What is a foodie? Where do they come from? How did they get here?
What. A foodie, as defined by the reputable Urban Dictionary, is “a person that spends a keen amount of attention and energy on knowing the ingredients of food, the proper preparation of food, and finds great enjoyment in top-notch ingredients and exemplary preparation. A foodie is not necessarily a food snob, only enjoying delicacies and/or food items difficult to obtain and/or expensive foods; though, that is a variety of foodie.” I feel that a special emphasis on that last point is necessary as foodies need not focus on top-of-the-line ingredients or high-end restaurants, as all foods are created equal in their eyes.
Where. Foodies live everywhere though they tend to habituate metropolitan areas. Kinda like rats. These urban ‘melting pots’ are ideal hunting grounds as restaurants: 1) who share similar cuisines tend congregate around specific neighborhoods creating mini-cultural phenomena, or 2) share blocks with opposing food ideologies (Ben’s Kosher Delicatessen vs Go Go Curry’s fried porkchops). With the prevalence of food reality shows and internet-induced followings, foodies are also commonplace in the kitchen, baking, boiling, and roasting new and unusual foods.
How. I attribute the Food Network with raising food awareness. They also made male chefs much more socially acceptable. A desirable vocation, even. Feel free to contest this as I myself was pre-pubscent at this time. The internet helped this soon-to-be craze surge further as it connected individuals who would otherwise have nothing else in common.
So what. So why do I bring this up? Because foodies are evolving: they Yelp all over restaurants, they tweet from work their cubicles and the streets, and they talk about food incessantly and publicly (generally online) . I’ve noticed my own departure from the foodie rulebook and the growing obsession over celebrity chefs as my own priorities have realigned to allow a more sustainable lifestyle. I have become, what I will now shamelessly coin, a feaster.
The Feaster. Is someone whose normal state of being is ‘hungry’ and will eat without fail. They understand the importance of dining etiquette, yet they choose to ignore some aspects of it when it interferes with food consumption. Snacks often transform into the average person’s meal, while the average meal will consist of small woodland creatures, large farm animals, and/or whole schools of fish. They pride themselves on their ability to distinguish good food from bad, yet they show equal acceptance for all food types by eating everything indiscriminately. Dessert? Optional–no real desire for it though there’s always room for it.
So I am a feaster, but we’ll explore this topic some other time after I find something else to eat besides mint chocolate chip ice cream.
