This evening I participated in a Madison area “foodie” panel. It was a lot of fun, I really enjoyed meeting people of like minds, and I hope to continue to connect with all of them in the future, in one way or another. My thanks to the moderators: Eating in Madison from A to Z.

One of the questions was this (paraphrasing…): “Foodie has become a politically charged term… do you still consider yourself a foodie?”

My first response was a resounding yes. I do consider myself a foodie. I added this disclaimer, “I didn’t know that it was controversial… so maybe I shouldn’t admit it that readily”.

I was the only person who admitted to being a foodie. An odd situation, for a “foodie panel”.

The argument seems to be that “Foodies” are elitists who prefer to horde the sheer foodiness to themselves. If foodies had their way, only the wealthy could afford to enjoy good food, when, in fact, food should be for the masses.

I chose not to turn the panel discussion into a debate. But it is very clear that my definition of foodie is not the same as some that exist. To me, a foodie isn’t about repression to the little people. Often, it has nothing to do with economics. Here are a few bullet points that I’ll throw out there which represent my view of “foodie-ism”.

• Foodies appreciate the dining experience.
• Foodies consider dining an adventure, not a neccessity.
• Foodies connect emotion with food, and vice versa.
• Foodies are often motivated by tradition, in terms of family as well as heritage.
• Foodies do indeed have a smug and superior attitude… not because they can afford to be a foodie, but because they get pleasure out of it, they take the time to do it, and they are committed doing it well.
• Being a foodie isn’t all about eating. It is about the process that goes into creating food. It is just as much about thinking and planning as it is about eating.

Foodies care about the social aspects of dining. It’s not about the money you spend, it’s about the time you spend enjoying your dining exprience. Good food does not need to be expensive. It needs to be creative, it needs to be enjoyed and it needs to be shared.

I contend that “wealth” is not the underlying required demographic in being a foodie. I know plenty of people who exist in my demographic world who would rather go to MacDonalds, or order a pizza from Pizza Hut, rather than put in the time, interest and dedication that is needed to qualify as a Foodie. These people can easily afford organic food (though I would note that organic food is not a foodie necessity), and could easily spend all kinds of money in an effort to qualify to the ranks of “Foodie”.

But that is not what it is about. It’s about attitude. It’s about interest. It’s about creativity. It’s about investing your time and effort and about becoming enthralled with the challenge.

With creativity, food becomes art. At one point I stated, “We’ll sit down to dinner and smugly ponder the fact that nobody else is my town is eating what we are right now”. That smugness has nothing to do with having something that others do not, and everything to do with the pleasure of having created something so artful it is unique.

I live in a city that can overpoliticize anything. I refuse to do that to the philosophy and motivation that drives my inner Foodie.

To my fellow panelists, please don’t take this as criticism about the discussion. It was truly enjoyable to share thoughts with people who live in this world. It was clearly thought provoking for me, and I sincerely enjoy exchanging differing views.

Perhaps we should hold another panel in the upcoming months… or simply share a beer…, and have a great time debating this specific point! I’d love to bounce this concept around a lot more.

Comments are open, thoughts are appreciated.