Instead of a recipe this week, I want to take a moment and talk about being a foodie wherever you are, however you eat. Trust me when I say I speak from the heart on this one. I live in a food desert (defined by the USDA as more than 10 miles to the nearest supermarket with fresh food). I’m not alone. Sure, I’ve got green beans and peppers growing in my garden (as well as some experimental potatoes and tomatoes). I have chickens who lovingly “poop” out breakfast every morning. And I occasionally have roosters who end up in “freezer camp” where they often take a day trip to the crock pot. YUM!
But that being said, I consider myself a bit of a foodie even though my subscription to Food Network Magazine has lapsed and I can’t afford to renew it. I love watching the Food Network. I love seeing the spices they cook with, even if I can’t buy them in my local grocery store. The recipes, the presentation, it’s amazing, and I wish I could do that.
Those who can’t write, so I guess that’s why I like to bring my recipes, a bit of my homestead Ozark food to you.
It’s also easy to be shamed by a foodie culture. We now post pictures of our food on social media, or is that so lame now? Those who have certain food preferences, especially if they’re not medically required, will be happy, too happy really, to preach those to others. And as someone with a chronic illness, there are way too many people who are happy to tell me if I only ate the way they did then I’d be magically “cured”, as if my fibromyalgia were caused by gluten or soy or MSG or any host of chemicals that are in our food.
My message for you today is that if you want to be a foodie–be a foodie! Love the food you eat. Love preparing it. Love the beautifully presented plate. And even if you’re making art sculptures with your McDonald’s fries before eating them, if that’s what you’re doing–awesome!
Don’t feel bad about what you’re eating, or not eating. Instead, you be you in all the wonderful edible ways that you can. Deep down inside, I personally think the world would be a better place if we all stopped shaming ourselves for what we ate and instead simply celebrated it!
