人們在觀看電視紀錄片《舌尖上的中國》時，自然會想到「吃貨」這個詞。「吃貨」指「喜歡吃各類美食的人」。英語可以譯為 foodie或 foody，人們用不同表述來定義 foodie，例如：
1. A foodie/foody refers to someone who has an ardent and enthusiastic interest in the preparation and consumption of good food。「吃貨」指對烹調和品嘗美食有濃烈興趣的人。
2. A foodie/foody is a person who has a refined interest in good food and drink. A foodie seeks new food experiences as a hobby。「吃貨」是對美食和美酒有雅趣的人。「吃貨」把尋求新的美食經歷作為嗜好。
被稱為「吃貨」的人愛吃，會吃，甚至會做，對美食有一種獨特的追求和嚮往，例如：
3. Numerous restaurants in this area offer foodies a choice of Chinese food, Indian food and Korean food。這個區域的眾多餐館為吃貨們提供了中國菜、印度菜和韓國料理等多種選擇。
「吃貨」是個通俗詞，漢語另有高雅的同義詞，例如「美食愛好者」「美食客」「美食家」「美食達人」等。英語的 foodie或 foody也是通俗詞，另有不少高雅的同義詞，像 gourmet, gastronome, gastronomist, bon vivant, connoisseur, epicure, epicurean等，例如：
4. A gourmet is someone who not only enjoys good food, but also knows a lot about food and wine。美食家是不僅享受美食，而且非常精通美食美酒的人。
5. The fish dish my mother cooks is so delicacies that beguiles even the mostdiscerning gourmet。我媽媽燒的魚非常美味，甚至最識貨的美食家都會著迷。
gourmet還可以用作定語，修飾 food，wine，cuisine，cooking，dinner等與飲食有關的名詞，例如：
6. John is a committed party-goer, and loves gourmet food and wine。約翰熱衷於參加派對，酷愛美食美酒。
7. This restaurant serves authentic gourmet Sichuan-style cuisine for lunch and dinner。這家餐館的午餐與晚餐提供正宗美味川菜。
gastronome和 gastronomist都是「美食家」，但有細微區別，前者注重烹調術，而後者更關心飲食文化，例如：
8. A gastronome looks at how fresh the food is, how it is prepared, which flavours are used, and how it is presented。美食家注重食物新鮮程度，如何烹製，使用什麼調味品，以及如何呈現。
9. A gastronome is well versed in gastronomy, while a gastronomist unites theory and practice in the study of gastronomy. gastronome精通烹調術，而 gastronomist在研究烹調術時將理論與實踐結合。
bon vivant源自法語，直譯為 good liver，即「快樂生活的人」，相當於「錦衣玉食者」。法國人也是以食為天，講究飲食，故 bon vivant具有「美食家」的內涵，例如：
10. A bon vivant is a person with cultivated, refined, and sociable tastes, especially with respect to food and drink。美食家是有教養、雅致而愛交際的人，尤其在美食美酒方面很有品位。
connoisseur也源自法語，是鑑賞藝術的行家。法國人將享受美食美酒作為飲食文化。如果 connoisseur解釋為「美食家」，則強調鑑賞美食美酒的能力，例如：
11. A connoisseur is an expert in a particular subject, knowing a lot about art, or food and wine。鑑賞家是某一特定領域的專家，熟知藝術或美食美酒。
epicure尤指喜歡吃稀奇食物的美食家，例如：
12. An epicure cultivates a refined taste, especially in food and wine。美食家養成了雅致的品位，尤其在美食美酒方面。
epicurean尤指追求奢侈和舒適的美食家，例如：
13. An epicurean is devoted to the pursuit of sensual pleasure, especially to the enjoyment of good food and comfort。美食家一門心思追求感官愉悅，特別是享受美食和舒適生活。
上述表示「美食家」意思的英語詞彙，著重點不同。 gourmet強調喜愛美食; gastronome強調美食烹飪過程; gastronomist強調美食烹飪知識; bon vivant強調享受生活，享受美食; connoisseur強調美食鑑賞; epicure強調享受稀奇美食; epicurean強調享受奢侈美食。
下面是一個義大利美食家的故事：
I have had great interest in culinary art since I was a little boy. I liked making experiments in the kitchen when I was young. I studied chemistry at school, and I found that both chemistry and cooking were to put things together and create surprise. Cooking makes me younger. I』ve been working as an Italian chef in countries like Italy and Netherlands. And I won’t give up my research on Italian food，which has already lasted for 15 years, because it’s a job that you will never say 「I know it all」. I also wish that cooking can be my lifelong career, because it makes me keep on studying new things every day and helps me cultivate my culinary skills. Among various Western foods, I favour Italian food. As the originator of Western-style food, Italian food is famous for its exquisitely made dishes. It’s elegant, noble, and rich in flavour. Let’s compare it with French food. We all know French food has many different steps in cooking and takes a lot of time for preparation. Conversely, Italian food is quick, simple and tasty. The well-known pizza, pasta, seafood and dessert are worldwide famous。
我從小就對烹飪非常感興趣，年輕時喜歡在廚房裡實驗做飯。我在學校學過化學，發現化學和烹飪都是把不同的東西攪合在一起，製造出令人驚訝的效果。烹飪使我年輕。我曾在義大利與荷蘭等國家當義大利菜主廚。我不會放棄對義大利菜已延續了 15年的研究，因為這是件你永遠都不會說「我什麼都懂」的事。我還希望一輩子都能以烹飪為業，因為它使我每天都堅持學習新東西，幫助我在廚藝上精益求精。在各式各樣的西餐中，我對義大利菜情有獨鍾。作為西餐之源，義大利菜以精製菜餚著稱。它典雅、高貴且味道濃重。讓我們將它與法國菜進行比較。我們都知道法國菜烹調時要分許多不同的步驟，準備時要花很多時間。相反，義大利菜快捷、簡單而味美。大家耳熟能詳的比薩餅、義大利麵、海鮮和甜品都馳名世界。
（編輯：何瑩瑩）