Why Everyone Should be a Foodie

Everyone should be a foodie. Food is a way to connect to people, a way to relate to people you otherwise wouldn’t interact with. Food, and an enjoyment of it, is one of the few universal things. Food allows you to understand the essence of a culture, a community, or a family. Food has drawn people together throughout the centuries and continues to do so in our ever-shrinking world. Being a foodie allows you to connect to a vast array of people who share the same passion as you and are always willing to try new things.

Being a foodie is much more than simply enjoying food; it is having culinary knowledge, a respect for the cultures from which cooking techniques and foods originate, and a desire to add more dishes to your repertoire. Being a foodie allows you to understand what exactly is in your food, where different ingredients come from, and how you can improve your diet without jumping from one ineffective fad diet to the next. Along with a love for food comes a care and respect for the people who both produce the final dish and those who source it. If you’re not yet a foodie, don’t worry, it is a skill that can be cultivated anytime throughout your life, and it all starts with one thing: passion.

My family never cared too much about food when I was a kid. I was equally happy whether I was eating Oscar Mayer hotdogs with mac and cheese or freshly made bolognaise. My mom and dad both cooked equally, with my dad preferring to manage breakfast and my mom making dinners. At the time I had no interest in trying my hand at cooking, sure I had occasionally helped my grandparents bake cookies but I didn’t think I needed to learn about something that was done for me. Little did I know how much I’d need cooking skills in the following years. My parents divorced and, suddenly, several meals a day came from our microwave. It was at this time I began noticing that there were people on television whose entire lives seemed to revolve around food.

Gordon Ramsay, Guy Fieri, Bobby Flay, Sam Zien – these were just a few of the many people who revealed to me how diverse the culinary world actually is. I began to pay closer attention to these individuals. They seemed so invested, so passionate, about the food they produced and consumed. I thought “if they can do it, why can’t I?” I consumed more and more culinary media, especially those focused on foreign and exotic dishes. I now had an interest but no means to pursue it on my own. So, like most kids who want something, I asked my parents for stuff to cook. Starting small - with things like pizza rolls, chicken nuggets, and tater tots – I demonstrated that I could follow simple directions and, after asking for weeks to cook real food, my dad finally gave in.

Blue Apron, a meal kit service, was gaining popularity at the same time I began cooking. My dad figure it would be a hassle-free way to support my interest in cooking and test whether or not I was actually invested in learning how to cook. Twice a week, I would get the opportunity to cook real, varied, healthy, and delicious food. I got to make everything from Spanish empanadas to Korean pork with rice cakes and I was happy. Cooking felt like engineering. Each ingredient was carefully combined or changed in whatever way was necessary to bring about a cohesive, flavorful dish and I was always proud of what I made. Still, I wanted more. Blue Apron, although incredibly fun, didn’t give me the freedom to learn new techniques, choose my own menu, and make dishes truly from scratch. Because of this desire for more complexity and knowledge, I took culinary classes both in and out of school, learned under strict and encouraging cooks, made friends who share my passion, went to new and ethnic restaurants, and watched hundreds of YouTube videos. Through this, I realized what is possibly the most important component to a lasting passion for food: encouragement and support from those around me.

If there is one thing I have learned about food, it is that food is always best when shared. Whether you are a cook or just there to indulge, having people who you can share your experiences with is wonderful and undoubtedly the best part of being a foodie.