“I’m a foodie”
“Oh you mean you consume the same nutrients necessary to sustain human life? Yeah, I’ll bet you’re a breathie too, moron.” -Paraphrased tweet by @liv_thatsme
I think you can just enjoy food, you don’t need to slap a label on every experience that makes you unique. We can all just appreciate food as humans who need to consume nutrients. Nobody can deny that we need food to survive, but people debate about what types of foods are nutritious and/or delicious.
But for the food itself is a different story, that’s where we separate the wheat from the chaff. Even more so when you start preparing separate dishes with specialty additions and secret recipes. There are so many variations and chefs and sous chefs etc.
Food can be art but not all food is art.
During my time working in food service at a local event center, I cultured my tastebuds with the fine art that was produced by our professional chef. Everyone is born with the ability to tell if something tastes good or bad, however, when they explore their taste in food it is the same as perusing an art gallery or looking through artistically crafted items online. Cultivating a taste for what you enjoy is an essential part of having a full life.
Food is an easy place to begin this habit of learning what you truly enjoy. It takes a little spontaneity and going out on a limb. Don’t act like ordering a meal you thought would be good but turns out to be gross isn’t really disappointing, knowing you paid for something bad sucks. Learning is about those mistakes, and you probably won’t make that mistake.
Is food a teacher?
In many cases yes. Food can represent many things and can unit people in so many ways, look at pizza subculture, many people love it enough to wear it on a shirt. We have national pizza day national donut day and even national pancake day. Whether you celebrate these days or not, there is major significance in the fact that they have a whole day dedicated to them.
Maybe it’s just Americans that are obsessed with food?
During my time in Guatemala, I found that most of the locals liked to sit down and chat over something as simple as a snack size bag of chips. I believe the power of food translates very well across any border.
Go eat some food, and try something new (Tajin with cucumber and lime is a great snack).