What defines a foodie?

A simple enough question, don't you think?
Well, Susan, over at Farmgirl Fare has asked this question on several occasions. She has received many good responses, including mine this time.

I have never really given it much thought until recently. Food defines our life around here now. Every aspect of this journey called life is consumed with food. I never thought life would be like this. Cooking meals, shopping, travelling, cross-contamination, edibleness, (is that a word?) and on the list goes.

So here's my question...would I be considered a foodie? I didn't choose this food thing by choice. I chose it for my son. I do seem to have some of the foodie traits, but a little bit different than most food blogs. So, I thought I'd do a different twist to the foodie part. I just don't know what I would name this little meme. If anyone has any thoughts, feel free!!

Defining my foodieness in 10 or less...

1. I always have an Epi-Pen in my purse. I've never considered the fact that food could cause death until the allergist told me to always have it with my son. Talk about facing reality. That was the worst moment of this journey. I now know that the chances of my son turning anaphylactic from wheat are pretty slim. The thought is always there though.

2. We never leave the house without some sort of safe food. Fast food, OUT!! Knowing that I may be caught somewhere without safe food for my son bothers me, a lot. So I always have a backpack of foods and an emergency back-up in my trunk. Food now follows me!!

3. The first credit card looking thing in my purse is a list of words that wheat and dairy hide under on ingredient lists. This was my very first purchase after the allergy testing. Worth the money!!

4. I now shop at 6+ grocery stores and only shop the outer aisles in most of them. I am willing to travel over a hour each way for my son to have something special. And some people travel further.

5. Really strange looks from people at the grocery store. I tend to get over excited when my local Fred Meyers stocks a new GFCF item or when I can find some really cheap rice flours at the large Asian store down the road. Now that's happiness!!

6. I now have over 8 different flours in my freezer. Now that's dedication or crazy!! And I know how to use each flour in different recipes. Experimentation is key, especially to get more protein into my child. Rice flour, brown rice flour, tapioca flour, and potato starch flours are pretty empty in the nutritional department.

7. I am a recipe tweaker. I cannot leave a recipe alone. My husband gets so mad!! I have to experiment until I think it tastes right. And with 4-5 different flours in one recipe, there's a lot of tweaking that can be done!!

8. I know what xantham, guar, and arrowroot are.

9. My neighbors would never call me to ask for an ingredient. I could probably call them for an egg or two, but that's about all.

10. Dreams, now that's a story in itself. At the beginning, I would call them nightmares. I would toss and turn thinking of food, recipes, and shopping. What could I possibly cook and how in the world am I going to afford this stuff?? It has gotten easier, thank God and I don't dream about it as much. I've learned that home cooking definitely tastes better than boxed and it's still costly, but I've managed to cut down on the costs by doing a lot more cooking at home and from scratch.

Ok, there's my 10 or less. I could probably think of more and I probably will. For some reason, the definition of foodie is stuck in my head and I can't seem to get it out. Now, for those with food allergies, all this may not seem too weird. For all the other foodies out there, I don't appreciate food in the same way as you do. I was not raised with food that way, so I have a lot to learn. And learning I am. I now appreciate the flavors in a brownie or a carrot cake. That for me is a new sensation in itself.

So if anyone feels the need to comment, please feel free and let me know what you think. I would be curious to hear from other food allergic people or parents of food allergic children like me.