8 Signs You’re A Food Nerd

From:  ZAGAT.COM

 

Fancy kitchen gear = a food nerd essential

To the everyday eater, the term food nerd might seem like an insult. Nope. True, this brand of avid diner may take their love of obscure ingredients a little too far (mmm – salsify) and overload on pictures at the dinner table (fact, you just can’t make headcheese look good), but food nerdiness is a badge of honor. These gastronomic geeks may be extreme, but their exacting standards raise quality across the boards.

 

Photo Mania

Because what fun is being a food nerd if you can’t document it for everyone to see (and by “everyone,” we mean your social media followers). Everyone we asked agreed that excessive photography is sign numero uno of nerdinesss. One reader said the title dictated that your friends should “know better than to start eating before you’ve Instagrammed it.” If you’ve lost all shame for setting off your flash at a crowded restaurant (and if you lose track of the conversation because you’re too busy checking how many people liked your update), you’re on the path to proper geekery.

Fancy Condiment Fanaticism

If you’re looking to identify a food nerd, take them to the condiments counter. Once they reach for sriracha, bingo – nerdiness confirmed. Regular ketchup and mustard just don’t cut it anymore – food nerds slather this spicy sweet Thai sauce on pretty much everything. If you use a non-Heinz ketchup or stone ground dijon, you may just be a geek deep down.

Meat Heritage Obsession

The more you want to know about the source of your meat, the more nerd you have lurking underneath. Pork? Boring. How about mangelista pig that was raised on a local farm and only fed acorns for the last two months that it was alive? True geeks will also have a deep appreciation for the custom meat blends in their burgers. For example, nerd-level carnivores know that the Black Label burger at New York’s Minetta Tavern wouldn’t be as tasty without just the right blend of skirt steak, brisket and New York strip in that patty.

You’re a Food Truck Follower

Food nerds know that food trucks rock – if you have had days when you score more than one meal from a mobile eatery, chances are you fall into this category. Another piece of evidence that your love of eating on the go may bring you into the geek category is your social feeds. If you use Twitter to stay on top of the trucks, and will up and run from wherever you are when you find out one is close to you, you might as well hashtag #FoodNerd when you at-reply them to say you’re coming.

Proper Gear

There’s two places to look when your snooping around someone’s pad trying to determine their food nerd cred: the kitchen counter and the bookshelf. In the kitchen, you have to look for tricked-out gear that you think seems like it would rarely have the occasion for use. The more expensive, the more devoted you are to geekery  An at-home sous-vide machine is the perfect example – shiny, not that functional and expensive. The bookshelf is similar – the heavier the instructional tomes, the better, with Nathan Myhrvold’s Modernist Cuisine being the food nerd’s ultimate bible.

You Have a Restaurant Bucket List

Hitting every new restaurant that’s worth going to is pretty much impossible, but that doesn’t mean you can’t try. Food nerds are passionate about going out, and they are always looking for new place to hit. Once a new hole-in-the-wall Thai joint or crazy-expensive fine-dining establishment is found, it goes on the list. The selection of potential restaurants is always getting updated, and by its ever-expanding nature it’s impossible to hit every one. When looking for a place to go on a random night, they will consult the list (and new friends with similar tastes will compare lists to make plans).

Those that take food geekery to the extreme will peruse their list, not find anything appealing and continue to look for new options elsewhere.

Cocktail Geekery

Whether you’re making basil gimlets at your home bar on a Monday evening or debating Campari vs. Aperol at a high-end lounge with a mustachioed bartender, a fine appreciation of cocktail culture is pretty much a sure sign of food nerd-ness. To be fair, cocktail geeks are not always food nerds – some liquid lovers don’t care about anything other than what’s in their glass. But, if you’re trying to elevate what’s in your glass to the level of a dish you’d order at your favorite restaurant – nerd alert!

Discretionary Income, and Then Some

If you’re still doubting your food-nerd status, look at your bank account. If you’ve paid rent a few days late because you wanted to splurge on that impossible-to-get reservation or if you’ve racked up the bills paying for ingredients like starfruit and saffron at Whole Foods, chances are that you’re laying out the dough to satisfy your inner geek. If you go to a restaurant and you think it’s no big deal to spend $4 extra for them to put fresh ramps on your salad, chances are your wallet will be bare, but your cupboards anything but. Food geekery is expensive – cha-ching!