Foodies and the demise of the "home cook"

A while back I mentioned the I HATE, yes HATE (notice the all caps to give weight and power to this) the term FOODIE. NY Times Magazine write Michael Pollan has a very interesting article/essay about this.

(Now, I am the person who gives credit where credit is due, especially if I am ripping it off from someone else, so please head over to Michael Ruhlman's blog and check out his perspective and a link to the article.)

I do not consider my self a "foodie" but rather a fooder. Yes, Trekkie/trekker (just to make things clear I am in the Trekkie camp) what is the difference? With food it seems to me that the difference is in the level of participation. A foodie is a person having an avid interest in the latest food fads, so sayeth Webster. I.e. they don't REALLY get involved in it.

A foodie is concerned with fads and trends and what the celebrity chefs are doing. I have actually had people tell me that I was doing something wrong because that was not what they saw "so and so" do on TV. Seriously. A fooder, doesn't care about who does what. They care about food and doing the best they can, with the best that is available.

I am not interested in the latest food "fads", I couldn't care less. What I do care about is how food affects us and how it can change us for better or worse. How something as simple as a hot baguette can evoke such a profound change upon ones mood and feeling of well being. How eating something that is poorly made from poor ingredients can actually cause the body to go into depression.

There is one part that I am going to quote (please don't sue me):
"Isn’t there any way we can bring America back to the days of Julia and the pleasures of cooking, Pollan asks? Balzer says, “Not going to happen. Why? Because we’re cheap and lazy. And besides, the skills are already lost. Who’s going to teach the next generation to cook? I don’t see it.” This was the defining statement that prompted me to write about this again. And I am torn here.

On one hand I believe Balzer, that we are CHEAP and LAZY. That we will continue to buy frozen waffles, cheese sticks, and salad in a bag. The other hand tells me that there are many people out there who have discovered the pleasure of cooking, and are trying things out success or failure.

When you go to the store do you care about the food you buy? Is the only word you look for ORGANIC? Is price the underlying factor? Do you look for the quick solution rather than find something truly wholesome? DO you go to the store with an idea of what you are going to make or do you go and see what is fresh before deciding? This is the difference between foodies and fooders. A foodie wants to make what Mario just made on TV, seasons be damned! Just because it is the middle of winter in North Dakota who says you can't have Caprese salad? A fooder, on the other hand, searches out the best ingredients available that day. What no Filet Mignon? But you have chuck steak. Ok, then we'll figure something out. No arugula, how about a wedge salad with homemade blue cheese? Or sliced cucumbers with a quick dressing?

Food at its worst is just calories, sustenance for the muscles. At its best its is nourishing for mind, body and spirit. Yes I said that. Think about some of the best meals you've had. The ones that left you truly satisfied. Probably not that expensive and I would venture to say 6 out of 10 were eaten in someone's home. Now how many of those did YOU make?