Foodie

So one of the things that I really enjoy on God's green earth is food, but not just food, foodie food. So what exactly is a foodie? That is what I will address here and now.

A foodie by Wikipedia definition is one who seeks new food experiences as a hobby rather than simply eating out for convenience or hunger. While gourmet and epicure can be used as synonyms they have fallen out of favor and bring to mind a stodgy or snobbish attitude.

Urban dictionary would say a foodie is a person that spends a keen amount of attention and energy on knowing the ingredients of food, the proper preparation of food, and finds great enjoyment in top-notch ingredients and exemplary preparation. A foodie is not necessarily a food snob, only enjoying delicacies and/or food items difficult to obtain and/or expensive foods; though, that is a variety of foodie.

Foodies are a distinct hobbyist group. Typical foodie interests and activities include the food industry, wineries and wine tasting, breweries and beer sampling, food science, following restaurant openings and closings and occasionally re-openings, food distribution, food fads, health and nutrition, cooking classes, culinary tourism, and restaurant management. A foodie might develop a particular interest in a specific item, such as the best egg cream or burrito. Many publications have food columns that cater to foodies and many of the websites carrying the name foodie have become popular amongst the foodies.

Check out this Foodie's blog or look below at five ways for foodies to experience Columbia, SC:

Doc's Barbeque & Southern Buffet

Try the BBQ
Serving up pulled pork drizzled in the region's unique mustard-base sauce, you won't get bored sampling the delicious offerings our barbecue restaurants have to offer. With places peppered throughout the region, like Doc's Barbecue & Southern Buffet, Little Pigs, Hite's Bar-B-Que House and Hudson's Smokehouse and Saloon, it will be difficult to pick just one place to try.

DiPrato's Monday Special: Bacon & Pimento Cheese Burger

Grab a Burger -- Not Your Classic Burger
Columbia, SC is home to juicy burgers that have a Southern twist, like the pimento cheese burger. As best culinary experts can tell, the proper pimento cheese burger originated in Columbia, SC -- and since then, burger joints like Pawleys Front Porch (featured on the Food Network), Burger Tavern 77 and Rockaway Athletic Club, have perfected it. Restaurants like The Whig and DiPrato's Delicatessen are also known for their juicy burgers topped with anything from pimento cheese, fried eggs and jalapeño bacon to onion rings or fried green tomatoes.

Jambalaya stuffed chicken wings from 2 Fat 2 Fly

Track Down a Food Truck
Some of the region's best food can be found on wheels. Dotted throughout the Columbia area and keeping their diners up-to-date on their locations via Facebook and Twitter, Columbia's food trucks, like Pawleys Mobile Eats, Bone-In Artisan Barbecue on Wheels and 2 Fat 2 Fly Stuffed Chicken Wings, won't be difficult to find.

Thirsty Fellow French Toast 

Brunch It

Brunch is a definite must-do here, especially on weekends, with Southern staples like shrimp & grits, banana pecan pancakes, omelets, french toast, salmon or crab cakes, breakfast burritos and more. Restaurants like Café Strudel, Crepes and Croissants or The Gourmet Shop offer brunch in true culinary style all week. Other spots, like Thirsty Fellow, Cafe Caturra, Soda City Market, @116 Espresso and Wine Bar, Blue Marlin Steaks & Seafood serve up brunch on weekends.

Interactive cooking class with Charleston Cooks! in Cross Hill Market

Take a Cooking Class
Sampling everything the region has to offer is great, but learning to make them is even better. Visit Charleston Cooks!, 701 Whaley, University of South Carolina's McCutchen House or Let's Cook Culinary Studio and unleash your inner chef all the while learning how to whip up some adventurous and oh-so-tasty delights.

Personality Page

     In taking the Myers-Briggs test, I was identified as an ESTP. I am posting the personality profile for you to judge how good of a fit this is for me and would encourage you to figure out what your personality is as it was a great benefit to myself, identifying some of my quirks that I didn't quite have my finger on.

  "To love means to open ourselves to the negative as well as the positive - to grief, sorrow, and disappointment as well as to joy, fulfillment, and an intensity of consciousness we did not know was possible before." - Rollo May

     

     ESTPs are gregarious and fun-loving individuals who want to make the most of every moment. They love action, and always seem to be doing something. This enthusiasm is carried over to their personal relationships, which they approach with the desire to make the most of their relationships on a daily basis. They tend to get bored easily, and may be prone to switching relationships frequently unless they find an outlet for their boredom elsewhere. They approach life on a day-by-day basis, so long-term commitments are not naturally comfortable for the ESTP. They may feel tremendously committed, but they want to take their commitments day by day.

Strengths

• Can be quite charming
• Witty, clever, and popular
• Earthy and sensual
• Not personally threatened by conflict or criticism
• Excellent and clear-headed dealing with emergencies
• Enthusiastic and fun-loving
• Try to make everything enjoyable
• As "big kids" themselves, they're eager, willing and able to spend time with their kids
• Likely to enjoy lavishing their loved ones with big gifts (both a strength and a weakness)

Weaknesses

• Not naturally in tune with what others are feeling
• Not naturally good at expressing feelings and emotions
• May inadvertently hurt others with insensitive language
• May be very good with money, but highly risky with it
• Living in the present, they're not usually good long-range planners
• May fall into the habit of ignoring conflict, rather than solving it
• Don't naturally make lifelong commitments - they take things one day at a time
• Prone to get bored easily
• More likely than other type to leave relationships quickly when they get bored
• Likely to enjoy lavishing their loved ones with big gifts (both a strength and a weakness)  

Typical Distribution in a Classroom of 100

Loving 

     ESTPs are enthusiastic and friendly people who approach everything in a Big way. They can be extremely charming, especially in the beginning of a relationship. They're also quite generous, and known for "sweeping their partners off their feet". They're very sensual and earthy, and are usually live fast-paced lives where their focus is on the present moment. They bring a lot of fun and energy into their personal relationships.
     Commitment is not a strong point for the ESTP. Living almost entirely in the present moment, they're not comfortable with making plans far in advance for their future. If this tendency is not addressed in the ESTP, they may fall into a pattern of jumping from relationship to relationship without ever making a real commitment. If this is okay with the ESTP, then that behavior is fine. Most people at some point in their lives do wish to settle down. If the ESTP reaches that point, there's no reason they can't make a commitment as long as they consciously renew it to themselves daily.
     Sexually, the ESTP approaches intimacy as a tangible, fun way to make the most of the relationship in the present moment. They're keenly aware of their senses, and so are very sensual and earthy lovers. They are likely to view intimacy from a lighter, physical perspective rather than as an opportunity for expressing a lot of verbal affection and affirmation. If partnered with someone who has the Feeling preference, they should consciously make the effort to sometimes verbally express affection during intimacy.
     ESTP's are not naturally in tune with what others are feeling, and may lack in the areas of giving affirmation, gratitude, and support to their partners. They tend to believe that actions speak louder than words, and so don't understand the need to say things which should be obvious. Types with the Feeling preference require positive feedback in a way that ESTPs don't. The best gift that the ESTP partner can give to their Feeling mate is often the expression of their love.
     Although two well-developed individuals of any type can enjoy a healthy relationship, ESTP's natural partner is the ISFJ, or the ISTJ. ESTP's dominant function of Extraverted Sensing is best matched with a personality type that is dominated by Introverted Sensing. 

Parenting

     There is a little bit of kid in every grown-up ESTP, so they're likely to really enjoy spending time "playing" with their children. The ESTP's goal with regards to parenthood is usually not structured or organized. They tend to take things as they come, and teach their kids what seems appropriate when situations occur. The ESTP is enthusiastic about both teaching their children and learning from them. They're likely to value their kids as individuals, and allow them to have their own voices in the family unit.
     The ESTP doesn't believe that they have all the answers. They believe that many things in life have no obvious answer. They tend to be very down to earth individuals who do not believe that they're better than others, or that they have some great voice of authority within them. Therefore, they're likely to be their children's friend and companion more than a disciplinary guide. However, the ESTP will not have a problem with issuing punishment and discipline when necessary. But, the ESTP has such easy-going ways that they're not likely to see the need for discipline as frequently as some other types do. This may be a point of contention between the ESTP and their mate.
     Highly practical and quick-acting, the ESTP is excellent to have around in an emergency. They're tuned in to everyday needs, and are likely to be good providers of practical care. They will not be overly expressive of their feelings for their children, and may be gruff and unnatural when expressing love.
     In general, ESTPs are enthusiastic parents who usually form strong bonds of friendship with their offspring. 

Friendship

     ESTPs are very good with people. They have excellent skills of observation, and know how to act appropriately with all types of people. Consequently, the ESTP can get along with just about any personality type.
     The ESTP is not likely to choose to be around all of the personality types. They have little patience for intuitive thinking types, who seem very abstract and theoretical to the ESTP, who values action. The ESTP is likely to choose to be around people who have similar interests to their own - such as sports-oriented interests. They will probably spend time with their friends doing things, rather than just sitting around hanging out.
      The ESTP is usually quite popular, because they're enthusiastic, fast-paced, friendly, talkative, and know how to have a good time. Some ESTPs tend to "move on" quickly in life, and don't form very long friendships. Many ESTPs have lifelong friends, because although they take life day by day, they feel tremendous loyal and "brotherhood" towards their peers. They're highly valued by their friends for their fun-loving natures and loyalty.

 Honestly I feel like this write up is a 98-99% accurate description of my personality.