What Is A Foodie? Translating The Current Food And Cooking Buzz Into Action

First - a pet-peeve of mine by way of an example.  I recently stumbled across a picture of a cake on Facebook that looked absolutely delicious.  So, I clicked and clicked again (you know how social media makes you "unpeel" it's layers like an onion) to finally get to the recipe.  And then - in an instant, I was no longer interested.  You see, the cake looked wonderful and the description sounded great - but the initial part of the recipe called for a brownie box mix in addition to 10 or 12 other ingredients. Unfortunately, the recipe lost me at "box mix".

Not to sound snobbish - and really - I'm not, but what kind of a recipe calls for a "box mix"?  While I recognize the convenience of them, I don't bake that way and therefore will never make this recipe.  In my mind the whole point of a recipe is to cook or bake without needing a prepackaged mix.   I don't consider myself a "food snob" - but - when I related this story to my co-workers, that's what they called me.

I believe that too many people dismiss their cooking skills thinking that they couldn't possibly create a finished product without using a mix or box of some kind.

So when I recently read this blog about "foodies" and its conversation about what that term really means, I knew that I had to share it.  In some ways the very people who call themselves "foodies" and spend thousands of dollars on chef-endorsed products and watch every cooking show on television are guilty of buying into a lifestyle that they truly don't understand;  They like the "idea" of cooking - but don't take the time to put the skills they learn into action.

Here's where I'm coming from:  Everyone can cook or bake, but a lot of people believe that they can't.  So, they turn to prepackaged boxes and mixes in lieu of just using their own skills and ingredients.  After all what's more satisfying:  Combining flour, sugar, eggs, etc. into a finished product that will taste better and you can take pride in - or - dumping a mix out of a box that will end up tasting like the cardboard it came in?