Foodie is a term that was coined three decades ago, and has enjoyed a remarkable and annoying revival in the past couple of years. I suppose what’s most upsetting about the title is that it hints at some level of expertise or genuine dedication to the culinary arts, but these days it is unabashedly adopted by serial restaurant goers, who pride themselves on watching Food TV and having tried all of the buzz-worthy establishments in town.
For the record, I don’t think that eating out regularly and routinely ordering the most expensive thing on the menu earns you official status as anything - other than a person who prefers to have someone else cook for them and has the ample resources required to feed their preference. Don't get me wrong - this is a perfectly acceptable lifestyle choice - but should not be mislabelled. I think that in order to earn any title related to the world of food, someone has to have achieved a certain level of skill related to researching, purchasing, preparing and serving a wide variety of foods – which ultimately qualifies them, more appropriately, as a skilled home-cook.
What is excellent however is that the term appropriately applies to a growing group of individuals, young and old, who have armed themselves with a chef's knife and cutting board, and are unabashedly pumping out noteworthy dishes from their home kitchens. Moreover, their enthusiasm extends to learning about the foods they are consuming, shopping for seasonal produce and locally produced foods, bypassing processed and overpackaged goods, and getting their families on board. Strong proponents of the "our-kids-eat-what-we-eat" school of thought - we never miss an opportunity to introduce them new foods, and we work hard at getting them excited about what's happening in our kitchen on a daily basis. You could say we're invested in developing the next generation of true foodies.
