Thoughts on eating

Doing the research and homework for my upcoming website (which I intend having up and running next week, in some form!) has lead me into many unexpected corners, unearthing some really interesting facts and knowledge, and gossip.

But the main thing it has highlighted for me is that there is this huge undercurrent amongst all people who have an underlying interest in, and passion for, food. Once started on their subject of choice (food and its associated products), you'll have a nearly impossible time stopping them!

And that's fabulous! It's like my lunch with Gobbler. We sat down to have a chat over lunch - and hey presto! Where the hell did that 5 hours go? We now speak regularly on the phone, prefacing the conversation with "Just a quick question...." Ten or twenty minutes later we have to hang up each other to get on with life. Food and eating cover such a range of subjects that if you are the slightest bit concerned or interested, once started, you're off! You've got your own individual 'take' on it, and you just can't shut up!

Hence these blogsites and their commenters. I suspected I might get fed up with blogging after a while, and run out of subject matter for the content of this blogsite. Nope! I see and hear things daily which I think would make a great topic for discussion here.

And the scary thing is that I'm SO not alone in this! People you come across every day you'll suddenly find are quite vocal and firm about their food likes and dislikes.

At my dentists the other day, discussing when to book me in for the dreaded wisdom tooth extraction, she kindly said she'd do it on 3rd Jan so I could enjoy my Christmas feasting, which lead to general food chat, then her providing me with her listing of favourite Hobart restaurants (starting with Marque IV!) and why. Whereas previously we have had absolutely no exchange of words other than the odd grunt (from me!) in response to her questions posed to me while my mouth was full of assorted metalware, drills and the like, we were off and running in our food chat! I apologise to the next patient who I passed on my way out, sitting nervously in the next room waiting in trepidation!

I know you all will know exactly what I'm talking about here. It's a very level playing field out there when it comes to food and the trappings. Let no one tell you any different. If you care, then you're as knowledgeable as anyone else on the subject. Because it involves your own palate and what you like to eat, and the best method to get it into you.

Just because I might publish a best selling cookbook or two, or write on a food blog or endorse many food products doesn't mean I can claim the crown as world authority on YOUR tummy and enjoyment levels of what goes into it. I might provide you with some suggestions, but ultimately we are all responsible for our own eating and survival each day. The standard at which we're prepared to do this is what concerns us 'foodies' (for want of a better descriptor).

So - eaters of the world unite! Live well, eat well, eat regionally, eat healthily, but whatever - enjoy it!