20 Quick Tips To Fake Being A Foodie
The scene is starting to feel familiar. You're eating a dessert out of a mason jar and you have spent the last 15 minutes listening to a conversation about the merits of mezcal in cocktails. "I just really can't stand the taste. Put a drink in front of me and I can definitely tell you if it has it in it or not," you overhear, and you internally swear for not having a good comeback.
A comeback that was just a little more... in-the-know.
Really, you just want to throw your cucumber- and ginger-infused cocktail in that person's face, but then again, the meal was good, and if you play your cards right, you can probably get someone else to pay for it. Wait for it..."I just love treating my friends to good food," says another tablemate. You're finally in the clear.
As much as you cringe at the word "foodie" — and don't we all? — there are moments where it's worth pretending you're one: getting your meal paid for, scoring a date with someone who knows how to cook well, getting directions to a new restaurant scribbled on a napkin, finding someone to solve your dilemma of what to make with your leftover greens.
—Anna Brones, EcoSalon
1. Class Up Your Water
Serve your water in a pitcher and put something in it. Cucumber, apple, blackberries, raspberries, vanilla beans; anything that will add a touch of flavor and show that you're someone who can make even a glass of water taste unique.
2. Put Almond Meal in a Cake
Start easy and just replace a quarter of a cup or so. When you say "[insert name of cake] Almond Cake" it just sounds more intriguing.
3. Use a Formula
When you get invited to a dinner party and your friends are brainstorming what to make, pick a savory ingredient, like an herb or a cured meat — and a sweet ingredient like fruit — and then nonchalantly suggest putting them together. "Hmm...I don't know...what about something with sage and blood oranges?"
4. Don't Wrap Things in Bacon
So cliché. Unless of course it's artisan. Otherwise opt for prosciutto.
5. Employ Key Expressions
Start with our vocabulary list and pick up lines, then make sure you say "locavore," "artisan," and some obscure French ingredient in every single food-related conversation you have and you will be good to go.
6. Befriend a Farmer
When you actually know the name of the guy you bought your eggs from, you will immediately one-up all your food-loving friends, no matter how many restaurants with "&" in the name they have been to lately.
7. Turn Into Food Paparazzi
Forget the ideal lighting, whip out that phone and start Instagramming your food porn. Don't forget to hashtag your ingredients.
8. Add a Spice
Whatever you were planning on making for dinner, throw in some cardamom, fennel, anise, or caraway. Then tweet about it.
9. Eat Kale Chips at Least Once
They're easy to make and the fact that you haven't had them yet really is just unacceptable.
10. Stay Current
Keep up to date on the current food trends and news, and find a few that you hate, then pepper your conversation accordingly. Examples: bacon sundaes, cinnamon challenge, and bone luging.
Click here to get more quick "foodie" fixes.
More From EcoSalon:
• 10 Types of Foodies and What To Do With Them