Who or what is a "foodie"?
 

A recent poster asking about food in France declared she and her husband are not "foodies". Sometimes it seems to be used as a pejorative and other times with pride.

So, what is a "foodie"?

Formal meaning: A person devoted to refined sensuous enjoyment of good food and drink.

Informal meaning: A fella who knows a good hamburger when he tastes one and who will walk an extra few blocks to find one.

some people see food as merely fuel, and will not devote too much time or money on their holidays seeking out great restaurants or lingering for hours over a glass (bottle) of chianti. These people would rather grab a sandwich and ram it down their throats as they run to the next museum.

These people are not foodies.

Other people, like me, see food and drink as a major part of the travelling experience, and will spend much of their holiday planning where and what to eat next, taking time out to linger over that bottle of chianti, and saying "stuff the boat trip, I'd rather spend the money on a great meal at that recommended restaurant".

That's a foodie.

And a superfoodie turns up their nose at the recommended restaurant because they're sure they can find the perfect experience at a restaurant that only they and a few other cognoscenti know about.

Whether they're right or not is another matter (speaking as a food-is-fueller with a totally wrecked palate).

I think its used as pejorative because some people who declare themselves to be "foodies" come across as arrogant snobs who can't be satisfied with simple food, but must have expensive food made from complicated recipes and served in lavish surroundings.

That is a real shame since it gives frugal "foodies" or chowhounds a bad name.

Frankly, I think Kate has given us a very good look at the "pejorative" side of the term "foodie":

"these people would rather grab a sandwich and ram it down their throats..."

There are many ways to "enjoy" food and drink, but apparently some "foodies" think there is only one RIGHT way..theirs, of course. Really very shortsighted and unfortunate.

Degas: Are you a Calvin Trillin fan? He would agree with alacrity with your hamburger search definition. He scoffs at the "Casa de la Casa" interpretation of the "excellent" restaurant.

In one of his books he talks about scouring Paris for the perfect pomme frittes. His late wife Alice was a gelato expert.

I don't think that being a foodie excludes other trip interests, though. I know that I am a "foodie" because for trips I spend hours and hours researching restaurants. That does not exclude, however, an equal interest in art museums.

My sister, an even more intense foodie (every day spent in Paris has to include a visit to some outdoor market) could also be termed a "shopper." To her, all that is art in Paris can be found in the shops!

Hi js,

We foodies would rather fly coach and stay in B&Bs in order to spend our money on a 3oz slice of pan-seared foie gras with truffles and a 1/2 bottle of wine.

Topman, I think you missed the tongue-in-cheek point I was trying to make. Non-foodies think "foodies" are food snobs who only eat in the best restaurants. But really, a foodie is someone who just loves food (and drink) and sees it as a major part of their hols. Great food can be a lavish meal but is just as likely to be a lovely fresh tomato off a market stall.

On that note, I'm off to grab lunch in Borough Market. Now THAT'S a foodies paradise.

Actually, aren't singular foodies just a foody?

And is it just a polite description for the fact that I'm a big fat greedy pig.

>... is it just a polite description for the fact that I'm a big fat greedy pig.<

For you, possibly. :)

True foodies know and appreciate good food.
False foodies just think they do.

A good example of false foodies are those people who recently declared "it is impossible to get good food in a chain restaurant". These are food snobs who wouldn't know good food if it jumped up and bit them. They have a false sense of only eating the best and won't accept that sometimes simple food or inexpensive food can be wonderful. Regardless of what the quality is at a particular restaurant, they would refuse to try it because they already "know" there's no way it could be good since the restaurant is "corporate owned" or some other silly restriction that has NOTHING to do with quality of the food itself.

amelia, thanks for the tip on Calvin Trillin. I'll check on his work. Wasn't he the fella that said: Health food makes me sick? That cracks me up.

Degas: The first book I ever read by Calvin Trillin was "Travels with Alice". Alice is his late wife, although she was still living when he wrote it. He decided to rent a house in Uzes for one summer so his kids could learn a culture and a language. And of course, as all parents can attest, his goals and the outcome were quite different. His totally non-foodie daughter only learned one vocabulary term, "Pommes frittes." But, as he points out, at least she became an expert on them.

Anyway, there's a collection of some of his food/travel books called "The Tummy Trilogy" that's worthwhile. He actually had written far more about other topics than food. Sometimes when I read some of the good entries on this forum, I wonder if he's here under an assumed name.

By the way, if I recall correctly, he won the James Beard award for food writing.

Can't a foodie be someone who likes to cook? Someone who tastes something and tries to duplicate it? Someone people ask to cook for them?

In general, a foodie just likes good food... whatever it is, and isn't necessarily a "snob" about it.

On the other hand, I don't think a "foodie" understands the "yuck" impulse about something one hasn't even tried...foodies are curious, what if it just tastes great? Be it a tomato or bits-o-beast?

I apologize for apparently getting the wrong impression from your post, Kate.

>I don't think a "foodie" understands the "yuck" impulse about something one hasn't even tried...<

Oh, I do.

My older daughter spent one year living on Kraft Potatos au gratin. She tired of that and switched to Kraft Macaroni and cheese the next year.

My younger one was more diplomatic. We would have this dialog about 4 nights a week:

"Have I had this before"?
"Yes".
"Did I like it"?
"Yes".
"Well, I don't like it anymore".

Perhaps the ultimate incarnation of the foodie is SlowFood (.com), which is far more interested in education than snobbery, and doesn't believe that it has to be complicated to be good (often the opposite, in fact).

I guess I'm a foodie. I write about food on my website and elsewhere, love to cook, and love to eat. Even I occasionally get a craving for a MacDonald's hamburger, and so far they haven't drummed me out of the foodies' union!

best regards,
Deirdré Straughan

http://www.straughan.com

I'm the one who posted about not particularly being a "foodie". My definition of a foodie is simimar to Kates.

I consider "foodies" to be people who put a lot of emphasis on food and restaurants while on vacation (or at home, I guess). My personal thoughts on it has nothing to do with snobbery; I just think that some people put a greater emphasis on food than others. I dind't think it had to be fancy or formal restaurants; just more of cherishing a good meal with a great glass of wine.

While my husband and I love great food and finding good restaurants, I don't really consider us "foodies" because we are such picky eaters that its sometimes hard to find restaurants that serve food we'll even like!

This was just my thoughts on it.
Tracy

Sorry, that's supposed to be "similar to Kate's". Don't want to offend the grammar police! ;)

Categories of any kind are troublesome if we make assumptions about what the title 'always' means.
There are different kinds of Christians, different kinds of Muslims, different kinds of accountants, different kinds of art-lovers, different kinds of gays, heteros, and
kindergarten teachers.
In each case there are nice people, phony people, educated people, genuine people,, etc.
Of course.

I think the simplest explanations above, without pejoratives or praise, are those by degas and ira.
A factual definition might make a foody similar to a gourmet, a person who appreciates the preparation, consumption, history, and trends, of food and drink.

Everything beyond that depends on the person.

As Kate said, for some of us the enjoyment of food is a high priority in life, both at home and whilst travelling.

I'm definitely a foodie. I don't have any pejorative feelings about those to whom food is just fuel since many of my good friends are in that category, but I do have one thing less in common with them and those are the friends I tend not to travel with or to enjoy going to restaurants with.

But not to have food as a high priority for others is no different to the fact that I give a very low priority indeed to clothes, shoes - fashion in general. Some of my friends are wide-eyed, shall we say, about the stuff I'll wear in public!

Horses for courses...

Patrick, I knew a chap who was THE most awful foodie pretender. He's very into cooking but seems to have no idea whatsoever of things that work well together and things which don't - if he does a meal every single dish in it will be over the top fancy to the point that it's actually sickening. Imagine a cooked breakfast where the sausages are wrapped in italian ham, the bacon is coated in mustard and honey, the beans are flavoured with, I don't know, balsamic vinegar, the tomatoes have been grilled with ginger etc etc. He likes to show off about the work involved but... the results never merit the effort. He also often makes sweeping statements of the kind you gave as an example... it's truly cringeworthy.

I don't think being a foodie has anything to do with spending a lot of money on food. I think it has more to do with sampling the local cuisine that is specific to the area. Many fixed price menus offer superb value and are not that much more than stopping at a mcdonalds - and well worth the difference for variety, ambience, and taste. That being said, having a crepe in paris, roasted nuts in london from a street vendor can be just as enjoyable. For me the food makes up a big part of the trip and I am very happy to spend a little more to sample something unique. I cannot describe the taste of anchovies in the languedoc region of France (as well as Catalonia). We do not have anything like it in the US. ditto for cappucino - starbucks is very different to a real italian cappucino. The bread in France is delicious and dirt cheap as is the wine in most of Europe. So a foodie could just as well be someone who stops on the side of the seine to eat a picnic lunch (instead of grabbing street food) as someone who spends four hours over a leisurely five course meal. Only the latter is dependant on budget.

Julia Child, one of the great foodies of all time, loved foie gras, as well as good bread and cheese, hated the ubiquitous American boneless chicken breast (low in fat, but low in taste as far as she was concerned)and loved McDonald's French fries.

she cared about the enjoyment of food, regardless of pedigree, pretention, popularity, or price.

Lexluther, I agree that one does need to spend lots of money in order to have wonderful food experiences...

Elaine
I am with her:
Some of my favourite foods in no order:

Foie Gras
Mangoes
Lobster
A Burger King Whopper
Doner kebabs, you know the ones sliced off that rotating thingy and served in pitta with a salad!
Good steak, medium rare

Ira writes-
>>My younger one was more diplomatic. We would have this dialog about 4 nights a week:
"Have I had this before"?
"Yes".
"Did I like it"?
"Yes".
"Well, I don't like it anymore".>>

That made my day. Thank you1

I have quests- to find the perfect chicken salad, cole slaw, crab cake and baby back ribs. Found the slaw & crab cake, but the places closed. Still, the search goes on.

I think the definition and attitude really depends if you think you are in the foodie category -- at least by some of the above responses. For example, I do not remotely consider myself a foodie, but that doesn't mean I eat sandwiches on the run, buy from street vendors or jam stuff down my throat. It also does NOT mean that I don't enjoy a good meal or that eating in foreign restaurants is not a major enjoyable part of my vacation.

It is and I do like a good meal. To me, what it means is that I don't spend a lot of time reading about restaurants, planning my meals, having particular restaurants as events or destinations, etc., not worry about particular chefs or some special preparation or dish I must have.

I really like to eat and much food, within reason (I don't eat breakfast much and may skip a meal just because I forget or am busy), but I don't focus on it as a major part of my planning and think many 30-50 euro dinners are just grand. It does NOT mean I don't enjoy food or a good meal.

I hate the word foodie, I like real food that is not disguised with fancy sauces. I'll research for a restaurant to find if the food is not of that sort. The local cafes in villages is where the real food is at, plus you get to maybe meet the locals.

>...I like real food that is not disguised with fancy sauces. <

I like real food that is enhanced by well-considered sauces. :)

A foodie is someone who, when hearing Rudi Maxa say, "It is a law in Italy that each meal must have at least three courses" knows it isn't so.

Yes, he did on "Genoa and the Italian Riviera".

Here's another take on being a foodie - which I'll admit that I am, whether folks think it's a good thing or not. We're definitely the folks who stay at medium-priced restaurants, and spend the money saved on a high-end fancy restaurant.

A foodie loves good food, prepared well, could be fancy but not necessarily. To me, the difference between a foodie and a chowhound is that a foodie (this one, anyway) is also concerned with the meal as an experience, and the surroundings and ambience can play a large role in that. A chowhound would probably say that part of it isn't important. That's not to say I don't love cheap meals in non-discreipt surroundings - I do, for certain kinds of food. But mostly, when I'm going to spend the money, I want to spend it on a delightful experience all around.

The amount of time I've spent on planning our meals for our upcoming Italy trip, you wouldn't believe...

Shame on him. I didn't catch that and will look for the repeat.

I am with Deirdre, slowfood to me is an example of a foodie ethos. Good seasonal food, natural ingredients, and eaten to be enjoyed. You can also be a picky eater and still be a foodie. I read a restaurant review about a meal the critic had in his travels in Asia. he is Italian and said of one dish even he could and would not eat it (It was something vile). I also LOVE pizza....I make my own suace, dough and combinations out of frustration from not finding decent pizza in Dublin years ago...am I not a foodie beacause its not oysters and chamers? Try my pizza sometime!

I do know Kate about the disgusting gourmets you refer to . Its almost like a contest of who is more clever and the results of some of the meals can be revolting. A friend who is very successful in their humble restaurant makes everything from the most basic ingredients and what ever is left in the kitchen. There are queues for their salads, thats what I see as great food. I also love chips on a Friday night after my pint too...garlic mayo for me though!

I've always thought that a good example of a foodie is Anthony Bourdain - the guy that does that "Cook's Tour" show on tv.

I absolutely love his show - his travels to different locations around the world and trying the local foods - his equal enjoyment of simple street vendor food and food from a top restaurant is great.

Call this "Confessions of a Former Foodie." Or "Foodiste"? Or "Foody."

About a year ago, my wife and I decided enough is too much. We had to lose weight. No compromises, no excuses, no fun.

So now, thanks to tons of will power and persistence, we are EACH down about 27 pounds and dropping. Clothes hang that once were too tight.

Our "over-foodie-ness" meant that we had to give up: bacon, candy, chocolate, sugar, most fried foods, ham, most eggs, white bread, pies, cakes, pastries, too much cheese, cream in our coffee, beer.

But we rediscovered: fruit, cereals, black bread, broiled meat (no bigger than the palm of our hand), fish, incomparable vegetable dishes, etc.

Now we are preparing to go to India on a long journey across the subcontinent. Will we return to our old foodie ways? Will we succumb to India's spicy cooking? Will we regain our hard-lost pounds? Will life sans chocolate be worth surviving at all? The addiction means that we are only recovering, never cured.

Would a person who centered their vacation around finding the perfect hotel be called a sleepy?

I have no opinion, since I never use this term, but there's a whole thread about this: http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...mp;tid=1286565

The McDonald's hamburger was also a big hit on Julia Child's list.

I explain foodies in more simplistic form: There are people who eat to live, and people who live to eat. I think you can figure out which one is the foodie.

Dear USNR,

Congratulations on your dedication to health. You will not only stay on your wholesome lifestyle in India, but I bet you will lose more weight by consuming those Indian spices, which add zest to life without the calories. The net result for you is that you will travel many more years to many other such fascinating places. My compliments to you! ( Go ahead and have some chocolate however...some things one must have ).