What type of foodie are you ?

Gourmet traveller has a competition at the moment based around a quiz to determine what type of foodie are you? are you a food tragic?. 

There is two things that worry me about the quiz.

Firstly, if you were a food tragic, wouldn't the prize of a Kitchenaid stand mixer be redundant as you already had one and are now contemplating upgrading to the Thermomix!

Secondly, where do I come out on the scale of foodism according to Gourmet traveller? I actually only managed a B rating of chronic foodism (second lowest rating) which is impressive given my life which is certainly food orientated. In fact, I'm probably aspiring to their 'D' rating but the survey hadn't actually catered for my obsession level.

My friends and family would rate me at the 'D' level and let me explain why. 

While I spend my workweek doing a very non-food orientated job as an accounting manager for a global mining company, this is just a cover for my other life. My work colleagues encourage some of the foodie practices and prefer a home baked morning tea to externally catered one. I am sought out for restaurant recommendations for many and regularly get a call from the GM's PA asking for a spot to send him with visiting executives.

I am in my final year of a Master of Arts in Gastronomy through the University of Adelaide and will commence my dissertation very shortly. While most people still think that I'm studying to become a chef, I have a great bunch of friends who have indulged my study and participated in many aspects such as restaurant review assignments, recipe comparisons, studies of sparkling wine and gastronomic tourism trails. Further through my studies, I have met other students who have broadened my outlook and joined me on this journey.

Last year, I managed 3 short breaks from work and all were food orientated.

1. Barossa for the Vintage festival where we drank (and ate) our way around the Barossa. 
2. Melbourne for the Taste festival in Melbourne where I managed to convince a friend to give yourself weekend off by being Mum to spend Friday at the festival before then shopping and dining our way around Melbourne.  
3. Adelaide in November: this time for my university residential and the Australian symposium of gastronomy. I had to study very hard - whether it be visiting artisan cheese makers, native food producers, eating superb food with like-minded foodies (and some of the who's who of Australian gastronomy) and listening to interesting food studies and pondering what my thesis topic should be?

I had a semi momentous birthday this year where the vast majority of gifts received were gastronomic in nature. Copies of Julia Child's Mastering the art of French cooking, Larousse Gastronomique and the gourmet in addition to several cookbooks and one cooking class gift voucher. Some people purposely avoided foodie gifts for me and told me so as if it was almost an intervention!

My beloved friends and family do enjoy the spoils of my interests. Their Christmas gifts this year varied from hampers including rocky road, biscotti, gingerbread, granola and fortified salts (all home made) to recipe journals pre-populated with some of my favourite recipes. Christmas and New Years saw me cater with terrines, porchetta and sorbets as I challenged myself to move outside my cooking comfort zone.

So I think it is fair to say that I'm a food tragic but this surveys shows that we come in various shapes and sizes. For me, food is a way to enjoy life with friends and family and I get a great kick out of the sourcing, preparation and sharing of food. While others (and maybe the type catered for in the GT survey) are obsessed with the status through food: they have to eat at the right restaurants, shop at certain shops and unless a place is recommended by a notable source why go there? Each to their own. 

Take the test yourself here. http://www.gourmettraveller.com.au/are-you-a-food-tragic-2010.htm.