Discussion Forum (Archived)
Guest
I am reading a BBC article, 'How did milk become a staple food?,' and right away with the first sentence I wanted to consult the dictionary. Given the context clues I understood the author's meaning, but I still wanted to look at the the exact definition and the etymology (word nerd alert 😀 ). Here is the sentence:
In the modern pantry pantheon, milk occupies a curious place. It's right up there with bread as one of the most basic and important foodstuffs in the West.
I searched 'pantheon' and found that it can be uppercased or lowercased. Uppercase definitions describe the names of both a national monument in Paris and a temple/chruch (it has been both) in Rome.
The lowercase definitions:
- a public building containing tombs or memorials of the illustriousdead of a nation
- the place of the heroes or idols of any group, individual,movement, party, etc., or the heroes or idols themselves
- a temple dedicated to all the gods
- the gods of a particular mythology considered collectively
I appreciate the alliteration and the use of a word that I do not often come across, and I believe that I understand the author's intent. However, I am wondering if the author used the term correctly. I discussed it with someone else who suggested that the term denotes an important building or place (a place of gods and heroes), so in this context the author is trying to convey that for Westerners the pantry is highly valued and holds an important place in the culture.
What do you think, did she use the term correctly or its meaning stretched a little too far? I like the use of the term
I think what she said was just fine, if a bit anthropomorphized. I see it as the sense discussed in your definition 2, the second half, as a collection of heroes, or perhaps to update it, superstars. I think it works better with people than objects, but I don't mind it here.
WIth a small tweak, another option might have been panoply, which would cast the pantry as an armory at the ready for the warrior chef, with ingredients as weapons with which to conquer.
Katie, it is one awful random jumble packed into a small package if you ask me.
First, there is that sense of emphasizing the importance of the pantry in the culture. You spot that first.
But then, there is that sense about foods- that certain kinds are much more significant than others, so as to be considered as belonging to the Pantheon, like Einstein belongs in the Pantheon of Physics.
But those 2 senses are distinct, one about the pantry, the other about foods. You can have either one, but not both. And the text offers no decisive clue either way.
And then there is that enticing word: curious. So enticing you invest attention to find out what is so curious about the milk. At best there are some mildly interesting facts, but nothing curious. What a letdown.
Oh it's just random English.
-------------------------------------------
Perhaps you are only asking specifically about Pantheon- whether pantry can be Pantheon, whether foods can be in Pantheon, to both of which my answer is yes. But the thought structure is the real problem here.
Pan means across, as in panorama, pandemic.
Theo refers to gods, as in theology.
A pantry pantheon would be foods we worship - but you don't keep milk in the pantry, you keep it in the refrigerator, icebox or pump house. You might be aging cheese in the pantry, thoough, and cheese is worshipped by many.
I can admire the phrase, but I probably wouldn't steal it. It is most useful in the introduction, here words need to be transparent, for readers may stop to think, and not start again. What's the point of writing something readers won't finish?
Now I do recognize the structure "...Pantheon...right up there...". This almost idiomatic set pattern signifies somthing is ranked high on some special scale- milk , in this case, as an essential item in the Western diet. So it was my own reading that was superficial.
But there is an excuse : I was thrown off course by the intervening phrase " curious place" which is still bad: nothing curious about milk being ranked next to bread.
Martha Barnette
Grant Barrett
Grant Barrett
1 Guest(s)