For the last few months I have wondered if something was wrong with me. Last night I got together with my Sisters-in-law at my Mother-in-law’s house for our somewhat regular Craft night. In the past I would usually pack up my computer for some digital scrapbooking or bring some fantastic craft to finish. Not this time. All I was thinking about was food; cooking, baking, recipes, and anything you can do with food! So I packed up all of my recipes, cook books, magazine “tear-out” recipes, and current library check-outs and took them for my “craft”. I was very productive in organizing all of my new recipes and discarding many of them (not a lot of need for all those meat recipes anymore). I put together a menu for the month and then started working on kids lunch ideas. All in all, it was a great night……. That is until I saw all the fabulous “real” crafts that were getting done. From adorable Halloween costumes, to beautiful quilts, to gorgeous Christmas decorations….I had to pause and ask myself, “What’s wrong with me?” While I was thrilled with my “craft” that night, it came to my attention again (and seems to more and more often lately) that other people don’t necessarily share my joy of food.
I love food. I love to cook, bake, grill, steam…you name it. I am constantly thinking of new recipes, and I have started replacing my novel with cookbooks! I began wondering if I was obsessed, and if maybe I needed to take some serious action (any food therapists out there?). Was it just me or were there other people out there with the same symptoms!
I think it was fate, or an answer to my inner questions, but the very next day I stumbled upon a fantastic blog (www.foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com). I happened upon an entry from February 26, 2007. She asked her readers what they considered a “foodie” to be. Here was the reply:
You know you’re a foodie if. . .
–You’ll only eat chocolate your Dutch friend brings you directly from Holland (unless it is a DIRE emergency, and then you’ll resign yourself to a local specialty shop).
–You own five or more kinds of vinegar.
–You own five or more kinds of salt.
–You put the final touch on a dessert by saying “It just needs a little orange blossom water,” and you actually have a bottle of orange blossom water in the cupboard.
–All the magazines you subscribe to are about food.
–You’re lying awake at night because you can’t sleep from the excitement of conjuring up a new recipe.
–Your first word (before “mama” or “dada”) was “cookie”–and your spouse’s first word was “cheese.”
–You work at a bookstore, and when one of your colleagues excitedly tells you that five gorgeous young men have arrived, wearing only aprons and tight boxer shorts, to promote a new cookbook, your response is: “Ooh, did they bring food?”
–You return home from a family Christmas and take your entire bag of presents straight to the kitchen to unpack it.
–Your husband is embarrassed to take you out to eat because of the moaning noises you make while eating something incredible.
–You just won’t stop fiddling with old family recipes–and your mother actually thinks your versions are better.
–Before traveling to a new destination, the first thing you do is scour the Internet (and your friends’ brains) for information on the local dining scene.
–All your friends who are traveling call you first to ask if you know a good place to eat at their destination.
–Your husband has put you on a condiment moratorium, telling you that you must use up all the fancy-ass stuff you buy when you travel before you bring home any more.
–When you walk into Sur La Table with your teenaged daughter, she calls it “The Mothership.”
–Some of your best friends are farmers, ranchers, and chefs.
–Your family knows better than to touch a beautiful plate of food until you’ve had a chance to photograph it.
–You’ve caught yourself dreaming of food and chewing it in your sleep.
I was shocked, and amazed, and giggling at the same time! It was like they were describing ME!!!!! Oh Hooray, there IS a place for me! I am not a one-of-a-kind-freak……I am a FOODIE!!!!!! Who even knew there was a term for “my condition”. Maybe I don’t need a therapist after all (jury’s still out on that one). So there you have it, I AM SPARTACUS (ok I mean Foodie, but that’s how I feel right now)!!! It is such a relief to know there are others out there JUST LIKE ME!
That said, I have been dedicating my love of food to the healthy, whole-food variety. Don’t get me wrong, there is something incredibly gratifying about pulling gorgeous, fragrant cinnamon rolls out of the oven. But that is now the exception to my rule. For the most part, my love has been geared to finding delicious ways to serve healthy food to my family. I now feel that I have been educated (which I don’t want to take for granted) on the origins of disease, and those origins are BREAKFAST, LUNCH, and DINNER! My focus now is on making great food choices that will have the best impact on me and my family. It is not just taste that I need to consider, but the overall picture. This website is for all people (foodies or not) that are dedicated to better health! It is for anyone that is ready to make a change (whether it be baby steps or giant leaps) and to seek a change to healthier living!
Source: WFM Blog 16