GoTravel

No, I'm not a foodie. I don't care if the cherries are fresh are in a jar. My husband with both culinary and a BS in Biology doesn't care either when he isn't at work.

I think you have to consider yourself a foodie to be a foodie.

I don't have the energy.

Bikom

If your dinner companion is sobbing, and you tell them to be quiet so the waiter can tell you the specials, you're a foodie.

emd

We are also looking forward to the Greenmarket at Union Square on Sat. on this upcoming trip to NYC.

Bikom, maybe not all foodies are that heartless! (Or at least maybe not all foodies-once-removed.)

joan

Chowhound.com goes to great lengths to describe the difference between foodie and chowhound...I'm a chowhound.

joan

http://www.chowhound.com/home/faq

emd

That post is interesting. But it seems biased. Don't you think that Chowhound might want people to think of themselves as chowhounds instead of foodies or some other word- it becomes "product identification" for them and their website I think.

tuscanlifeedit

Ok, these definitions are becoming too precise. I love food and want it to be good. What does that make me? I said I was a foodie, but now I have my doubts. My own definitions isn't quite the same as some others.

I thought I was a foodie because of my work and my avocations.

But I don't drink wine, or any alcohol, so that seems to kick me out of the club.

I don't eat in top restaurants, but would if I could afford them. Maybe I'm not even worthy of being a foodie; are only rich people foodies?

This is all too confusing. Talk about not having the energy...

JJ5

Every modern catch-phrase word has its different connotations. That's why Websters and others have to constantly modify the dictionary.

And I agree, Go Travel, I love to eat and appreciate good food prepared with practice, but being a real foodie does take too much energy.

emd

tuscan, maybe you are a foodie-once-removed. The once-removed part gives one the leeway to not fit whatever part(s) of the definition that you don't fit.

GoTravel

I've read chowhound.com a couple of times and those people are RABID FOODIES!

goodgawdawlmightee!

emd

GoT, what is a confessed non-foodie like you doing sneaking a peak at chowhound?? Do you have just a tiny bit of a "closet foodie" in you?

:-\

Lexma90

I'm another foodie, as is my husband (but he's not as rabid about it as I am). To me, the difference between a chowhound and a foodie is that to a chowhound, the food's the thing, and it doesn't matter what the ambiance of a restaurant is. For a foodie (at least this one), it's the experience as a whole, including the setting and staff of the restaurant. That doesn't mean that it always have to be Michelin-starred places, but that the restaurant is good for what it's supposed to be, comfortable, welcoming, and a pleasant experience all round. To me, the food, its quality and how it's made, is the same for a chowhound or a foodie. And I guess I'd agree that foodies tend to be more interested in cutting-edge cuisine.

On the topic, has anyone read Michael Ruhlman's new book? Not quite as fascinating as the others, but I enjoy his take on the (celebrity) chef today, as well as updates on what he wrote about in his other books.

gardeniapatti

I always thought a foodie was someone who shopped at Jungle Jim's in Cincinnati, Ohio.

http://www.junglejims.com/

crefloors

I'm a Food Network addict, I love food, I like to use fresh ingredients when ever possible, but, there is no way that I would ever pay three or four hundred dollars in a restaurant, not even if the fois gras was gold plated. So, I'm not sure where that puts me.

emd

garden, that is a VERY COOL place and website!

h0b0

Hahaha! Thanks for all of these wonderful responses! I do believe there must be "degrees of foodiness!" (perhaps some bordering on mental illness!?)

Good stuff.

h0b0 (a foodie-once-removed or perhaps a "mild" foodie)

I suspect my 11 year old daughter might be a foodie in the making. She's baking a lemon cake and rather than using the lemons in the kitchen she got on her bike and rode a mile up the road for FRESH lemons...

razzledazzle

I thought a "foodie" followed the chef
of "the moment" around-much like a groupie. These folks didn't just
eat at the French Laundry, for them it was a pilgrimage !

Oh, and these folks could argue artisan
cheese with glee...

I like these kindler-gentler definitions much more, though.

R5
P.S.
What happened to being a gourmet ?
Is that different or the same ?

GoTravel

emd, I tried chowhound and it just sucked the life out of me.

buongiorno

I would consider us to be a foodie household. We cook at home quite a bit, always seek the freshest seasonal ingedients, make all our own pasta and sauces, including filled pasta, buy meats from a local farm and are about to sign up with an organic farm supply, and oh, belong to Slow Food. Probably we are foodie overload. It's not that we're snooty about it, it's just a way of eating that we've chosen. I really enjoy cooking, grew up in a cooking home, and like traditions of cooking. My wife doesn't like to cook, so we're fortunate that I do because we both enjoy eating good food.

AngelaS

I am definitely a foodie. Once you get to this stage, there's no turning back. I love to cook, search for exotic ingredients and get such a thrill from making a great meal & seeing the enjoyment on other's faces. I love going to the grocery store & becoming a "tourist" -s nooping around for strange ingredients. I also love going to a wonderful restaurant, enjoying great ambience along with a great meal - waht a joy!