Something you may or may not know about me from reading MIS is that I’m obsessed with Food Network and have been for years.

I don’t know what it is but watching people talk about and make delicious dishes is so entertaining and fun!  I’ll pretty much watch whatever show happens to be on, but my top three favorites are Chopped, Spring Baking Championship, and The Kitchen.

A month ago, as I was watching Chopped and eating lunch, I realized that tuning into Food Network is a kind of culinary education in and of itself.  I mean, you obviously won’t become a great cook by watching other people cook, but there’s something to be said about listening to the way people describe food.  The dork in me came out that day because I pulled out a notebook, scribbled ‘Food Network inspired words’ on the top of the page, and started jotting down the different words I heard the Chopped judges use throughout the episode.  Over the following weeks, whenever Food Network was on, my notebook and I were there ready to capture as many terms as possible.

While I haven’t been posting a ton of recipes lately (hopefully that will change soon!), I do want to start reviewing more of the restaurants we try, especially as we eat our way through the amazing foodie city of Chicago.  The problem is that I often have a hard time coming up with the perfect words to describe my dining experiences.  And that’s why this list is perfect.  I used it when writing about Hawkers, so I can attest to the fact that it’s helpful!

And because I can’t keep anything to myself, I’m sharing my list.  I figure it may be helpful to those of you who write about food in some capacity!

Are you a fan of Food Network?  What are your favorite shows?

P.S I won’t be blogging for the next 1.5 weeks or so because it’s WEDDING TIME!  Can’t wait to share more soon!  Don’t forget to follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and/or Snapchat (username – myinnershakti) for sneak peaks of all the fun. 🙂