When I first decided to write this blog, I spent time debating its title. I knew I wanted to use the word “gene” to reflect its scientific aspect. But I also needed to capture the essence of being a “foodie” – without using the word itself.

Why? It’s got a bit of a rep. Some time ago, it was used to describe someone that enjoys food, studies food, cooks food, eats food… basically, thinks about food as often as possible. A thing of beauty, really... [cue dream sequence]

But I digress. Unfortunately, the honor of being called a foodie was eroded by frank overuse of the word. I read it on magazine covers and cookbooks everywhere for all audiences, some who probably didn’t fully appreciate the word’s significance. Foodies were literally everywhere. For all I knew, my cat was a foodie. And if you look at what he eats, you’d be pretty disappointed.

Gradually, genuine (and, yes, judgmental) foodies thumbed their noses at the word. “How do they know they’re a foodie?” “It doesn’t even mean anything anymore.” “Everyone’s a foodie.” “Foodies are pretentious bourgeoisie who wouldn't know good food if it were spoon-fed to them." (You get the idea). Some of my foodie family members even used the word in disdainful quotes. A fellow food writer said, “I hate that word” when I told her the name of my blog (and had already registered my website's domain name). Gulp.    

So why did I choose to call my blog “The Foodie Gene”? Admittedly, I was initially reluctant to further over-use of the word “foodie.” But I’m choosing to embrace its origins, because to me it simply identifies someone who prioritizes food in his or her life. It doesn’t mean they’re a chef – or even enjoy cooking. They just think about food because it is important to them in some way, like someone else might think about music or the weather. Maybe they value food because it's a part of their family's history and culture, even if they don't cook much themselves.

In the case of Kangaroo and Dragon, I consider them foodies because they are already curious about food and continually want to learn about it. Kangaroo is hands-on and easily gets his hands dirty in a recipe (he's already learned that hands are a cook's most versatile tool), while Dragon prefers to analyze how a meal was prepared or learn about its ingredients (he's my toughest food critic). Either way, they spend time thinking about food. Some of this interest is environmental, true, but I believe it is also related to a gene they inherited from me and my family’s ancestors.   

So I’m reclaiming “foodie” and putting it back in my good (cook) books. I hope you will as well. To help you along, I’ll leave you with a quick checklist, which was not stolen from a fashion mag's cover in the heyday of “foodie” popularity. 

Well, here it is. The beginning of my b-l-o-g. It’s truly been a four-letter-word recently because of the amount of time it’s occupied my mind… Should I? Shouldn’t I? Who would actually want to read what I have to say? Is there such a thing as overexposure in the age of social media? Too many questions, too few answers and plenty of encouragement to jump in the deep end got me here – starting my blog, "The Foodie Gene."

Judy Schultz, whom I met a few years ago when she interviewed my mother and me for an Edmonton Journal article, deserves a mention. I pitched Judy the idea that a “foodie gene” existed in my family and she ran with it for the article.

I’m a practicing genetic counselor, so the concept of a familial gene for culinary obsession comes naturally to me. If I draw out our family pedigree I can spot the gene, plain as day, in five generations of my family (from my great-grandmother to my kids). And who knows, there might be more generations to come.

I’ll tell more about that ongoing story with this blog, and hopefully about other families too. The foodie gene’s not unique to my family; I’ve met many kindred spirits whose family photo albums don't contain pictures of people, but extreme close-ups of food – each photograph a milepost in the culinary landscape and history of the family. Ours punctuate my memories distinctly. Feel free to reach out if yours do as well.

I’m grateful to my fellow writers for encouraging me to kick this blog off. A recent Edmonton Public Library Writers' Corner inspired me to start talking about my idea (outside my head). It was met with enthusiasm (thank you, Sue Robins, Mary Bailey, Jennifer Cockrall-King and Tina Faiz). I’m admittedly nervous to put myself out there, but as Dr. Brené Brown eloquently put it, “Vulnerability is the birthplace of innovation, creativity and change.”

To my family and friends for gifting and nurturing the foodie gene in me – thank you. Hopefully this is just the beginning of more foodie memories.