Folks who fancy themselves foodies

[Seasider]

....but really aren't. Sigh.

 

It's hard for me to see an amalgamation of expensive ingredients turned into a messy mushy heap of odd flavors. This person continues to fall for every Tasty video and random recipe that pops up in social media feeds, yet like Pinterest fails, rarely gets the promised results.

 

I truly appreciate folks who have legit kitchen skills, and don't claim them for myself; I believe I'm a good cook but not a foodie, iykwim. I suppose this is a JAWM as I'm looking ahead to holiday gatherings where I'll be treated to lots of new food experiments. Bah humbug.

 

(Foodie, as I define it - someone who knows exactly what to do with obscure ingredients, and/or exercises creativity in the kitchen to produce dishes that both taste great and are visually appealing.)

Edited November 15, 2017 by Seasider

[happi duck]

Oh my!

Edited November 15, 2017 by happi duck

[Rosie_0801]

Maybe you need to create subclassifications. :)

 

There are foodies with SKILL and there are foodies with "mere" enthusiasm. The latter does not necessarily claim the skills of the former. I sure don't, lol.

[Liz CA]

I am the kind of "foodie" who above all likes to eat well - sometimes I succeed in cooking something well but not always.  ;)

[Rosie_0801]

Anyway, OP, that makes them easy to buy for. A jar of something you can't identify and they'll be delighted.

[Tap]

I agree with what you are saying. I don't have a self proclaimed foodie at our holiday table, but a few family members are vegan.  They are very sweet to bring dishes to share with everyone, but sometimes the combination of ingredients is, let's just say, unique. LOL

 

I disagree with your definition of foodie.  To me, a foodie is someone who has a particular interest on food and possibly cooking. They may think they are good at it, but it is a self assigned title. LOL It doesn't mean they are good at discerning quality or that they are good at cooking....they just really enjoy it. 

 

I would say someone who claims to be a Chef vs a cook, to be someone like you describe. 

Edited November 15, 2017 by Tap

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

LOL, I've luckily never run into this.  

 

I will say that anyone who brings/serves an untested experimental recipe is... braver than me!  

[Elizabeth86]

Anyway, OP, that makes them easy to buy for. A jar of something you can't identify and they'll be delighted.

:lol:this decribes my mil's tasted perfectly! :lol:

[SamanthaCarter]

I think of a foodie as someone who is big into quality, variety, and appropriate combinations. They may or may not cook well. I consider my mom both a foodie and a great cook. You can be one without being the other. Maybe my interpretation is wrong?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[SamanthaCarter]

I used to run a bakery in a small tourist town, heavy with doctors and lawyers. They fancied themselves to have discriminating and high class tastes. But they couldn't abide anything the least bit unusual or authentically European. No stollen, but if you made a giant fluffy cinnamon roll and called it German or Dutch or some such, they'd fly off the shelves. Lol.

Edited November 15, 2017 by SamanthaCarter

[Rosie_0801]

I used to run a bakery in a small tourist town, heavy with doctors and lawyers. They fancied themselves to have discriminating and high class tastes. But they couldn't abide anything the least bit unusual or authentically European. No stollen, but if you made a giant fluffy cinnamon roll and called it German or Dutch or some such, they'd fly off the shelves. Lol.

 

I'm all for a bit of well placed food snobbery, but I think they put theirs in the wrong place. :lol:

[SamanthaCarter]

It was frustrating, because the more I talked to my customers, the less I could figure out what they wanted.

 

I sold the bakery and went to accounting school. [emoji23]

Edited November 15, 2017 by SamanthaCarter

[Seasider]

Maybe you need to create subclassifications. :)

 

There are foodies with SKILL and there are foodies with "mere" enthusiasm. The latter does not necessarily claim the skills of the former. I sure don't, lol.

Skilled foodies vs unskilled foodies. I can see that. The enthusiasm is all there, as well as a generous budget for experimenting. You'd think practice would help, though.

[Seasider]

I agree with what you are saying. I don't have a self proclaimed foodie at our holiday table, but a few family members are vegan. They are very sweet to bring dishes to share with everyone, but sometimes the combination of ingredients is, let's just say, unique. LOL

 

I disagree with your definition of foodie. To me, a foodie is someone who has a particular interest on food and possibly cooking. They may think they are good at it, but it is a self assigned title. LOL It doesn't mean they are good at discerning quality or that they are good at cooking....they just really enjoy it.

 

I would say someone who claims to be a Chef vs a cook, to be someone like you describe.

So a foodie's interest and skill do not have to be equivocal. Ok. That would apply in this case. Edited November 15, 2017 by Seasider

[Seasider]

I used to run a bakery in a small tourist town, heavy with doctors and lawyers. They fancied themselves to have discriminating and high class tastes. But they couldn't abide anything the least bit unusual or authentically European. No stollen, but if you made a giant fluffy cinnamon roll and called it German or Dutch or some such, they'd fly off the shelves. Lol.

Lol!!!

[Word Nerd]

How can anyone get "legit" kitchen skills if they don't practice those skills and try new recipes? Our monthly potluck at work is often a testing ground for Pinterest/Tasty/etc. recipes and I see it as a positive thing. I don't think anyone is concerned about being a "foodie." They just like trying new dishes, desserts, and dips and sharing them with others. 

Edited November 15, 2017 by Word Nerd

[prairiewindmomma]

I think of a foodie as those who have a good palate---they can balance flavors, have some good technique/knife skills, etc.

 

I do think there's a subculture of those who demonstrate their social status through the restaurants they eat at, and the obscure ingredients that they own/use.

 

I do think that most Americans demand super sweet bakery items, and can't handle the much less sweet Euro pastries.

 

I do think a lot of Americans don't really smell or taste their food.....case in point....jarred garlic.  If you've ever smelled and tasted raw freshly minced garlic and the jarred in oil stuff, they are completely different beasts.

[SparklyUnicorn]

Oh well, I love to experiment in the kitchen, BUT I do not mess with the holiday meal. Nope...I just won't do it. 

 

I used to subscribe to a zillion foodie type magazines.  I found a lot of the recipes in them to be completely ridiculous.  Mixing 5 of the most assertive ingredients together is not my idea of a good combo (think shi* like grapefruit, olives, feta cheese all topped on arugula...NO!).  Also, they tend to call for hard to find ingredients.  If a produce item is hard to find, chances are if I can find them, it won't be fresh...and it won't be ripe...and then it won't taste like intended.  To me the idea is to work magic on the items that are the best AVAILABLE and not simply unusual or hard to find.

 

 

 

[KungFuPanda]

I’ve never thought a foodie needed real knife skills. That’s more into chef territory and foodies are firmly in the recreational-but-overly-interested category to me.

 

I like to serve experimental recipes to friends, but I wouldn’t bring an untested recipe to Thanksgiving unless it was really easy. I guess a lot of the Tasty stuff falls into this category. Thanksgiving seems the most high-stakes food holiday and people can get grudge if something doesn’t work. Too risky.

[prairiewindmomma]

I’ve never thought a foodie needed real knife skills. That’s more into chef territory and foodies are firmly in the recreational-but-overly-interested category to me.

 

I like to serve experimental recipes to friends, but I wouldn’t bring an untested recipe to Thanksgiving unless it was really easy. I guess a lot of the Tasty stuff falls into this category. Thanksgiving seems the most high-stakes food holiday and people can get grudge if something doesn’t work. Too risky.

 

If you're serving an apple galette to me, I would really love to have apple slices of the same thickness and size. The half raw/half overbaked thing really annoys me.

[Seasider]

How can anyone get "legit" kitchen skills if they don't practice those skills and try new recipes? Our monthly potluck at work is often a testing ground for Pinterest/Tasty/etc. recipes and I see it as a positive thing. I don't think anyone is concerned about being a "foodie." They just like trying new dishes, desserts, and dips and sharing them with others.

See, that sounds like a safer environment for such things. I think it would be fun to have a weekly or monthly book-fan-n-recipe-test meetup. I'm curious about the fails:great ratio.

 

Maybe a foodie is fan of food, and the practice is chefiness. Chef-E-ness.

[Arcadia]

Foodie is more of a food aficionado in where I am from. People are enthusiastic about eating and hunting down yummy food places including waiting in long lines for food. So if someone has said he/she is a foodie, it means the person can be a food tour guide rather than someone is a chef.

 

My uncle is a chef but he doesn’t like experimenting. He is good at the dishes he cook and that’s it. My aunt is a foodie and a great cook. She can taste a yummy dish and duplicate at home. So she knows where to go for good food, good ingredients and she is also a great short order cook for picky eaters and those with food allergies.

[Word Nerd]

It kind of seems like the real "foodies" as defined above are the ones who turn their noses up at others' contributions because they're just amateurs. How dare Aunt Nelda presume to serve me something when her chef skillz are so weak? 

[KungFuPanda]

If you're serving an apple galette to me, I would really love to have apple slices of the same thickness and size. The half raw/half overbaked thing really annoys me.

You’d get that from me because I’m lazy and use the apple peel-core-slice thingy. 😂. Sometimes it’s all about the tools.

[prairiewindmomma]

I have one of those too.  I love my apple peel/core/slice thingy.

 

 

[Seasider]

It kind of seems like the real "foodies" as defined above are the ones who turn their noses up at others' contributions because they're just amateurs. How dare Aunt Nelda presume to serve me something when her chef skillz are so weak?

Ouch. Reprimand noted.

 

Perhaps the real truth is that I'm jealous because my grocery budget could never handle such a high degree of kitchen games n fails. Around here we need to eat to live, it's not a sport or hobby.

[Catwoman]

I have one of those too.  I love my apple peel/core/slice thingy.

Your use of highly technical terms identifies you as a true chef. ;)

 

I am more of an amateur and call mine the "apple thingie." I bow to your obviously superior knowledge. :laugh:

[Critterfixer]

If you're serving an apple galette to me, I would really love to have apple slices of the same thickness and size. The half raw/half overbaked thing really annoys me.

Drat, Prairie. Now I remembered that I really ought to make one of those for Thanksgiving. Maybe it I'm very quiet, nobody will remember and I'll be off the hook... :laugh:

[Critterfixer]

I need an apple thingy. 

 

[prairiewindmomma]

I used to have an apple tree in my back yard. That thingy saved me....and allowed me to put a dozen pies in my freezer just prior to the holidays. I miss that tree.

[prairiewindmomma]

I need an apple thingy. 

 

The Pampered Chef one is quite good.

[Catwoman]

Ouch. Reprimand noted.

 

Perhaps the real truth is that I'm jealous because my grocery budget could never handle such a high degree of kitchen games n fails. Around here we need to eat to live, it's not a sport or hobby.

I hate it when people use me as their own personal test kitchen. I try out recipes before I serve them to guests.

 

It's different when it's one item on the menu ("I tried this new recipe for green beans. I hope it came out okay") but when it's the entire meal and it's an epic fail... :ack2: And I'm too polite to say it's awful, so I end up doing the thing where I eat the tiniest of bites and try to creatively rearrange the food on the plate so it looks like I ate some of it.

[Catwoman]

I need an apple thingy.

You do.

 

Everyone needs an apple thingie. Unless they hate apples. Then maybe they don't need one. MAYBE. ;)

[prairiewindmomma]

My Thanksgiving meal is coming from Costco this year.  

[prairiewindmomma]

I used to get together with my good friends every Wednesday night. We'd all bring things to share. It was the best way to try out new recipes, because we all knew we were experimenting and we got honest feedback.  

[Critterfixer]

I wouldn't call myself a foodie, but I admit to being snobbish enough to go hunt down a certain type of apple for certain types of apple dishes. And I can get kind of picky about cantaloupe too.

[Guinevere]

I thought a foodie was all about eating?  As in, a person who immensely enjoys tasting foods.  I didn't think it had anything to do with the preparing of any food.  

[Critterfixer]

You do.

 

Everyone needs an apple thingie. Unless they hate apples. Then maybe they don't need one. MAYBE. ;)

I think I'll ask for one for Christmas.

[Critterfixer]

I used to get together with my good friends every Wednesday night. We'd all bring things to share. It was the best way to try out new recipes, because we all knew we were experimenting and we got honest feedback.  

I like that idea. That would be fun.

[Arcadia]

Perhaps the real truth is that I'm jealous because my grocery budget could never handle such a high degree of kitchen games n fails. Around here we need to eat to live, it's not a sport or hobby.

My aunts had a very limited budget and many mouths to feed when my cousins were teens and younger. They were good cooks before marriage but they had to make do with whatever they could afford or fresh food stuff (vegetables, fruits) that were given to them. Add in all the picky eaters giving blunt comments and it is like having a panel of food tasters at every meal.

So to them, it’s a honed survival skill over many years to prepare rather delicious dishes with whatever ingredients you give them. Kind of like the TV show MasterChef Kitchen.

[cjzimmer1]

I don't consider myself a foodie because to me that is someone is seeking out exotic ingredients.  I don't cook with any kind of alcohol, I don't use unusual fruit, I don't cook any fish/seafood (other than shrimp maybe once a year), I certainly don't use any cheese produced overseas.  That said I will regularly take a brand new to me recipe, modify and serve it to guests and even sell it without having even tasted it.  Maybe because I'm working with more basic ingredients but I can tell by looking at a recipe if it will work for my taste buds or if/how I can tweek it to suit me better.  I get compliments on everything I sell whether it's baked goods or meals so I figure I must be doing something right.  

[Lady Marmalade]

I completely understand what you are saying!  I AM a foodie, and I am an excellent cook with knife skills and a discerning palate.

 

I love food.  I love to eat and taste and try new combinations of foods.  I am also very good at cooking and I know when a combination is going to make sense and when it's going to fall short. 

 

In my world and in my mind, I treat food items and ingredients like I am constantly on an episode of Chopped or Masterchef or Top Chef, where the contestants are given an ingredient and told to highlight it.  I am always trying to highlight an ingredient in the best way possible- but within the confines of a home cook and mom with a budget.  If I go to the specialty meat market and buy a pound of an exceptional quality sausage, I am not going to bring it home, slap it on the grill and then smother it with ketchup, onions and mustards on a grocery store roll.  Instead, I am going to consider the seasonings used in the sausage.  Might it be a good candidate for Bangers-N-Mash?  Browned and then braised in a complimentary liquid (apple cider? ale? chicken broth?) which is then turned into a luscious onion or mushroom gravy to serve with the sausages over coarse mashed red-skinned garlic potatoes? 

 

I have people in my circle who also see those things on Tasty or Pinterest and think they are a good idea, like chopping up cooked bacon and adding it to a pecan pie for Thansgiving, or taking a lovely piece of smoked salmon, chopping it up, and adding it to the topping for a green bean casserole.  Or making an amazing salted caramel sauce, which would be fabulous on that rich chocolate cream pie, and instead using it as a glaze for pork roast. 

 

OR I see things like someone was going to make a traditional pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but forgot to pick up the evaporated milk called for in the recipe.  Rather than use something that makes sense (like, any other unflavored dairy product) , they reach into the fridge and pull out a bottle of blueberry kefir and use that as the liquid in the pie, which turns out rather grey looking and tastes truly bizarre (and not in a good way) but they absolutely insist that you must try a piece, the whole time telling you how it turned out much better than they expected. 

 

It's like it's a game for them.  How many weird food concoctions can we come up with to make Lady Marmalade taste over the holidays? 

 

Alternatively, some of the most fun I've ever had with friends is when a group of us used to get together and we'd all bring a grocery bag with five mostly random food items in it, and then we'd look all the items over and come up with a crazy multi course meal that utilized all those items. 

[happi duck]

I gave away my apple thingy. The times I needed it most was when we'd be given large amounts of apples. Those were *always* "crooked" apples that didn't really work with the thingy.

 

With symmetrical apples it worked great!

[solascriptura]

I thought a foodie was someone that loves to eat new and delicious foods.  I don't think it means that they have to know how to cook.  That's an accomplished cook/chef.  

[solascriptura]

I used to get together with my good friends every Wednesday night. We'd all bring things to share. It was the best way to try out new recipes, because we all knew we were experimenting and we got honest feedback.  

 

I wish I could do this with my friends.  I have exactly one friend that likes to cook. How is that even possible?  Most of my friends like to eat, but not cook.  

[catz]

I don't know.  I think I'd rather have an experimental but not always successful meal than the bland food I get at the ILs year after year.  They serve canned corn and jello and those crescent rolls you get in a tube at Thanksgiving.   Don't forget the driest turkey you can muster frozen 6 months ago on sale.  That's not cooking to me.  That's assembling.  On the upside, I never overeat over there.  :lol:

Edited November 15, 2017 by WoolySocks

[OH_Homeschooler]

I don't know that I would consider this person a foodie (she loves food but not really a fancy food eater). Several years ago she hosted Thanksgiving and followed some gravy recipe that included a citrus fruit (can't remember if it was lemon or orange). She must have left the pith in for too long or something, because it ended up being so bitter. And I already poured the gravy over my whole meal, as did most other people, before I tried it. I mean, gravy--can't go wrong, right? We were all polite and ate what we could, but man, it was bad. No one said anything, and the host went on and on about how good the recipe was and how much she loved it. Maybe her taste buds are a little screwy? I think she was pleased with herself for trying a new recipe. Bless her heart.  :laugh:

 

Someone else I know tends to talk quite the snobby food game, and criticized my choice of pizza that I ordered for a kid's party because it was cheap. But I also know the majority of her family's dinner are fast food, so...

[Seasider]

I completely understand what you are saying! I AM a foodie, and I am an excellent cook with knife skills and a discerning palate.

 

I love food. I love to eat and taste and try new combinations of foods. I am also very good at cooking and I know when a combination is going to make sense and when it's going to fall short.

 

In my world and in my mind, I treat food items and ingredients like I am constantly on an episode of Chopped or Masterchef or Top Chef, where the contestants are given an ingredient and told to highlight it. I am always trying to highlight an ingredient in the best way possible- but within the confines of a home cook and mom with a budget. If I go to the specialty meat market and buy a pound of an exceptional quality sausage, I am not going to bring it home, slap it on the grill and then smother it with ketchup, onions and mustards on a grocery store roll. Instead, I am going to consider the seasonings used in the sausage. Might it be a good candidate for Bangers-N-Mash? Browned and then braised in a complimentary liquid (apple cider? ale? chicken broth?) which is then turned into a luscious onion or mushroom gravy to serve with the sausages over coarse mashed red-skinned garlic potatoes?

 

I have people in my circle who also see those things on Tasty or Pinterest and think they are a good idea, like chopping up cooked bacon and adding it to a pecan pie for Thansgiving, or taking a lovely piece of smoked salmon, chopping it up, and adding it to the topping for a green bean casserole. Or making an amazing salted caramel sauce, which would be fabulous on that rich chocolate cream pie, and instead using it as a glaze for pork roast.

 

OR I see things like someone was going to make a traditional pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving, but forgot to pick up the evaporated milk called for in the recipe. Rather than use something that makes sense (like, any other unflavored dairy product) , they reach into the fridge and pull out a bottle of blueberry kefir and use that as the liquid in the pie, which turns out rather grey looking and tastes truly bizarre (and not in a good way) but they absolutely insist that you must try a piece, the whole time telling you how it turned out much better than they expected.

 

It's like it's a game for them. How many weird food concoctions can we come up with to make Lady Marmalade taste over the holidays?

 

Alternatively, some of the most fun I've ever had with friends is when a group of us used to get together and we'd all bring a grocery bag with five mostly random food items in it, and then we'd look all the items over and come up with a crazy multi course meal that utilized all those items.

Yes! You have me laughing and crying. Kefir pie. 😂