>Seriouly now, Chepar, the smell of someone smoking when diners are eating is really foul and it really does change the taste of food for the smoker.
Also most smokers,
if they do so heavily, have their clothes reeking of their habit. I could tell which co-workers were behind me in an elevator by their cigarrete smells.<

Not being a smoker myself, I agree that someone smoking right next to me while I'm eating is pretty nasty. I also tend to agree that smoking probably changes the taste of the food.

However, I don't think that just because someone smokes, it makes them any less of a foodie than someone that doesn't smoke. Additionally, if someone smokes, that doesn't necessarily indicate they are incessantly lighting up while dining.

My idea of a foodie perhaps is more in line with the previous description of a chowhound - pure enjoyment of food, whether it's simple or complex. Whether the smoker has the same enjoyment of the same meal as the non-smoker - who's to say, as it's a personal experience. I just don't think that the terms "non-smoker" and "foodie" or "chowhound" are exclusive to each other.

I AM a foodie ... I'm a fantastic cook. (If I do say so myself...!) And to other "boards", gasp-unrelated to travel...that is what a foodie is.
So there is no preferred definition...its a defined term between a group of people.
Foie gras, truffles...pizza...
Micky'Ds... all in good time.
Pretentiousness in food probably started out when "we" were hanging by one arm from a tree limb and painted our butts blue!
(WOW! Don't I sound pedantic and precious?)