Blog Post #3

Do I Need Money to be a Foodie?

The word "foodie" may cause many people to think of a person whose occupation is writing food reviews or producing television cooking shows. However, in my eyes, a "foodie" is simply a person who is knowledgeable about the variety food offers, enjoys the numerous qualities that food possesses and appreciates different styles of cooking. Whether frequently going to restaurants to try different foods or simply going online to research food for pleasure, one can still be considered a "foodie." Enjoyment of food is measured in a variety of ways-searching the internet, watching television, reading books, or even communicating with different people who share the same food interests as that person. Although wealthy people have an advantage over less fortunate people because of the opportunities and exposure that money brings, anyone can become a foodie.

Through the internet, one can become knowledgeable about anything. All it takes is typing a few relevant words into the search bar and thousands of websites come up filled with valuable information. Therefore, people without money who want to become a foodie can simply just find a computer with internet access. The internet has numerous websites containing hundreds of different recipes and blogs focusing on all kinds of food from many different cultures. For instance, if there is an interest in the qualities of certain restaurant foods or if someone just wanted to become knowledgeable on the different ingredients in certain foods, all that person would have to do is look up a food review on websites such as www.yelp.com or www.tastingmenu.com, just to name a couple. There are many different interests that foodies have and therefore, the options available for exploring those interests are numerous. Some foodies actually want to learn about the various food choices on the websites and how to cook different foods to appreciate the variety of styles cooking that food offers. The internet gives a variety of websites that contain videos of cooking shows as well as videos of ordinary people cooking different types of food. For example, if one wants to watch Julia Child's techniques on how to cook, they can simply just go to www.youtube.com and type in "Julia Child" and numerous videos will appear with enticing information on her cooking styles. Last, but not least, the Food Network literally has thousands of food recipes and also has a wealth of knowledge relating to anything about food. A foodie can go to www.foodnetwork.com and choose from thousands of recipes of Asian, French, American, Italian and Mexican cuisine, only to name a few. Even if a person does not have a clue as to what to cook, he/she can just go to the website's search menu and choose from different categories and overwhelmingly lists of similar foods of that person's interest will pop up. Without spending any money, a foodie can learn the history of different types of food, the many styles of cooking, and the steps to make a perfect meal just by logging on to the internet.

Although the internet is undeniably a powerful and useful tool in exploring and learning more about food, access to it might be a challenge for some people. It is not surprising that some people may not know how to use a computer or even own one. As a remedy to that, owning or having access to a television still allows everyone to maintain their interests in food. Whether having the desire to learn how to make something new or just wanting to be entertained by watching chefs compete, the food network channel meets your needs as a foodie. There are a variety of competition shows like Iron Chef, Hell's Kitchen, etc. where a foodie can sit for hours and watch the techniques of chefs who cook fast and diligently to make the best meals. On the other hand, there are cooking shows like Rachael Ray, 30 Minute Meals and Secrets of a Restaurant Chef that teach foodies step by step directions to making meals and inform them on what types of ingredients to use. Regardless of the foodies' purposes for watching these food-related television shows, with little to no cost at all, they can become more knowledgeable on the types of foods they are interested in.

If your needs are still not satisfied by using the internet or watching the television, you still do not have to spend money to fulfill your interests as a foodie. Although it may be a little inconvenient, a foodie can always take a trip to the library. When people think of the library, they think of thick, boring educational books. However, they are in for a treat when they go to the cookbook section of the library. There are several different styles of cookbooks, but all of them serve the same purpose of informing the reader on how to make enjoyable meals. By reading these recipes and enjoying the bright, colorful pictures of the final product of each recipe, a foodie can learn all about the numerous qualities that food possesses. There are a range of cookbooks with different styles of food such as Japanese cooking, microwave cooking, Italian cooking, etc. You can check out any kind of cookbook that you want in the library for free and go home and enjoy the time spent trying to follow different recipes. If you continue searching in the library, you can also find books that do not have any recipes at all, but simply inform the reader on the quality of different foods and the variety food offers. I recently checked out a book entitled "Chinese Cooking for Pleasure" and not only did it give me numerous Chinese recipes, but it also taught me how to hold chopsticks and informed me on the history of Chinese food. Being a foodie, I was extremely excited to continue reading the rest of the book. My interests in food increased even more after reading about different styles of food besides the typical American foods. Just like me, many other foodies do not have a lot of money to spend but can still be entertained by simply checking out a book for a few days for free.

Finally, if the internet, the television and the cookbooks all fail, then you can definitely communicate with other foodies without spending any money. Whether the conversation is face to face, on the telephone, through text message, or even by email, two or more people in the conversation can inform one another about their experiences and opinions on different types of food. Of course, not everything that someone tells you is true but by listening to other peoples' experiences from traveling around the world and eating different types of foods, you can learn a lot about different styles of food. It never hurts to listen about other experiences and certainly, listening brings about much knowledge. Gaining knowledge through conversations are extremely useful especially when the person shares the same qualities of being a foodie as you do. Of course, people that are wealthier than you have an advantage because they have more exposure which opens up the door to many more opportunities and experiences when it comes to trying varieties of food. Therefore, people who are economically challenged and unable to meet their desires as a foodie, can easily rely on and network with the wealthier people to get their opinions on restaurants and the quality of the food that was served.

As a foodie, your enjoyment comes from learning about the many qualities food has to offer. No matter if you are rich or poor, you can fulfill your desire as a foodie to educate yourself on styles and different techniques of cooking through the internet, television, books and other people. One should never be accused of not being a foodie because of their socioeconomic status. Being a foodie is more than just having enough money to go to high-class restaurants. Being a foodie means having interests in food and doing whatever it takes to learn more about food each day.

Bibliography:
30 Minute Meals. Food Network. 2009. Television.

Burke, Helen. Chinese Cooking for Pleasure. Prague, Czechoslovakia:
Paul Hamlyn, 1968. Print.

Hillel. Dana. "Tasting Menu:Focused on food." Tasting Menu. web.
2002-2009. 23.Oct.2009

Iron Chef. Food Network. 2009. Television.

Rachael Ray. Food Network. 2009. Television.

Secrets of a Restaurant Chef. Food Network. 2009. Television.

"Yelp:Real people. Real reviews." Yelp. web.
2004-2009. 23.Oct.2009

"YouTube:Broadcast Yourself." Youtube. web.
2009. 23.Oct.2009