Foodie

I love to eat.  And I am a self-proclaimed foodie.  I think about food all the time.  I love to cook and I love to eat out--both.  And while eating one meal I am usually thinking about the next.  What will it be, how will I cook it, or where will I eat it?  These are the things I think about when it comes to food--which it often does.  I even enjoy grocery shopping--which most of my friends do not.  I love walking down the aisles looking for unusual spices or seasonings.  The more exotic and international the store the better.

I also collect cookbooks and kitchen appliances.  It's a sickness for sure.  However, it's one that I prefer to call a hobby.  By calling it a hobby it hides the truth that I'm just plain nuts.  Maybe I was supposed to be a chef who missed their calling--I love to cook that much!  I love entertaining, having people over and cooking great big meals.  But, at the same time, I love going out and being waited on by others for a change of pace.  I sit there perusing the menu trying to decide which culinary delight will wow me the most.  And believe me, I am one picky diner.

Eating out can be a little more difficult for me now.  I have become addicted to all things Gordon Ramsey-I watch all and I do mean all of his cooking/traveling shows.  Even those on BBC.  I have my DVR ready to record all things, Gordon.  I love the way he can walk into a restaurant and immediately figure out what is wrong with it--from a dirty kitchen to poor food quality to an inferior staff--he can whip that place into shape in no time.  However, his attitude has infiltrated the way I view things--I now enter a restaurant and I see it through his eyes.  My critiquing brain goes into high gear and in my kooky little mind, I become a super chef!  Everything needs to be perfect and taste delicious.  Or forget about it, I'm ready to move on to another great restaurant.

As far as appliances go--I pretty much have them all, from a huge electric crepe maker to a pasta maker to a panini maker to a semi-commercial espresso maker and now I've recently acquired a toaster/convection oven.  This was quite a topic of conversation in my home.  My husband was set against it.  He didn't want one because in his opinion only old people had them.  However, my birthday was coming up and that's what I asked for so that's what he bought me.  And even though he has nicknamed it my Easy Bake Oven, I am still one happy camper and have been cooking away.  And yes, I've also bought a couple of cute little cookbooks.  I'm having fun with it.  And for a cook--that's what matters most.

Having fun, eating, enjoying life, friends, and family--they all seem to go together.  Maybe it's the feeling of creating something that's all mine--no one else can recreate the exact same dish--not even me.  It's all about the thrill of having something turn out wonderful.  I think cooking goes hand in hand with those homey smells, the sound of friends laughing, the beautifully set table--it brings all the senses together.  That's what food does.  And that's why I'm a foodie.