Am I a Foodie?

I’ve been wondering lately if I fit into the category of people known as “foodies.” When I see the word, “foodie” my gut reaction is to define it as a person who enjoys food. But that definition is unsatisfying because then wouldn’t everybody be a foodie? Who doesn’t enjoy any food at all? Of course there are exceptions, anorexics and fast-aholics come to mind.

Does one have to enjoy cooking food to be a foodie? I don’t think it’s a requirement, but it does make the case for one being a foodie more convincing. There are a lot of Food Network stars that I would consider foodies – people like Tyler Florence, Bobby Flay, Giada De Laurentiis, and Rachael Ray. (By the way, I think Rachael Ray is delightful despite what her detractors say about her.) These are people who are passionate about food. I’m not that into it, but I have had some great experiences in the kitchen. One dish I’ve been making since I was a child is spaghetti with meat sauce. My brother and I would often split the work. I would boil the water and cook the noodles. He would add the sauce at the end. Good times.

I wonder what the correlation is between being a foodie and weight. One might think that foodies love food so they tend to be overweight. However, a lot of people who are overweight put on pounds because they don’t care about what they eat and thus consume a lot of junk. Foodies who cook for themselves can use fresh herbs and vegetables to stay trim.

I guess I am a foodie because I care about food and I like to cook. But if that puts me in the company of Giada De Laurentiis and Tyler Florence, I think I can live with that.

I welcome your comments. Are you a foodie? Are you an anti-foodie? What are your favorite meals?