trash talking

Oh, opinion columnists, always aiming to stir up dissent. Are they really as opinionated and awful in real life? I was reading the new on-line mag - thepunch.com.au and my eye was drawn to 11 Ways to Spot A Food Tosser. Of course, as a self-proclaimed foodie - I had to check it out, to make sure I wasn't one. Now I wish I hadn't. See, the problem is that this bloke seems to have mixed up Foodies and Food Wankers.

I tick a few of those 11 boxes. I have an espresso machine taking up space on the bench top - but it's a cheaper Sunbeam number that replaced our expensive Saeco {makes better coffee too btw}. And there's nothing I love more than a Farmer's Market. I barely manage to make it there each week, but damn it - the Saltbush Lamb is better than the lamb from the butcher. And yes, I ask for the Bangalow Pork at my butcher because it DOES taste better than generic pork. I don't have a problem with supporting local farmers who are trying to create a top-notch product by researching and treating their stock well. Seriously, does this make me a food wanker?

I'll also put up my hand to buying French sparkling wine over the Aussie stuff - because it tastes better. Yes, there are Aussie winemakers who make a nice bottle, but if I'm comparing a $30 bottle of Chandon to an $11 bottle of Veuve Amiot, my budget's going to go for the French version. However, in Summer, when it comes to whites, I'm supporting my home-grown Hunter Semillion - it's divine.

I spend ages on food blogs, generally the tv is tuned to Lifestyle Food and have a snobbish aversion to the program 4 Ingredients that's never going to be quelled. And I'm not going to apologise for it. So yeah, I'm a foodie - and what's he going to do about it?

What irked me most about this guy is that he's a food and wine writer, and who do you reckon keep him in business by reading his columns? Yep, that'd be the foodies...