Are You a Foodie?

In the spirit of the recent food-filled Thanksgiving holiday here in the U.S., I’d like to raise a question:  have you ever known a Foodie?

According to Wikipedia, Foodies are a distinct hobbyist group whose “interests and activities include the food industry, wineries and wine tasting, breweries and beer sampling, food science, following restaurant openings and closings and occasionally reopenings, food distribution, food fads, health and nutrition, cooking classes, culinary tourism, and restaurant management.”

If you consider yourself an aficionado of food or drink and would like to join the ranks of Foodies worldwide, you are not alone.

The Web currently offers thousands of Foodie-related sites, forums and blogs to help individuals seeking to gain the status of “Foodie.”

For example, according to VeryGoodRecipes.com, there are more than 11,000 food blog sites available in English, and more than 180 food blogs are currently displayed on the world map of food blogs.  There’s even foodieregistry.com in the U.S., a wedding registry for restaurant gift certificates.

But, is being a Foodie all that it’s cracked up to be?

According to the Adventurous Tastes Atlanta-based blog, the hobby of Foodies can be considered competitive.   Also, be prepared as a Foodie to be labeled by some as an elitist.   If you need ammunition to make the point that Foodies are not elitists, you can reference this April 2011 Washington Post article.

With the Christmas season approaching here in the U.S., it’s great to know that many Foodies are also philanthropists, providing food to those less fortunate around the globe.  A great example is the Australian-based site, The Philanthropic Foodie.  You can follow them on Twitter at @FoodieOrgAu.

So, are you a Foodie?  If so, please let me know.  I’d love to know which are your favorite “Apps for Foodies” in the Apple App store.