Adventist Slang: Food Edition
Once again, I’ve decided to impart a selection of knowledge everyone who interacts with the Adventist community needs to know. This time, we enter the scrumptious world of food. Now, I know you think there couldn’t possibly be any Adventist-specific foods, and you’re right. What we do have are special words for food groups that belong to such a select group of people of which Adventists make up the majority of consumers. So, without further ado, let’s learn some food-ish terms.
- Haystacks: Don’t worry, we aren’t preparing to burn you at the steak… I mean stake (calm down, we’re vegetarians). Nor is this some obscure country cookout. A haystack is merely a disassembled taco salad you stack on a plate. Be warned, there are many strong opinions as to the “right” way to build one. Be smart, and only whisper to one person if you need help putting it together. If you aren’t careful, you may start the second Great Controversy.
- Roma: No self-propelled vacuuming robots here! Roma is the “healthy” alternative to coffee. It tastes fairly similar to a dark roast, but has none of the “evil” caffeine we all secretly crave. You can’t buy this at Starbucks as they know better than to hand that stuff out.
- Carob: It’s devil’s chocolate. DO NOT TRY. Only the most vegan, health-crazed Adventists believe in using carob as a substitute for chocolate. They’re crazy, and make up about 2% of the church (pretty much the population of Adventists in Berrien Springs). Something convinced them that it tastes like chocolate and they couldn’t be more wrong. Although it’s unlikely you’ll come across it in Lincoln, question chocolate chip cookies. If they say it has carob, run far and fast. Do not go near it!
- Stripples: *Sigh* get your mind out of the gutter! Stripples are the old term for “Breakfast Strips.” At this point, you really only hear the old Adventists and their kids use this term…so pretty much everyone uses it. I know, it’s an awkward phrase and I’m sorry. If we convert enough people, maybe it will go away.
Like I said, we have some weird food terms. Now that you know what they mean, you should be A-okay to go over to an Adventist’s house for Sabbath lunch. Although most of these terms get used outside our community (though, to my knowledge stripples are Adventist specific), they aren’t often used outside of their demographic. Go out and have a good meal; don’t forget to bless the food!
Lacey Stecker is a Sophomore
Communications Major from
Noblesville, Indiana