The first and most important question to be asked is “What is a Foodie?” The word evolved from the food community and is used as a way to define those who have a passion for food. It is a term that in some cases is used synonymously with “gourmet” and “epicure,” however, those terms limit the ideology of the Foodie. While a gourmet seeks to taste the finest foods, the Foodie seeks to try all foods, seek the best foods, and learn all that he or she can about food. The term was first officially published in 1984 by Paul Levy in his book “The Official Foodie Handbook.” It was first used as a term of mockery, but later became a word to describe those who made food their obsession and hobby, used as the latter in Levy’s publication. A Foodie is someone who has an intense or refined interest in and a passion for food. It is someone who loves food for consumption, preparation, and study. Knowledge about all aspects of food, both ordinary and sophisticated, and the science and culture surrounding such are what the Foodie desires to learn. Foodies consider food to be an art, on par with painting and drama. Foodies are often considered a distinct hobbyist group, which makes sense considering that a hobbyist is someone who pursues an activity outside of regular occupation.
There are many sources of a Foodie’s education. Our entertainment industry is now bursting with programs and channels. These range from informational programs about the history and culture behind foods to competitive battle in the kitchen for a world title and prize. The most commonly watched and most influential form of Foodie television is the culinary or cooking program. These can vary in many forms and styles. Alton Brown in Good Eats presents food and preparation in a thorough and informational way, but with a bit of speed, comedy, and corniness, which catches the attention of a younger generation and an audience probably consisting of more males than females. Rachel Rae and others similar to her present different meals, some quick, convenient, and cheap, others of a more gourmet fashion, in a friendly but quick and informal manner. Then there are those like the dear and great Julia Child in The French Chef, grandmotherly type figures who present in a more traditional and homely manner and offer many nuggets of wisdom. These are probably the most influential to Foodie culture as we know it. Aside from the media, there are vast sources of information to be received through the internet. The internet has revolutionized nearly every aspect of life, especially the Foodie side. Foodies are able to communicate, teach, share, and so much more through the internet. Innumerable amounts of publications are available online as well. Books are also the foundation of the Foodie culture as they were the beginning of documentation and published communication. Countless tomes contain information on food, and publications are continually being produced. Lastly, but not least and actually the most important, there are relatives, peers, and friends to turn to for instruction in cooking. Ancestors are some of the most valuable conveyors of food knowledge, and there is nothing like cooking with a friend and learning the ways of the kitchen.
Foodies also take part in many activities. These activities help define the Foodie and what the Foodie stands for. The Foodie searches and studies food. The Foodie appreciates food and the variations and subtle differences in it. The Foodie experiments and learns through hands on experience with food. The Foodie participates in the social community of food through means including restaurants, events, and the internet. The Foodie is also concerned with and learns about the personalities surrounding food. The Foodie dines on and prepares fine food and drink. Typical Foodie interests and activities include the food industry, wineries and wine tasting, breweries and beer sampling, food science, following restaurant openings and closings, food distribution, food fads, health and nutrition, and restaurant management.
So we have defined the Foodie, now we can ask “Who can become a Foodie, and does socioeconomic status affect that?” Well, at first the answer would seem to be anyone who has an appreciation for food in the broadest sense, however, according to the accepted definition of the word, the answer would be only those with sufficient time and resources to devote to the exploration of food outside of their normal occupation. Anyone can have a love for food and appreciate variety in taste, history, and preparation of food, but the accepted definition of “Foodie” describes someone who is closer to being “a connoisseur of fine food and drink,” which denotes an active participation in the sampling of finer dining or enough experience to pass critique of finer dining and also a growing knowledge base of everything food related. So the term “Foodie” could be very loosely stretched to include even the working class if they can manage to squeeze time and funds from their lives, but we still leave out half of the population of the world. While “Foodie” includes those of multiple socioeconomic statuses, it still cannot include those who lack the sufficient time and resources, including some in the middle class, but especially the working class, poor, and impoverished. Those in poverty cannot be a Foodie because they can barely feed themselves, much less pursue a hobby in food and try finer dishes. They may have an appreciation for food and might even know the differences and subtleties of different foods, spices, and drinks, but the definition of a Foodie does not apply to them. These are very real socioeconomic statuses and therefore even the worst case cannot be excluded from this topic.
Time is very valuable and is often in short supply to the average person. One of the most fundamental things a Foodie must have is time to devote to pursuing and exploring food. The average working class person, even some middle class people, poor people, and those who live in extreme poverty are not able to do this. They are required to work nearly every hour of the day just to make it by and can barely get enough food to survive, if any at all. They do not have time to sample delicacies while their families starve. They do not have time to rate and research restaurants like food critics such as Ruth Reichl. They do not have time nor resources to experiment in the kitchen. They spend it fending for their families and for their lives. Do you really think that they have the time to be a Foodie? Do they have time to take away from scraping an earning to try fine foods for the fun of it? No.
Sadly, the possession of money also dictates much of life. Those who are able to obtain much of it live lives of luxury. Those who can earn a decent amount can live very comfortably. However, there are those who earn little or nothing. Being a Foodie also requires the possession of money in an amount to grant enough excess to devote to the pursuit of food. Most people do not have that luxury. Nearly half of the world’s population lives in extreme poverty, if not more. Extreme poverty is defined as living on less than 1 to 2 US dollars per day. I am not saying it impossible for these people to appreciate food and some of its finer subtleties, but these people simply cannot afford to live as Foodies. Every year over eight million people die because they cannot afford to live. Over eight hundred million starve on a daily basis. The numbers of starving and diseased people who suffer because of lack of money to purchase the most basic requirements of life continue on in staggering proportions. These people cannot possibly live the life of a Foodie, which thereby draws a distinct line in the proverbial sand between those who can be Foodies and those who cannot based on socioeconomic status.
A poem we once read in college English class by Elizabeth Bishop comes to mind when discussing this. Her poem describes the experience of one suffering from poverty during the Great Depression standing in a crowd waiting for some form of sustenance. It is titled “A Miracle for Breakfast." The poem describes the anticipation and longing of the person for food and clearly depicts a rift between the socioeconomic classes of rich and poor in terms of food.
The cold reality that must be faced is that not everyone can become a Foodie because of their socioeconomic status. It is very easy to say that anyone can become a Foodie when ignoring the obvious restrictions on the majority of people. When living a life in a non third world country, it is easy to be deceived into thinking that everyone has an equal opportunity while half of the world suffers. I do not believe someone in poverty choosing the taste of one type of basic food over another and appreciating the fact that they have food as qualifying for being a Foodie for those who would argue the case of only needing an appreciation of food and a good appetite to be a Foodie. People in bad conditions could be lovers of food as far as appreciation, taste, and tradition are concerned, but the standard of being a Foodie has been clearly set and is only a thing that can be achieved by those with proper resources since it is more of a lifestyle and hobby than an outlook.
Being a Foodie is a beautiful thing if one does not take it for granted. Food is something that should be appreciated and enjoyed. There is nothing wrong with taking pleasure in the abundance of a prosperous society, but those who are in need should be helped and not blindly ignored as we disagree trying to determine who qualifies as a Foodie and such. Everyone should greatly enjoy their food, learn its true value and where it came from, and appreciate how lucky they are to have what they do, and if they want to take it the next level and become a Foodie, I wish them luck and joy.
Sources:
1. http://www.barrypopik.com/index.php/new_york_city/entry/Foodie/
2. http://www.habitat.org/hw/June_2009/feature3.html
3. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Foodie
Here is an article with some neat questions about being a Foodie:
http://ezinearticles.com/?Are-You-a-Foodie-Or-an-Emotional-Eater?&id=1882085
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