Foodie: The Four-Letter Word with Six

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]

To be able to think about food as often as I want is like reaching for a star...

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.    

How I felt when I first heard reactions to my blog's name.

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.   

Dragon's restaurant menu. Note the varieties of espresso-based coffees (spelling aside).

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. 

5 Signs That You Are A Foodie

1. Your family’s photo albums contain more pictures of food than family members
   
2. You read recipes like they are short stories
3. You plan your next meal while simultaneously loosening your belt after your current one
4. You don’t remember exact dates, but you do remember the meals you had in great detail
5. You see nothing wrong with kitchen appliance gifts

BONUS: Holiday Themed-Sign

1. Your holiday meal planning involves a color-coded spreadsheet and timeline