Am I a foodie?

Foodie is an informal term for a particular class of aficionado of food and drink. The word was coined in 1981 by Paul Levy and Ann Barr, who used it in the title of their 1984 book The Official Foodie Handbook.

A fan, aficionado, or supporter is someone who has an intense, occasionally overwhelming liking and enthusiasm for a sporting club, person (usually a celebrity), group of persons, company, product, activity, work of art, idea, or trend.

Now I guess I've become somewhat of a food snob over the past year or so. I am not exactly sure how it happened but ever since I've been with my husband, a devoted Kraft macaroni & cheese fan, I've had someone who was willing to take me to new restaurants around Chicago and someone who, with or without his permission, became my new recipe tester.

Now don't get me wrong, I still love Burger King, Taco Bell, Chipotle, the Buffalo Chicken Strips from Ruby Tuesday's and even the occasional cheeseburger meal from McDonalds (that usually follows a night of heavy ale-filled indulgences) but something has changed. I prefer quality over quantity.

Have you seen the commercial where the couple goes to the fancy restaurant that they've been waiting for forever to get into and when they sit down and get their meal the husband looks at it and says "It's like elf food." Yeah those are the places a prefer. Why? Because although the portions are small, you usually are going to leave more satisfied than if you went to Old Country Buffet.

When I was little my parents loved those restaurants that had like 97 things on the menu. I hated it because they only cooked two things well and chances are I would never be able to guess what those two things were and I got stuck eating fried mushrooms and stale pecan caramel rolls. As an adult, I've come to the learn the importance of quality. Take The Bristol for example. The burger there is about as big as my fist and yet, it is one of the most delicious burgers I've ever had in my life.

Also, with the obese country that we live in, maybe it's time we start choosing quality over quantity. Just because it's bigger doesn't make it better!

AND isn't being a foodie a good thing? I mean, at least I am not one of those people who spends my whole life without ever trying an egg because I have some preconceived notion that they are going to be terrible. Or one of those people who live off of nothing but hot dogs, chicken fingers, fish sticks, microwaved popcorn, and pizza rolls because they are too scared to step one foot out of their comfort zone and try something that can't be cooked in a microwave.

Food is sustenance. I get that, but it can also be an adventure. Some people go skydiving, bungee jumping, rock climbing or diving with the sharks. I prefer sitting down and eating a plate full of...well something new.

So am I a foodie? I'd say yes, yes I am.