks at Dylan's Candy Bar for years. But what's a girl who just turned 30 to do to stay with it? How about branch out from candy to, umm, candy-inspired stuff.

What?

Sunday's New York Times has a piece on how Dylan Lauren is trying to enter the fashion world, but in her own candy-colored style. She's developing candy-themed apparel, household stuff, spa products and parties. Her concept is that girls, like her, have an inner child best expressed through their love of candy. The Times wonders "whether Ms. Lauren's business will do for candy couture what her father has done for cashmere..." And all I have to say is, candy couture? Who knew?

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