It's not! Nor is it a place to get a high colonic. Whoever the culinary wizards are whom settled on this term owe me a bottle of tums. Just the term "gastronomy" gives me agita (AH-JUH-duh Italian slang for indigestion. Yeah I'm of Italian descent, and if you think I'm not gonna slip a little Ginny slang into this blog you're stunad). Ok so now that we've covered that this is a gross word to describe the science, art and overall groupie-ism surrounding food, let me explain why you hear this word so very often on the food network and the like. As I said earlier, gastronomy is an appreciation and a thirst for knowledge in the art, science, history, gourmet quality, molecular structure and not limited to taste and smell of food. A person who is deeply engorged in gastronomy is a gastronome. YOU ARE NO LONGER A FOODIE, YOU ARE NOW A GASTRONOME, GOT IT?? I'm just kidding, I don't really care what its called nowadays. I am just here to explain whats what so you look cool at your next cocktail party. Now I know that we have sort of generalized what gastronomy is, but to be more precise, have you seen any of this food sciencey stuff? You know, like on Top Chef when one of these clever young chefs struts in with a canister of liquid nitrogen? And then he or she makes friggin ice cream in 10 seconds. Well, that is a branch of gastronomy. Its called Molecular Gastronomy. This is the epicenter of the modern gastronomical movement. One great chef who I love to watch bend molecules into puffy clouds of space aged food is Chef Jose Andres. He is a mad scientist working in his Think Food Group labs all over the world www.thinkfoodgroup.com. Chef Andres is not only mind blowingly brilliant, he lectures at Harvard University on Culinary Physics. He is certainly the Godfather of molecular gastronomy and is the man to watch if you are interested in this art form.
Now that we've covered the basics of gastronomy, there's only one thing left to discuss...What the EFF is a Gastro-pub??? Well lets start with the word pub, it is a British word short for "Public House". Back in the day, pubs where actually in someone's home. They would offer a pint or two and maybe some food if you're feeling peckish. As time went on, pubs evolved into what we know now as a bar and they offered a standardized repertoire of dishes. A gastro-pub is a pub that offers a more gourmet, excuse me, gastronomical choices on their menu. They may still have shepherds pie, however it will likely be made with spring lamb and fingerling potatoes in a delicate sherry demiglace. Dang that sounds good.
Go forth into the world confident in your knowledge that the next ding dong that calls themselves a foodie will get a sideways glance and a tisk from the crowd...and it won't be you!
AND YES A CAN MOONWALK...HEEHEE....OW!!
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