Meeting people who enjoy food like you do
My family moves around quite a bit, and the majority of our ever fluctuating social circle is business colleagues. Interestingly, the pick of the draw here is that most of our friends seem to be pretty ambivalent about food. They eat, certainly, and seem to be happy when they've encountered something that tastes good. But, they don't enjoy it the way we do - they don't cook, they don't know the latest and greatest restaurants (or the hidden gems), they don't really know about food, and they don't go out of their way for it.
Whereas, I love to read this board, cooking magazines, browse cookbooks, try out new and far flung places, experiment in the kitchen ...
So this is a bit weird, but, how can I meet/find people who share my interest in all things food. Who will bring a homeade dish to a potluck instead of a box of cookies from the grocery or a bucket of chicken? Who will be as excited as me to try out the new bakery on the block or who actually know the difference between arugula and spinach.
-
Don't feel badly - I have the same problem. You might try looking up the net address of the city in which you reside and see what is available, clubs, events, etc. Also, check out the stores like Williams Sonoma - they offer cooking classes. Our mushroom society works out of our Botanical Gardens. We have mushroom plot in the gardens, and our pot-luck dinners are out of this world. Good luck.
-
Check out www.meetup.com to see what types of food-related social groups are in your area. Some regions have cooking groups.
-
Thanks for all the good ideas gang. I'll keep trying. In the meantime, I'm in Seattle (sort of). If you happen to be a foodie looking for another foodie, let me know :)
›4 Replies-
re: sasha1
Melanie Wong
May 7, 2007 12:43 PM
sasha, you might type your email address into one of the fields on "MyChow" so that like-minded folks in your area can contact you readily.
-
re: sasha1
chica
May 7, 2007 08:02 PM
sasha, I found a link for you for neighboring WA foodies: http://www.culinarycommunion.com/comm...
Cheers!
-
re: sasha1
Non Cognomina
May 8, 2007 05:27 PM
Sasha, in Seattle try hanging out at Sitka and Spruce. I hear it is a very foodie friendly place and a foodie friend of mine up there said he has made some good food friends there lately. It's a small place, maybe 30 seats,and they have a communal table which is always fun.
-
-
chica
May 5, 2007 07:49 PM
Many (larger) cities will have 'foodie' groups, like in LA, headed by chowhounds like you and me. Although some more formal groups, such as ones that cater to singles, require payments, these usually don't...people from all around the city just meet up at different restaurants, high and hole in the wall. Oftentimes, there are walking tours to boot! Try to Google it for your city.
-
mcel215
May 5, 2007 06:03 AM
I had been a member of the Food Network Message Boards, before they closed.
There were sub-boards, seperated by the Chef, ie, Ina Garten, Bobby Flay etc.
The Food Network shut down their Message Boards, but before they did, people made websites, dedicated to those who loved food, etc. About 3 years ago, a bunch of us who were from New England, and got together for lunch. Now, we get together about twice a year for lunch. Some of us meet more frequently, but there are about 12, when the whole gang meets. And the first time we met, we felt like we knew each other forever, because we have so much in common. -
HillJ
May 5, 2007 05:53 AM
Many grocery chains & dept. stores offer culinary classes. Dh and I belong to a dinner club and have met loads of people from all over our state that love to cook at home and try out restaurants. Heck, I met a gal at the produce section of Costco and she's making dinner for four couples (dh & I included) at the end of the month.
sasha, keep your proactive attitude and you'll find those food-folk (like us).
-
Non Cognomina
May 3, 2007 08:55 PM
Frequent a local farmers market. Get to know some of the more outgoing vendors. Many of them are aware of what is going on in the restaurant scene, and may sell directly to local chefs. If you go regularly and hand around long enough, you may find folks like yourself who search for the one peach in the whole bunch that is at the perfect ripeness to pick up and eat right then.
›2 Replies-
-
re: sasha1
Non Cognomina
May 4, 2007 04:24 PM
I lived in Baltimore for a few years and went to the farmers market every week (during the season) with a few kids. I met tons of other people with kids, and still keep in touch with two of them, even though I now live on the other side of the country. Part of it has to do with hanging out and engaging with vendors and others. This is something that I do purposefully, not something that "just happens."
-
-
-
-
Chinon00
May 2, 2007 04:47 PM
To meet people who share your tastes simply order a meal at the bar at a solid food oriented casual joint that you like. For me these days this is either at a tapas bar or a gastro-pub. The more casual the place the more friendly (and engaging) people tend to be.
›1 Reply-
re: aurora50
Sadly I no longer have my foodie friends now that I live far away from them.(although checking out the new restaurants whenever I go visit Santa barbara or LA is always fun).
I guess it's like making friends when you move to any new place -- if food is your passion, then it will be one of the things that gets you together with other people. I like the idea about cooking classes though!
-
-
-
Sam Fujisaka
May 2, 2007 03:29 PM
Most people are relatively ambivalent about food. Keep looking. You only need one or two people or families that share your food interests to make all the difference in the world. I live far from relatives, so don't have people who grew up like me foodwise. Am lucky to have a couple of friends--also work colleagues--with shared interests.
