A Food writer, not a foodie

How is that even possible? I wondered too until I realized that I am a perfect example of a food writer who doesn’t eat food as much as is expected.

oh! the joy I derive from being a food writer is so overwhelming and I have discovered that the reason is because of my passion for writing and my love for food. Enjoying cooking and telling everyone about it is just half of the fun part of being a food lover, the other half is having people taste your meals and getting good reviews and then going forward to teach your audience how to get the same results.

Yeah, I know it doesn’t sound much fun because I’m not talking about eating but I do eat. I eat when I cook, how else would I know that it tasted yummy? I eat when the food is delicious, I eat when I’m hungry but lets not discuss the quantity because then it might not be considered as eating… but hey, who is measuring? LOL.

I don’t go out and eat till I drop or eat everything that looks interesting, so I guess that confirms that I’m not a foodie. Albeit Wikipedia says “a foodie is a person who has ardent or refined interest in food and who eats food not only out of hunger but due to their interest or hobby and is passionate about food”. Hmm does this mean I am indeed a ‘foodie’?

Don’t get me wrong, eating as a hobby is not something that is less important but I think it’s quite unfair to group a Chef who works hard to understand, master and handle food and a food writer who studies and researches a lot to learn about food together with people who love food just because they can eat it or those who love food for it fads. Hence the need to kick out the word foodie…

Truth be told, I dislike the word Foodie . I believe this word is disrespectful especially to chefs and food writers as it brings together under one umbrella every food-interested person. we have those who love food because it’s food, those who love food because they are always hungry, those who love food for it varieties and of-course those who love food because it makes them feel like they belong somewhere.

If someone called me a ‘foodie’, my reply would be; I’m not.

Cooking is a real pleasure and contrary to believes that food writers don’t cook, I really enjoy cooking. Prepping is like meditation time, you find yourself having focused thought sessions without any interruptions.

For me, my greatest pleasure comes from cooking for friends and family. The thrills of shopping and prepping and especially the adrenaline pumping when I am in a rush to meet up for their arrival. The pride I derive from the praises of how I make the most delicious Jollof Rice and how I should share the recipe.

Don’t get it twisted, cooking is not always the easiest task, especially when i have to come up with a meal out of a seemingly empty pantry