About
Originally posted May 21, 2008, updated on April 21, 2009.
Credit: Rannie Turingan, http://www.photojunkie.ca/
Wikipedia says, “…foodies differ from gourmets in that gourmets are epicures of refined taste who may or may not be professionals in the food industry, whereas foodies are amateurs who simply love food for consumption, study, preparation, and news. Gourmets simply want to eat the best food, whereas foodies want to learn everything about food, both the best and the ordinary, and about the science, industry, and personalities surrounding food. For this reason, foodies are sometimes viewed as obsessively interested in all things culinary.” – Source.
This describes me, especially the first part.
“Canadianfoodiegirl” is the name I use at the Serious Eats website as a commenter.
“Andrea the Gastronaut” refers to a song from my childhood. I’m sort of glad “gastronaut.com” was taken because although I didn’t like the “girl” component to “canadianfoodiegirl” as a domain name at first, it quickly grew on me.
Who am I?
- Canadian, a foodie and a girl (just in case you didn’t get that).
- A long time blogger on a variety of topics.
- An advocate of healthy eating and healthy living, food ethics and food sustainability.
- A news and blog junkie.
- One who likes to cook, usually either improvising completely or using recipes as outlines from which I improvise.
- Other interests include IT, social media, environmental issues, natural health, fitness and marketing.
- Jewish, which is reflected in some of my posts.
Style of cooking, style of eating:
Freestyle! I’m Pescatarian, flexitarian, mostly vegetarian, all of the above. I don’t like labeling people. Everyone is welcome to be fluid, whatever keeps them happy and sane. In 2007 I read some books about the maltreatment of animals and decided that I was only going to eat meat that lead a happy life, free range, organic, etc. I didn’t feel the need to give up meat completely because it’s the circle of life, and humans are at the top of the food chain. We’ve always hunted and eaten meat.
I decided that I could give up eggs because I’ve never enjoyed them that much unless heavily flavoured or covered in hollandaise. As a kid I liked making them better than I liked eating them. Now when I buy eggs (for baking, mostly) I buy organic but I don’t worry about small amounts of egg in stuff I buy, because sometimes I just don’t want to be that obsessive, and sometimes I’m just hungry.
Until recently I lived near an organic butcher but in my process of gastronomic journey of self discovery (apologies for that cheesy cliche) I’ve stopped having meals of meat. I eat fish because I need the essential fatty acids. I eat smoked salmon because it’s damn good. Sometimes I’ll taste a small bit of meat if it’s a unique experience. For example, a delicacy in another culture or something unique at a food event.
I gave up drinking milk years ago but still love cheese. I eat it with a mild amount of guilt, knowing that it goes against all my reasons for not eating meat – that is, the treatment of animals and the idea that “You are what what you eat eats”, meaning antibiotics, steroids, etc.
It’s a process.
My interest in healthy eating etc. runs in the family
I grew up in a home with limited junk food. The only time my parents’ (well, mother) allowed us to eat sugar cereal was on vacations. I distinctly remember those tiny boxes that came in multi-cereal packs. They could be cut open with milk poured inside.
My mother has always been an advocate of healthy living. Her father was a doctor. Her first career was related to the medical field. She’s currently an Integrative Psychotherapist, Counselor and Wellness Coach. She’s a Certified Clinical Aromatherapist, among other things. Her website.
My mother’s sister, my aunt, is one of the foremost authors and speakers on the subject of integrative medicine in the U.S. She has incorporated nutrition and natural health techniques into her practice for more than 20 years. This is her.
Favourite cooking gadgets:
My microplane grater, bought for under $10, which I use mostly for ginger and cheese (better than my cheese grater) and sometimes for garlic. My Magic Bullet is pretty useful but I’ve replaced the blades numerous times. I love my toaster oven. My kitchen is small and I have little space but I dream of having an actual stand mixer and food processor and yearn for a Vita-Mix (update March 2010: I have a Vita-Mix).
Favourite cookbooks:
Not long ago I would have said, “Cookbooks? Why spend money on cookbooks when the internet is a huge resource for recipes?” Now I use a few, including Veganomicon.
