Of Gourmands, foodies, and gastronomes

Once upon a time, I was the only one at any given table whipping out a camera to document my meal. At least one family member would pre-emptively wave an arm out at anyone who would try to eat before my customary food picture was snapped. Allow me to try and give you, dear reader of today, a little perspective. This was in the early 90's, so there were not yet cell phones, iPhones, or digital cameras (well, there were, but they were incredibly expensive and I was just a kid, and the quality was terrible). I used a film camera. It was a great Olympus point and shoot that came in gold. That means I was the one weirdo spending film on food pictures and not getting paid for say, Bon Appetite magazine or the like. My friends viewed this as a quirk of mine, and I learned to embrace my "inner weirdo" of photographing my food. It's interesting how times have changed and now it's rarer for someone to eat their food without first taking a picture.

At one embarrassing point in my life, I was a picky eater of the worst kind. I wouldn't eat things that were "weird." I hated onions. I hated carrots. Definitely hated peas. Teenage me sucked at life, even though my parents and grandparents were fantastic. They introduced me to various types of food and tried to instill in me the qualities that would make me who I am today. They tried to teach me the importance of the simple meals done perfectly and how to enjoy the good things in life. At the time though, that surly teenage me would refused to even eat mackerel at a Korean restaurant because it "smelled." My tantrum was so intense I went back to the car and refused to come out until a bulgogi of my own was ordered. Mackerel is now one of my favorite fish to eat. Yay for growing up!

Why gastronome?

I am often called a foodie. When I'm not called a foodie, I'm called picky or stuck up. Personally, I don't feel that the term "foodie" fits me. The definition below is why I choose to refer to myself as a gastronome. I am often asked about food, particular foods, and places to get certain foods. I hope that this blog will answer those questions, and perhaps expand your culinary tastes as mine have throughout the years because contrary to what Roger said to Monica (on Friends, Ep 1.13 The One with the Boobies), food is love.

"Of Gastronomes and Guides" Carol Korsmeyer (ed.), The Taste Culture Reader: Experiencing Food and Drink (Oxford: Berg, 2005), pp. 267.