- Foodie
Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of
food anddrink . The word was coined in 1981 byPaul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book "The Official Foodie Handbook".Distinguished from gourmet
Although the two terms are sometimes used interchangeably, foodies differ from
gourmet s in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste who may or may not beprofessionals in the food industry, whereas foodies areamateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. [cite news | author=Nicole Weston | url=http://www.slashfood.com/2006/02/10/what-is-a-foodie-anyway/ | title = What is a foodie, anyway | date = February 10, 2006 | accessdate=2007-07-01 | publication=AOL Living] Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything "about" food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food. [cite web | url=http://thenibble.com/nav2/letters/food.asp|title=FAQs about food|publication=the Nibble|accessdate=2007-07-01] For this reason, foodies are sometimes viewed as obsessively interested in all things culinary. There is also a general feeling in the culinary industry that the term gourmet is outdated.Pursuits
Foodies are a distinct
hobbyist group in the United States. Typical foodie interests and activities include thefood industry ,wineries andwine tasting ,food science , followingrestaurant openings and closings,food distribution , foodfads ,health andnutrition , andrestaurant management . A foodie might develop a particular interest in a specific item, such as the bestegg cream orburrito . Many publications havefood column s that cater to foodies. Interest by foodies in the 1980s and 1990s gave rise tothe Food Network and other specialized food programming, popular films and television shows about food such asTop Chef andIron Chef , a renaissance in specializedcookbooks , specialized periodicals such as Gourmet Magazine andCook's Illustrated , growing popularity offarmers' markets . [cite news | author=The Healthy Foodie| url=http://blogs.lifestyle.aol.ca/2008/07/31/canadian-farmers-markets-where-to-find-them/ | title = Canadian Farmers Markets: Where to Find Them | date = July 31, 2008 | publication=AOL Life & Style] , food-oriented websites likeZagat's and Yelp, publishing and reading foodblogs (a number of people photograph and post on the Internet every meal they ever make or consume), specialized kitchenware stores likeWilliams-Sonoma andSur La Table , and the institution of thecelebrity chef .Problems
The term foodie is often found to be deragatory by many people who are interested in the preparation of food from land to table. See the SLOW [http://www.slowfood.com/] food movement and excerpts of Alice Waters [http://www.chezpanisse.com/pgalice.html] protests on being labeled a foodie.
ee also
*
Gourmet References
External links
* [http://www.bartleby.com/63/82/6682.html William Safire's distinction between gourmets and gourmands]
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