Opening the fridge, you're most proud of your collection of: (a) mustards (b) butters (c) gins (d) home-rendered fats
Your travel plans: (a) are followed by a dig through for restaurant recommendations in the area (b) are usually based on the quality of the food in the region (c) revolve solely around food and restaurants (d) come only once you've confirmed your reservations and made sure the hairy crab are biting.
Answer these and a dozen or so other question's from Australian Gourmet Traveller to find out whether you are a "food tragic" - someone whose life revolves around food to such a degree that they simply cannot get on an airplane without a baggie of organic Marcona almonds and a mini bottle of St Estèphe, and misses out on dinner party invitations because their Anton Ego-eque level of discernment frightens their friends. Cute.
It's the time of year when just cooking someone a nice dinner isn't always enough. The people you love want to have things. They want to eat, too, but they'll never remember what you got them this year if they can eat it in one sitting.
There are some edible gifts worth giving, but many gifts for foodies can last for years to come. Plus, they can help your loved ones make you a nice dinner. Everyone wins.
Here is a list of gifts to fill the foodies in your life with delight and joy!
Are you interested in great, artisan foodstuffs, the kind of food that is made lovingly in the traditional ways by small farmers and producers? Look no further that Regional Best, a new e-commerce site that gathers all kinds of products under one virtual roof for your convenience.
I must admit that when I first read the name of the website, I thought that it would be designed as a way to easily find local producers in your area. Though that function is semi-available, Regional Best is really designed as a way to bring attention to great, artisanally-crafted goods and producers. You can look for goods by region (south, southwest, west, midwest, mid-atlantic, New England), or yon can search for products by category (cheese, meats, coffee/tea, condiments, gifts, desserts, oils, etc).
I took plenty of time checking this out recently, and there's not much that I wouldn't order. I especially liked the selection of meats and condiments. Sadly, there wasn't as much on offer as far as desserts as I'd like to see, but it's still a new site and I'm sure they'll be adding new products as they find them. I think that Regional Best would be especially useful at Christmas for that foodie in your life.
If you're reading Slashfood right now, chances are that you're a foodie. In my experience, if there's anything a foodie likes besides eating/cooking, it's reading a book about eating/cooking. These are a few of the books I consider the best cooking books, but we all have strong opinions on this subject. What are some of the cooking books that you think should be on the list?
With all the information in the news these days about the importance of eating locally and organically, the folks out there who can't afford to add these sometimes pricier ingredients (during the summer months, local farmers market produce is comparable or cheaper than its supermarket brethern) to their shopping lists start to feel sadly left out of the movement.
Novella Carpenter, freelance writer and urban farmer living in California's Bay Area has found a way to keep her costs low and her food as local as possible (last summer she spent a month living only on that which came from 100 yards of her front door). The San Francisco Chronicle recently ran an article by Carpenter in which she interviewed a foodie acquaintance who was finding ways to eat healthy, local, organic and (admittedly) slightly fancy foods, all on a fairly limited budget. It's an interesting read and a good source of eating inspiration.
The foodie quiz is a fun little way to waste a couple minutes of the morning and maybe have a little laugh or two while you're at it because it is certainly not a serious quiz in any way. If it were serious, it is highly unlikely that one of the answers, right or wrong, would suggest that the correct solution to a minor restaurant dilemma is to "grab the waiter by his neck, shove him in a tiny crate, which you load into the hold of a plane bound for Auckland, while shouting: 'How would you like it, you animal abusing spawn of the devil?'"
The quiz is intended to test your knowledge of general foodie issues, kitchen trends and food movements. I scored 42 out of a possible 45 (the higher the score, the better), which apparently makes me a "gastro-warrior." Take the quiz and get back to us here in the comments to let us know how you fared!
Cooking is so popular that aprons are actually a good choice for a holiday gift this year. Aprons provide pockets where you can keep spoons, dish towels or even small containers of spices close at hand. They're also very convenient for wiping your hands and keeping everything, from cooking oil to flour, off your clothes.
On top of their practicality in the kitchen, they also come in many surprisingly appealing designs - no old-fashioned frills or lace to be see. At least, there isn't any to be seen on any of the aprons from Anthropologie. The flower shower apron ($28, above center-left) features a brilliant color-burst in red or green and is as funky as it is feminine. The utility half-apron ($28, above far-right) is more like a tool-belt than an apron, and an even better choice if something less traditional is what you're interested in.
FoodCandy is a social networking service for people who like food, a self-described "Friendster for Foodies." Like Friendster or MySpace, there are options for testimonials and galleries of friends, as well as others for food locales. Like eGullet or Chowhound, there are subject- and region-based forums, which have posts dating back to the beginning of the year. It looks like there are just over 400 users at the moment, and I'm curious to see how the site will develop. I have to wonder: if you already use other social networks like MySpace, as well as food forums like eGullet, is there really a need for something like this?
Yesterday's New York Times featured an article about food movies past, present and future. Of course, there's talk of the usual suspects like Tampopo and Big Night, but the gist of the article is that there are plenty more food movies to come, especially from American filmmakers. Of note are a remake of Mostly Martha, starring Catherine Zeta-Jones, and an adaptation of Julie Powell's blog-based book Julie & Julia. The latter is to be written and directed by Nora Ephron (Sleepless in Seattle, Bewitched) for Columbia Pictures. Anthony Bourdain even weighs in on Adam Sandler's performance in Spanglish.
It's not often that you see Dr. Joyce Brother's answer a question pertaining to food, but this seems like an issue that could be a problem for many foodies. No, it's not a 9 1/2 Weeks sort of thing. The question is about what to do when an adventurous eater is interested in someone who is not only picky and unadventurous ("the culinary tastes of a 6-year-old) in their eating habits, but is also entirely uninterested in changing.
Dr. Joyce said that the foodie is better off finding someone who can share her interest in food, since cooking and meals are not only important to her, but are a huge part of everyday life. It can be difficult to choose restaurants and menus when dining with friends if one or two people only ever want a cheeseburger and fries - imagine how much more frustrating that would be in a relationship when the issue comes up three times a day. Even if she could put aside her interests from time to time, it would only cause friction in the relationship as time went on.
It's sound advice. But the temptation must be there to try and convince the unwilling eater to expand his or her horizons. Has anyone succeeded in converting the PB&J devotee to something a little more exciting?
The Irish agriculture minister, Mary Coughlan, recently said that "consumers could be divided into 'fuelers,' who use food purely to satisfy hunger, and 'foodies,' who seek out the richest flavors and textures and most interesting and authentic products." This statement followed news that exotic and expensive foods, like Kobe beef and "organic beef goulash for babies" are rapidly gaining popularity in Ireland.
To be honest, I am a little insulted here. I don't like to think that food is so divisive and so black-and-white. Granted, there are people who care more than others, but you don't have to someone who only wants to eat incredibly expensive food, like the $150 Wagyu/foie gras sandwich at Selfridges, to enjoy eating. I don't know about you, but I can enjoy an ordinary burger any time I want to and still consider myself to be something other than a "fueler."
Perhaps Ms. Coughlan should look more carefully at the nuances of being a foodie and consider that a preference for foie gras is not the defining criterion.
Every foodie who likes to take a good picture needs to invest in one of these bottle-top tripods. The way it works is simple:
there is a tripod attachment on the top of a bottle cap. The cap fits onto any bottles with a 28.5 - 30.5-mm diameter.
Using a tripod will virtually eliminate shaking and blurs in your food photographs and allow you to focus on your
angle, plating and presentation. Of course, it is also a great way to set-up other types of photos, like a group shot
at a family barbecue, for example. If you do try it, make sure to send us
your food porn pics! Price: $19.99.
MSN has posted a list of the top 10 cities for
foodies, as determined by a travel site. The cities chosen are all
over the globe, picked for a combination of unique dishes, celebrity chefs and all-around good cuisine. Barcelona,
Brussels, Lyon and Rome were lauded for their long standing traditions, while Las Vegas and New York were included for
having just about everything. While San Francisco did get a nod for its non-Asian cuisine, it seems to have been
selected mainly on the availability of good Chinese food. Asian flavors are what put Tokyo, Vancouver and Hanoi on the
list, too.
It appears that the definition of a
foodie as someone who is willing (and possibly desperate) to eat anything has been put into
play with this list, as along with Asian flair, Hanoi was picked for "unusual delicacies like dog or snake,"
including "fried snake skin, snake spring rolls, snake soup, and minced snake dumpling." Weird meats are all well and good,
but to plan a whole trip around them seems a bit extreme.
Now that we know all the foods we want to eat before we die, we should face a
possibility far worse than death: a time when we would not be able to grocery shop. The post-apocalyptic foodie might
have three arms, but our taste buds still have to be satisfied. The Hedonista
has put together her list of items for a foodie's apocalypse kit, stocked with all of
her foodie favorites in addition to the supplies recommend by FEMA. My favorite inclusion, though I do love Sarabeth's jams, is for vodka, bourbon or other hard liquors. Because "liquor
is endlessly useful in hard times."
Just to be on the safe side, I'm going to stick a package of Twinkies in mine, since there's a good chance that
they might still be edible no matter what the future has in store.
Hungry is a new online food magazine written by four guys who are
foodies. Not in the sometimes-elitist sense
that we don't really approve of here at Slashfood, but the sense that they love good food and everything associated
with it - even if it comes from a fast food joint. In other words, they’re our kind of guys. Though still in a
relatively early stage, Hungry is off to a great start, with interesting chef interviews, available as podcasts, and
other articles. Some of the features include food history, recipes and
events. The magazine is based in Chicago, so though they have covered the likes of the McArabia Sandwich, much of the
coverage will be based in the greater Chicago area. We look forward to seeing more from Hungry in the future.
Opening the fridge, you're most proud of your collection of:
It's the time of year when just cooking someone a nice dinner isn't always enough. The people you love want to have things. They want to eat, too, but they'll never remember what you got them this year if they can eat it in one sitting.
The foodie quiz
Yesterday's New York Times featured an 
It's not often that you see Dr. Joyce Brother's 
The Irish agriculture minister, Mary Coughlan, 
Every foodie who likes to take a good picture needs to invest in one of these 
MSN has posted a list of the 
Now that we know all the foods we want to eat 
What Can I Get You Folks? - Server Revenge
Reality-Show Celebrities Serve Up Chef Curtis Stone's 'Hundred-Dollar Burger'
Foods Celebrity Chefs Hate
