So, here's the skinny. I Love to cook, like a Lot. It gives me a lot of internal pleasure to make good food for friends, family, and the like. I am not, however a "foodie". I find this label actually kind of silly. What IS a foodie? According to dictionary.com a "Foodie" is someone who " is a person having an enthusiastic interest in the consumption of good food (alt. preperation). Well No Shit. There's a special label Just for people who like good food? Really? I am not, nor will I be a "foodie" what I am, is a "Food Head", akin to a "Cheese Head". Cheese Heads are folks from Wisconsin who are not only freezing their asses off and loving great quality cheeses, they're damned proud of it. I am a "Food Head". I Live for food, I Love food. I take a great deal of pride in everything I cook. Anyone who I've cooked for could and should be able to relate to the great amount of myself that I put into the meal. From the ingredients, the preperation, the serving, the presentation. I referred to a book in this post, and this book is "The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake".
What's so special about this book is (spoilers), a character in the book can actually taste the feelings/thoughts/emotions of the person who made the food. I feel if people could get inside my food like that character in that book, they'd actually understand where I'm coming from when I cook and what I get out of cooking and eating. Food to me is a gateway to my soul. I recently picked up some food from a spot that serves Cambodian cuisine. This was my 2nd time getting food from them. I remarked to the owner/cook that I felt like I should cook for her. Her response, was oddly enough, "Why"?. I say odd, as this woman clearly puts a lot of her self in every dish that she makes. Perhaps someday, I can convince her to to allow me to prepare a dish for her, and then she'll understand, that some people just "Get it".
A friend who I've cooked for at my house a few times and doesn't cook a lick has remarked frequently how he just enjoys watching me cook. I literally nearly dance throughout the kitchen, grabbing, chopping, slicing and sauteing. Coming from someone who eats strictly for subsistence, and poorly at that, to have my love of food noticed is that much more flattering.
So, if you feel motivated to get a look in my head, pick up "lemon cake" as I call it, but read it from the perspective of the preparer, not the diner, and you'll see where I live, and why I'm a food head.
