I have realised recently that there are two types of people in the food universe: the 'Foodie' and the 'Packet Person'.Each type has different priorities when it comes to eating and cooking: the Foodie likes to try new things, and they are usually inherently aware of what spice goes with what dish and what herb will enhance what flavor. A small majority of Foodies even go as far as boasting more competency in the kitchen than Mr Oliver himself and a better palette than the cravat wielding Matt Preston - more on that later.
On the other side of the bench, the Packet Person will usually stick to what they know in way of eating, will usually eat on the run (and even then sometimes very little), and is somewhat oblivious as to how an egg ends up scrambled.
For the purpose of not wanting to be physically hurt by those who know I may be talking about them, and to report fair and honest observations, I am basically going to sit on the fence with this one and not hint as to which person I am in the food universe...or think I am.
I know both of these types of food universe people and have observed the extremes of both; lets start with the Foodie.
Foodies tend to be decent cooks who can whip up something restaurant worthy with just a turnip and jar of cardamom. They have an eye for the best fresh veggies at the markets, and can tell you what star anise is. If you have Foodies as friends, I encourage you to encourage them to throw an extravagant dinner party immediately - it might be the best feed you will have for months (especially if you are a Packet Person, hence why they get on so well with Foodies).
However there is unfortunately the extreme Foodie that exists in the food universe - the Obnoxious Foodie. Not only is this sub type of Foodie a fabulous cook with great instincts in the kitchen, they are also a pain in the backside and forever exhausting to be around - they started using Spanish red wine vinegar because it was recommended in the glossys, and will precede to make the rest of us understand which grape they prefer their vinegar to come from and why. They pay in excess of $50 for a steak at Rockpool only to complain how overdone it was, and they are the type that watch some of the worlds most illustrious chefs on television commenting on what they would do differently to improve the dish they're making, while under their breath sighing "I could do SO much better". Exhausting no? I am sure the rest of the Foodies look upon their Obnoxious counterparts with a sigh and a shake of the head.
Now to the Packet Person, called so because of their self confessed ineptness in the kitchen and reliance on frozen meals and ready-made, ready-to-heat packaged goodies. They are not the adventurous type in the kitchen, nor do they care, as the Packet Person rarely has time to sit down and plan the next days' lunch, let alone a dinner party. You have to admire the carefree food life of the Packet Person - I personally think they know more about cooking then they let on!
A Packet Person will always have some sort of snack stashed in their bag - musli bar, hastily put together sandwiches - simply because they know one of the days' meals will not make it into their stomachs due to their running about like headless chooks. However, they always set aside time for posh nosh at a Foodie friends' dinner party or restaurant, and know a good meal when they taste it, they may have no idea what is in it, but they can appreciate good tasting food.
Alas, the Packet Person also has a sub type like their Foodie conterpart - the Clueless Packet Person. This extreme is the one who too vigorously tests avocados for ripeness in the wrong spot leaving them bruised and brown for the next person (although we should be impressed they are aware of their existence). They think it normal for apples to come in a cling-filmed packs of four, and buy pre-chopped fruit salad from Woolworths. To a Clueless, real cinnamon comes already ground in a small jar, as does real coffee, and bread comes in two forms - sliced and rolls.
Despite the difference between Foodies and Packet People, they are capable of being the best of friends - can you imagine the carnage of two Foodies getting together in the kitchen?
The partnership of Foodie/Packet Person can work out quite well (if only really for one of them). And they have a lot they can teach each other: the Packet Person teaching the Foodie how to relax, that a bowl for cereal for breakfast instead of a grand fry-up is not a bad thing; the Foodie teaching the Packet Person to cook for themselves so they don't starve on public holidays, be it even the simple scrambled egg.
Of course, there are many other sub types that exist, and I am grossly generalising here by simply splitting the people in the food universe into two categories. So if you can think of another type of person in this the food universe that I haven't identified, please fill me in!
Buon Appetitte.
