8.13.2009

Foodie vs Cook

Saturday, I'm headed to my very first blogger conference, Blog Indiana. I'm a little apprehensive, since I feel like everyone else going is a much "bigger deal" than me in the blogging world, and I'm just a little hobbyist. Thing is, I've been at this blogging thing for 5 years, and I really do enjoy it- so I'm going to the conference to be around people who enjoy the same type of thing I do.

One of the panels I was particularly looking forward to is the Foodie Panel. A blog post asked for questions for the foodie panel, and I eagerly (OK, I admit, overeagerly) threw some out there, mostly about posting recipes and pictures. After taking a look of the list of bloggers on the panel, though, I realized my questions were mis-aimed. The fine bloggers on the panel aren't "food bloggers" like I read, like this blog- they're (for the most part) "foodies"- restaurant and food reviewers. I was discussing this confusion with my husband, and he said he always thought "foodies" were people who like fine restaurants and foods. I guess I had lumped all food blogs under the "foodie" label, but maybe that's wrong?

All that to say, I'm not the only one with this confusion. The kitchn is making the distinction as well, and asking which category we fall into... I'm a cook, for sure, especially if a foodie is "those who love the shiniest equipment and the newest ingredients, and follow the antics of top chefs the way others follow the NFL." Ha! Not me. You'll notice this blog is basically all comfort-food, simple recipes that can be whipped together with a bowl and a wooden spoon and not much else. I'm not into gadgets. I couldn't name a famous chef if you asked me to.

What I am into is experimenting- trying new concoctions with whatever I find in my pantry, keeping the price-per-meal down, and keeping the family's stomach's happy. So far so good. More recently, I've been conscious of finding ingredients locally, growing my own produce, and generally taking into account my meal's footprint on the earth. Does this make me a foodie, or just a conscious cook?

I've, just now, come up with even more questions for the foodie panel- they'll certainly have all the answers Saturday! What would you ask them?

1 comment:

Traci said...

Funny, I always thought that foodies were just people who liked to cook and eat, lol. I suppose I wouldn't fit into the title "foodie" if it does have the finer dining connotation. My idea of fine dining is home cooked with my family there, lol.

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