When did you realize you were a foodie?

[Claire]

How did I miss this line (isn't there a way to see if you've already responded without going through all the posts?)? I think I've always loved food, exotic and otherwise. I had a sister who hated food, and went through a phase (maybe a month) where I competed with her for attention at the table, but in reality, I've always loved to eat and try different dishes. My parents took us to restaurants from an early age, and sometimes Daddy would order by just pointing at the menu, having no idea what he was ordering. Because of my background, my mom's freinds and my freinds' mothers were often "war brides" -- German, Japanese, Korean, French -- so I grew up with a huge exposure to unusual foods -- be it sukiyaki or rabbit in red wine or snitzels. I liked it all from day one. Or at least liked trying it, even if I didn't like it (I didn't like fish/shellfish as a child, but remember I grew up in almost landlocked areas and much of it was pretty bad in those days). I liked cooking almost from the day I was tall enough to reach the stove. Actually before. Mom always had a big electric skillet, and would put it on the table so I could cook, too!!

[pdswife]

I've always loved to eat.
But, I think I realized that I was a "foodie" when
Paul and I started going out to dinner and I started
thinking that I could make a lot of the dishes "better" in some
way. That was only a few years ago. :D

[lindatooo]

As a child I gave my parents fits trying to get me to eat....hated milk...I'd sneak a cube of butter off the dinner table, though, and eat the whole thing!

When I was 12 I baked up a can of those refrigerated cinnamon rolls (the kind in a tube that sort of explode when you smack them on the counter) and my Dad ate every single one with this huge grin on his face! I was hooked on cooking!

He was Italian and everyone adored his lasagne, rissotto, and meat sauce. I remember him "tinting" the pasta with sauce. Watching him turn polenta out of the pan onto a white towel was absolute magic to me!

Mom didn't cook much - stews mostly - but she was a jealous woman.

When I was about 16 I baked my first pie from scratch, it was peach, double crust and it turned out beautifully! I was so proud! I ran next door to tell my neighbor about it - when I returned the pie was gone. Dad said he'd given it to a friend of his who'd come to visit - but I found the pie in the garbage where Mom had put it because she found some crumbs on the counter after I'd cleaned up.

Didn't cook in their kitchen again after that - but retained my love of cooking and when I moved out I taught my roomate how to cook. She and I are still fast friends over 30 years later and she still credits/blames me for her cooking!

I'm blessed with a dh who loves to eat and spoils me shamelessly with gadgets and praise - what is dearer to the cook's heart than a grateful someone on whom to practice?

[Paint]

My Dad was a sound recording engineer, so we were always getting invited out to clubs, dinners, cocktail parties etc., by the various 'pop stars' he recorded, so I was eating pretty 'posh' food at a very early age (which was probably a good thing, because my Mum couldn't cook at all and I would have probably starved otherwise LOL!). So...I think I became a foodie at about age 3. I can remember my husband being amazed when we first started dating, because I would confidently go into a fancy restaurant and not only know what all the menu items were, but how to pronounce them too

Paint.

[Pam Leavy]

Lindatoo, That is a horrible story! Why did your dad cover for her?

As for being a foodie, My mom loved cooking and experimenting. For me it is nothing unusual.

A funny thing happened a few years ago. My husband worked for a company that had had a good year, so we were invited to a really luxurious Christmas dinner. It was at a hotel in the middle of the country, beautiful dining room. It was a set menu as it often is for a large group. What made it so unusual for me was that I had to explain to the people at my table what they were eating. They did not know.

That's when I realized my knowledge of food was above average. (At least for this group of Dutch people)

What makes this foodie thing so exciting is that I am still learning every day. I never knew what harissa was until a few days ago. Now I am seeing it everywhere.

That is why I love this forum. So much to learn, so much to cook, so little time.

Pam

[mish]

Hmmm.

Not really sure what a foodie is...but, cooking is a creative process that inspires me.

Used to do lots of sewing. The "rush" was making somethin' outta nothin'. Buying a few yards of fabric, cutting out a pattern, stitching it all together, & voila a new creation. For a while wanted to be a fashion designer & go into the couterier (sp?) world. Made & sold lots of fashions of my own. Also enjoyed decorating.

I look at recipes in the same way. Get a bunch of ingredients together - & poof I've got a souffle. More a feeling of accomplishment...not so much as the eating part, but the creating part.

[Bangbang]

I was thinkin alot about this and realized that Grahm Kerr the Galloping Gourmet inspired me. I was laid up with a crushed leg in the early sixties and thats when I started cookin stuff besides canned,and packaged foods.

[Paint]

OMG - I remember the 'Galloping Gourmet' too!!! I must have been only a child though LOL!

Paint.

[Pam Leavy]

I loved the Galloping Gourmet! But it is thanks to Floyd that I always have a glass of wine sitting on the cuunter when cooking.

Pam

[Ishbel]

My father was an officer in the British Army and we travelled and lived in various places around the globe - which I continued to do after I married.. Singapore, Hong Kong, Greece - then the middle-east and a couple of places in mainland Europe with my husband.

Soooo, trying different foods was necessary (or we didn't eat!) from an early age. I loved Chinese style food, and the spice that the Singaporeans add to some blander Chinese-style dishes...

My mother and grandmothers (on both sides) were excellent home cooks - especially my Dad's mum for baking... I loved to be in her house in the winter on a cold,wet Saturday afternoon - she would suggest baking a cake or biscuits (cookies)... sheer bliss!

Mind you, I've never wanted to cook for a living - although I did assist a friend who ran a gourmet home catering business - but it all became a bit too much when the responsibilities of my job got more and more intense!