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Meet Barry Foy

He’s the author of ‘The Devil’s Food Dictionary’

By Kim Carlson

January 19, 2009

Barry Foy’s The Devil’s Food Dictionary: A Pioneering Culinary Reference Work Consisting Entirely of Lies, is what he calls a “full-blown culinary dictionary parody,” with tongue-in-cheek definitions for everything from salad bar to trail mix. Oh, and ethanol (“corn that gives you gas”).

A blend of food reference, satire, and foodie lit, the DFD is hard to categorize but certainly fun to read.

Why should I buy your book if it consists entirely of lies?
That is precisely why you should buy it. After all, years of research have demonstrated that lies constitute the most grossly underrepresented category of information in culinary literature. (This contrasts, incidentally, with clichés, misconceptions, and just plain silliness, all of which are there in abundance.) You would almost think that liars don’t eat! By purchasing a copy of The Devil’s Food Dictionary, you do your part to help right this arbitrary imbalance.

Barry Foy

A great man once said, “The path to enlightenment is paved with lots of little sharp thingies that can hurt your feet if you forget to put your sandals on, such as bottle caps.” And indeed, my initial reaction to the discovery that food writers were so severely biased toward, you know, truth was shock — shock and deep, troubling chagrin.

It wasn’t until I had recovered from that trauma (thanks to a carefully controlled regimen of hot-stone massages and small-batch artisanal bourbon) that I realized it had all been a gift, meant to show me just where my market niche lay. From then on, I considered it a kind of a moral obligation: If the people were starved for lies about food, and I, in all humility, was in a position to fulfill that need, what right did I have to refuse?

(I should mention, by the way, that in spite of my best efforts, there are some entries in The Devil’s Food Dictionary that could be said to contain a germ of truth. Nobody’s perfect.)

The Devil’s Food Dictionary offers the foodish reader something no other culinary reference work can — namely, relief from the triple burdens of veracity, reliability, and informativeness. In this fast-paced digital age, when every single item of information found online, on television, or plastered to the side of a city bus is 100 percent true and authoritative, it is comforting to know that at least one author cares enough to set a lower standard. I am that author.

In conclusion, I’ll offer just one randomly selected example of the contrast readers can expect to find between the conventional approach to culinary reference and my own. Following are two definitions of “shad.” The first comes from Sharon Tyler Herbst’s highly respected Food Lover’s Companion:

SHAD: Ranging from 3 to 6 pounds, shad is the largest member of the American herring family (Alosa sapidissima). Shad are anadromous, meaning that they migrate from their saltwater habitat to spawn in fresh water. They have a moderately firm, beige-colored flesh that’s distinctively rich but replete with bones.

Not bad, I suppose, if you like that sort of thing. But now compare that entry with the one on the same topic in The Devil’s Food Dictionary:

SHAD: Past tense of shid.

I rest my case.

Um, shid? Could you use that in a sentence, please?
That will be $5.95 plus tax.

OK, back to business. How did you determine which words you would define?
My method was the one scholars call “pockets full of paper scraps with things written on them, many of them legible.” That is, for months on end I diligently surveyed the whole spectrum of food books and magazines and newspapers, blogs, menus, and food-related conversations for any ingredient, technique, utensil, flavor, trend, or culinary-history tidbit that had potential as an entry subject. These I scribbled onto random bits of paper and stuffed into my pants pocket. On a good day, my cache of notes could get so heavy that I’d lean to the left a little as I walked.

At the end of each day, out would come all the scraps, and I would transfer any contents I could actually read to a list of entries-in-progress. There they’d sit and cure (“CURING: A time-consuming process by which a food that started out raw is painstakingly brought to a stage at which it is uncooked”), or perhaps ferment (“FERMENTATION: Aw, never mind”), for as much as a couple of weeks, as I visited them over and over again, trying to think of something unflattering and/or misleading to say about them.

As you can imagine, I learned a huge amount about food in the course of this long process. It is a source of great regret for me that none of it could be applied to the writing of The Devil’s Food Dictionary. Nonetheless, I eventually accumulated a whole book’s worth of entries. Or nearly — all that remained was to add “LIFE, A LONG AND HAPPY: A condition often suffered by people who pay insufficient attention to the nutritional content of their diet” — and we were ready to go to press.

Sounds like a lot of work. Do you consider yourself a food scholar now?
I wouldn’t flatter myself by assuming the label of “scholar.” I’m merely a simple seeker after truth, like so many others, except perhaps for what I do with the truth once I find it, which is suppress it as ruthlessly as possible. No, I have to draw the line at “scholar.” “Prophet,” maybe, or “guru,” or even “exalted divine avatar,” but “scholar,” I believe, goes too far.

What do you like to eat? Are you a kitchen whiz?
After years of effort and dedication, I have finally achieved the status of truly mediocre cook. This level of accomplishment did not come easily or naturally to me, and I’m determined that no one will deprive me of it. My repertoire is wide-ranging, touching on all three major food groups: the pork-tongue-confit group, the panforte di Siena group, and the no-knead-bread group. Occasionally I find a way to combine all three. But not often.

As for my diet, it’s proudly, even boldly, omnivorous. I have eaten many kinds of avian, aquatic, and terrestrial animals — often parts of those animals that were hidden deeply inside them — and look forward to eating many more. I relish sturdy greens, such as mustard and collards, and cook them on a regular basis, either meaty-style (with ham hocks and hot links) or vegetarian (ham hocks only). In view of all that, my inability to enjoy the common cucumber may come as a surprise. Still, I’d eat a cucumber before I’d eat the Philippine egg specialty called balut. There is a limit.

Congratulations to Colleen and Heather who both won autographed copies* of The Devil’s Food Dictionary, as for entering their comment below.

*Eligible winners must have U.S. mailing and addresses and reside in the U.S. Please note that all standard Culinate contest rules apply to this drawing.

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There are 109 comments on this item

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1. by Marilyn Noble on Jan 19, 2009 at 2:20 PM PST

It’s so easy to get bogged down in all of the serious issues around food these days -- thanks for reminding me to laugh.

2. by tamarer on Jan 20, 2009 at 3:37 PM PST

This sounds like a fun read.

3. by Liz Crain on Jan 20, 2009 at 1:39 PM PST

Oh shid! Good stuff.

4. by Christina Gould on Jan 20, 2009 at 3:38 PM PST

This looks really interesting.

5. by anonymous on Jan 20, 2009 at 3:35 PM PST

This looks really interesting. This site rocks!

6. by LOVESTOBAKEJUSTLAZY on Jan 20, 2009 at 3:20 PM PST

looks like a fun read!

7. by cdziuba on Jan 20, 2009 at 3:33 PM PST

I would curl up and read this in a day!

8. by Susan Lawrence on Jan 20, 2009 at 4:42 PM PST

This sounds hilarious!!!There are far too many food snobs these days. This book sounds refreshing to say the least. Thanks for writing it!!!

9. by John Fisher on Jan 20, 2009 at 5:02 PM PST

Rhubarb is red
blueberries are blue
this book looks great
and i want to win it too!

10. by mistyriver2009 on Jan 20, 2009 at 5:08 PM PST

I love the author’s sense of humor! The book sounds like a fun, interesting read. Thanks!

11. by neneelynn on Jan 20, 2009 at 5:15 PM PST

What a wonder when food can be so humorus

12. by idahomom on Jan 20, 2009 at 5:30 PM PST

Thanks for the chance.

13. by SandraLynn128 on Jan 20, 2009 at 5:35 PM PST

I can’t think of a better read to go along with my bon bons!

14. by agordon10 on Jan 20, 2009 at 5:37 PM PST

i’d love this

15. by Cathy W. on Jan 20, 2009 at 6:20 PM PST

You would almost think that liars don’t eat! (best line ever!). I’d love a copy of the book.

16. by ky2here on Jan 20, 2009 at 6:38 PM PST

It’s about time we had something this fun. Please include me.

17. by Keith Wright on Jan 20, 2009 at 7:08 PM PST

This looks like a food book I can understand.

18. by dgregory1022 on Jan 20, 2009 at 7:33 PM PST

sounds great, thanks

19. by dianesprous on Jan 20, 2009 at 11:03 PM PST

This sounds like a good cookbook.

20. by burnt toast on Jan 21, 2009 at 1:14 AM PST

I too strive to be a mediocre cook.

21. by clc408 on Jan 21, 2009 at 2:45 AM PST

Reminds me a little of Calvin Trillin. Thanks for the giveaway.

22. by Deborah Wellenstein on Jan 21, 2009 at 4:52 AM PST

I am a mediocre cook! Thanks!

23. by myntric on Jan 21, 2009 at 4:58 AM PST

I’d love to win!

24. by trishden on Jan 21, 2009 at 5:30 AM PST

Shid I could use a good laugh! Thanks Kim and Barry for a great giveaway!

25. by Yvonne on Jan 21, 2009 at 5:39 AM PST

What a great prize!

26. by Charlotte Padgett on Jan 21, 2009 at 5:56 AM PST

I’d LOVE to win this.

27. by anonymous on Jan 21, 2009 at 6:47 AM PST

looks like a great and entertaining book, would love to read it

28. by fangirl on Jan 21, 2009 at 7:31 AM PST

The author sounds quite amusing as well as foodie knowledgable.

29. by jacqueline hannum on Jan 21, 2009 at 8:02 AM PST

When a book is about food, even the devil’s count me in.

30. by AsTheNight on Jan 21, 2009 at 8:13 AM PST

Shid! It’s what’s for dinner.

31. by sweetascandy579 on Jan 21, 2009 at 9:26 AM PST

This sounds like a fun book count me in.

32. by Tarah Pessel on Jan 21, 2009 at 10:45 AM PST

This would be a great addition to our kitchen cookbook collection! I love experimenting with new foods!

33. by Sarah on Jan 21, 2009 at 11:38 AM PST

enter me!

34. by damons on Jan 21, 2009 at 11:49 AM PST

Oh this looks like wild fun, esp. since I’m not much of a cook.

35. by rtysons on Jan 21, 2009 at 11:50 AM PST

Shid, shad, should?

36. by Jaleigh78 on Jan 21, 2009 at 11:55 AM PST

Im in its on like donkey kong

37. by DePro on Jan 21, 2009 at 1:46 PM PST

My husband would love this. Count me in!

38. by asketcher2 on Jan 21, 2009 at 2:29 PM PST

This sounds like a great read!

39. by Jennifer Youngs on Jan 21, 2009 at 2:58 PM PST

I’m always looking for a good new lie to tell my children :)

40. by chromiumman on Jan 21, 2009 at 3:02 PM PST

love to win this

41. by kimcly on Jan 21, 2009 at 3:34 PM PST

This book sounds great. I just think the article should reference the book that Foy’s book is based on. “The Devil’s Dictionary” by Ambrose Bierce is a tongue-in-cheek dictionary from the early 1900s.

42. by bison61 on Jan 21, 2009 at 3:50 PM PST

I’d love to win an autographed copy

43. by joni chadwell on Jan 21, 2009 at 4:02 PM PST

This looks really interesting. I need some new reading material

44. by redron on Jan 21, 2009 at 4:27 PM PST

want to win this

45. by anonymous on Jan 21, 2009 at 5:15 PM PST

Wooo Hooo Make me a winner!

46. by Gabriel J on Jan 21, 2009 at 6:23 PM PST

Please, enter me, great prize!!! I would love to win this.

47. by Colengal on Jan 21, 2009 at 6:46 PM PST

I love a foodie that doesent take themselves serious. C’mon food is fun, eating is fun. If you have to be pompous.. go into banking!
This sounds like a fantastic book.

48. by joni on Jan 21, 2009 at 7:23 PM PST

I love a guy with a sense of humor!

49. by amandasue on Jan 21, 2009 at 7:45 PM PST

I’d love to be entered please thank you!

50. by Emily H. on Jan 21, 2009 at 8:16 PM PST

I can’t believe the number of comments on this post! Telling...
For anyone who’d like a taste (ugh, sorry) of Barry Foy’s writing, he’s posted some hilarious pieces on Ethicurean. Such a witty guy.

51. by Carolyn G on Jan 21, 2009 at 9:47 PM PST

What a great article. Thanks for the giveaway.

52. by Adrian Lamont on Jan 21, 2009 at 10:17 PM PST

This looks like a very interesting book, please count me in.

53. by Francine Anchondo on Jan 21, 2009 at 11:59 PM PST

Thanks for the giveaway. I would love to have this.

54. by anonymous on Jan 22, 2009 at 1:23 AM PST

this sound interesting. thanks for the chance to won.

55. by jessica a on Jan 22, 2009 at 8:37 AM PST

would love to win, enter me please :)

56. by jason fiske on Jan 22, 2009 at 4:12 AM PST

This book looks absolutely funny. Would love to get my laughs off with an hour in the chair reading.

57. by Caroline Ford on Jan 22, 2009 at 5:23 AM PST

What a great way to keep us grounded while we work through the many controversies in food politics; we all need a good laugh!

58. by pancak on Jan 22, 2009 at 5:35 AM PST

This sounds like a hilarious read! Looking forward to checking it out.

59. by vesperlight on Jan 22, 2009 at 6:09 AM PST

I’m with you, Barry. I wouldn’t eat balut either. I am, however, considering which of my relatives might like a copy of your book next Christmas.

60. by Kyle Tyckoski on Jan 22, 2009 at 8:30 AM PST

Sounds like a good read!

61. by LIDARKSIDE on Jan 22, 2009 at 8:55 AM PST

This would definitely be a good read in these times of political correctness as it applies to food and what we eat. The government’s increasing involvement in telling us what is good or bad for us to eat and trying to control what we eat by passing new laws and altering the foods we buy in the grocery store would have you believe that we do not eat properly unless we were all vegans. This ideology is being pushed upon the younger generations in public schools. Yet, in countries were they eat their meats, butter, sweets, etc., they don’t have the weight and health problems that we do here. It’s not what we eat, it’s how active or lazy we are.

62. by anonymous on Jan 22, 2009 at 9:23 AM PST

Sounds like fun reading!
THANKS

63. by Stephanie on Jan 22, 2009 at 9:38 AM PST

Oh now this sounds like a GREAT read!

64. by Fran Z on Jan 22, 2009 at 11:07 AM PST

This sounds fun! politically incorrect!

65. by mariana on Jan 22, 2009 at 11:25 AM PST

Sounds like a funny book to read!

66. by aleach61 on Jan 22, 2009 at 11:50 AM PST

This sounds like it would be both interesting and fun to read!

67. by Jason Nickolay on Jan 22, 2009 at 1:38 PM PST

Sounds funny and useful. Would be a good win.

68. by motherchar on Jan 22, 2009 at 1:07 PM PST

This is a great book & would make a nice gift.

69. by Gale on Jan 22, 2009 at 2:02 PM PST

This a gotta have book

70. by carol c on Jan 22, 2009 at 2:12 PM PST

thanks for the opportunity to win, it sounds like it would be interesting

71. by anonymous on Jan 22, 2009 at 2:36 PM PST

Magnificent book idea!

72. by christin on Jan 22, 2009 at 3:07 PM PST

wow! what an interesting idea for a book...this sounds great! thanks!

73. by anonymous on Jan 22, 2009 at 3:08 PM PST

Without your site, a book I now desperately want to read-I probably would have never come in contact with.
Thank you,
Diane Baum
dianesmb@aol.com

74. by Dolores Olsen on Jan 22, 2009 at 3:16 PM PST

I will love this book, I get really tired of cooking and thinking about food.

75. by Majorcat on Jan 22, 2009 at 3:34 PM PST

Please enter me. Thanks!

76. by Renee on Jan 22, 2009 at 4:18 PM PST

This sounds like a great book. Thanks for the chance to win it. I wouldn’t eat balut either.

77. by anonymous on Jan 22, 2009 at 4:52 PM PST

If I were to win this book, I’d probably give it to a friend of mine who’d love it!

78. by Jill Miller on Jan 22, 2009 at 5:19 PM PST

Sounds great!! Hope you pick me!!

79. by lisaray on Jan 22, 2009 at 5:23 PM PST

This sounds like a fun book! (If you had said you relished balut, I wouldn’t trust anything else you said, but since you are against balut but for collards with hamhocks, you obviously have good sense.)

80. by jadie denny on Jan 22, 2009 at 7:26 PM PST

would love to have

81. by nesta67 on Jan 22, 2009 at 7:42 PM PST

Sounds great!

82. by Miss Heidi on Jan 22, 2009 at 7:57 PM PST

Please enter me. Thanks.
Heidi
sweet_soul_sistermi@yahoo.com

83. by anonymous on Jan 22, 2009 at 8:27 PM PST

Thanks for the chance!

amynhtown@yahoo.com

84. by JennVozik on Jan 22, 2009 at 8:30 PM PST

I love fun books and this definitely sounds like one!

85. by Atreau on Jan 22, 2009 at 9:26 PM PST

Sounds like a wonderful book!

86. by faither on Jan 23, 2009 at 4:02 AM PST

Seems like it is one of the must read type books, with interesting details that most of us have probably accepted as true.

87. by samanthapayntr on Jan 23, 2009 at 4:58 AM PST

this sounds really awesome!

88. by anonymous on Jan 23, 2009 at 6:22 AM PST

I’d love to win this book! Sounds great!

89. by lilyk on Jan 23, 2009 at 6:30 AM PST

This book sounds very interesting. Please enter me into the contest. Thanks!

90. by garrettsambo on Jan 23, 2009 at 6:39 AM PST

I would love to win this fun enjpyable book. garrettsambo@aol.com

91. by anonymous on Jan 23, 2009 at 6:56 AM PST

I want to know all the lies!

92. by Cindy Ellis on Jan 23, 2009 at 6:59 AM PST

This book looks like fun

93. by kaylee8 on Jan 23, 2009 at 7:31 AM PST

Sounds like a fun and interesting read - just my thing!

94. by anonymous on Jan 23, 2009 at 8:22 AM PST

Food and funnies- my 2 favorite topics!

95. by blueviolet on Jan 23, 2009 at 9:46 AM PST

I love the author’s sense of humor. This sounds terrific!

96. by Jennifer S. on Jan 23, 2009 at 9:47 AM PST

I’d love to read this! It sounds like a lot of fun!

97. by bndraldy on Jan 23, 2009 at 9:55 AM PST

He is simply sublimely funny. I really want/need a good dose of laughter right now. Help me fill the house with the sounds of good old belly laughs! This book would do it for me. Thanks for the opportunity to participate in this fun giveaway!

98. by Marcy Strahan on Jan 23, 2009 at 10:07 AM PST

I clueless & over whelmed by all the diets & this is goofd one week & it’s bad the next.
I could use a little insigth on better culinary skills. I thik it’s awesome to write a book that is humorous & interesting. I know It won’t bore me!

99. by steadier572 on Jan 23, 2009 at 10:19 AM PST

Sounds like fun reading.
strimble_25@comcast.net

100. by Lisa Vance on Jan 23, 2009 at 10:22 AM PST

This looks like it would be an enjoyable read.

101. by choochoo on Jan 23, 2009 at 10:35 AM PST

My parents would love this! Thanks for the giveaway.

102. by mrstrooper on Jan 23, 2009 at 10:57 AM PST

Sounds very interesting!

103. by LKnott on Jan 23, 2009 at 11:04 AM PST

This looks a book that I would not have looked for before reading your input. Sounds like a very good read. Thanks for the chance to win!!

104. by anonymous on Jan 23, 2009 at 11:30 AM PST

Sounds like a fun book.

ladycat713@yahoo.com

105. by OpusOne on Jan 23, 2009 at 12:06 PM PST

Entries for the book giveaway have ended, we will announce the winners here once they are confirmed.

Please feel free to make more comments though, this is interesting!

106. by Barbara Rawe on Jan 23, 2009 at 3:16 PM PST

Great book to curl up with

107. by theodore esteghamat on Jan 23, 2009 at 3:52 PM PST

Sounds like a good book to read.

108. by Sheila Pepe on Jan 23, 2009 at 4:20 PM PST

Sounds like a good book! Would like to win it!

109. by Erica Luckstead on Jan 23, 2009 at 8:53 PM PST

Sounds like a lot of fun! Thanks for the contest!

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