Letters: Gourmet vs. Gourmand, What to eat

I recently received these letters, and am always happy to respond to your questions. If it is out of my league, I'll defer questions to Michael whose pretense is usually uncalled for but at times useful.

"Dear Mr. Sanchez,

I have been wondering lately about this question that is a problem I have, and can you help me I wonder???

My problem for you today is: Where should I eat? lol. but no really!

Thank you for your kind consideration and sharing of your expertise.

Your fan,
Matthew"

Matthew:

It is my general feeling that eating should be done near or in the mouth.

"Dear Dirty Sanchez,

I'm in an irritable state trying to figure out if I'm categorically a gourmet or a gourmand. In dire need of your help.

Sincerely,

Twinky Cub"

Dear TC:

First off, while "dirty Sanchez" could possibly be similar to a reference to food, I am just Sanchez these days.

A gourmet knows the business end of a caviar spoon. A gourmand knows the business end of a microwave ground beef burrito (and there is more than one!). I consider myself to be a gourmand because I will eat anything up to and including the finest providence of the gourmet with the crucial difference that I am more than happy to take pride in the more widely-consumed and accessible options.

To be more specific:

gour•met

—noun

a conneseur of fine food and drink; an epicure.

gour•mand

—noun

a person who is fond of good eating, often indiscriminently and to excess.

< from the French gourmant, glutton

(ref. Dictionary.com, LLC. Copyright 2011. All rights reserved)

Without more information about your food habits TC, I cannot speak to your specific category but I hope that this simple explanation will be helpful.

We are always accepting questions, although be prepared for a pithy response.

E-mail thesanchezlsanchez@gmail.com to submit your question.