Deep Rote

Readers, three weeks into this blogging experiment, I have . Perhaps the greatest contribution to my well being offered by Frank Bruni was the launch of his own food blog which seems to have legitimized the medium to the masses. (Thanks, Frankie!) All the same, I am still loath to publicly describe myself as a blogger. (Insecurity's a bitch, ain't it!)
Regardless, my writing and immersion in the world has been pedagogical, if not downright enlightening; yet questions linger, namely, "What the hell is food porn?"
The obvious answer seems well, obvious, and can be found in the likes of Tampopo and on a lesser scale 9 1/2 Weeks. However, this seemed highly unlikely; in fact, a visit (all in the line of work kids) to Gotham's smut staple, Toys in Babeland revealed that they had only two food themed films, The Dominaitrix Waitress, and The Dinner Party. (The latter really had little to do with dining... or, that's what I hear, anyway!)
After aborting my mind's spotaneous sojourn to the recesses revealed by boutiques of the Babes varietal, I began scouring the web for further foundations of the phrase, beginning with simple sources. There is an excellent website, Food Porn Watch, which catalogues superlative samples of the genre, i.e. this very site. I contacted it's proprietor, (nom de plume) Redbeard; he quickly replied that he, too, was uncertain, but hazarded a guess that the roots could be tied to the rise of food photography during the 1980's.
I proceeded to comb the web in search of this gourmet gold with the passion of Cortes in the new world. This hapless pilgrim became acutely aware that the obtuse concept was somewhat centered on utopian culinary concept. Food Porn, apparently, involves portraying perfectly plated, absurdly appetizing dishes for those without the benefit of consuming them.
Still, some vaguity remained, and the search turned towards more established sources and databases.
One of the earlier usages that I encountered is a 2003 piece from the Columbia Journalism Review by former New York Times writer (and brother of vaunted Yankees right fielder, Paul O'Neill,) Molly O'Neill who devotes the 6000 word piece to discussing the evolution of gastronomical writing. Molly O describes food porn as the post modern zenith of an evolution, describing it as "prose and recipes so removed from real life that they cannot be used except as vicarious experience."
Invigorated, I turned next to that digital Diderot, the Wikipedia. Their primary offering mirrored Molly, depicting extraordinary food and plating a la Iron Chef, tantalizingly unattainable to the common man. The online oracle followed up with a duo of minor meanings. They contend that the phrase is additionally applicable to unhealthy, high calorie items. Personally, I am quick to decidedly dismiss this definition if for no other reason than the fact my diet is comprised entirely of these butter based beauties. (I guess that according to the Wikipedia, that would make me a Porn Star, sweet!) Finally, the good folks at Wiki make note of my initial assumption, " a (mostly short-lived) fad of incorporating food into erotic play"; the last definition is followed by a link to "wet and messy fetishism."
Hmmm... maybe Top Chef is Top Gun.
The frame was filled, but the photo was still out of focus. Last night, I ran into Augie, and made the same inquiry; his response was a bit more existential in nature! He simply said something to the effect of, "There's the food, and then there's the porn!" At first, I was baffled, but I caught a glimpse of an incredible plate of crudo behind him, I thought, "People have got to see that!" and it clicked! (I then began pondering his advice to upgrade from a camera phone to an actual camera.)
Next week, we return to you with a slew of restaurant reviews and an update in our Bakery Quest... the new writing will be accompanied by photos (or porn.)