To preface, I am not a non-foodie. I plan all of my meals at the beginning of the week, spend immense amounts of time researching new food trends, and keep a list of new restaurants to try around campus. As a nutrition major, systematic meal planner, Trader Joe’s enthusiast, food Instragrammer, and self-proclaimed foodie, being a food lover comes naturally to me. It’s easy to forget that not everyone thinks about food the way that I do. So after creating a poll, I found that for most people—food is just food.
Food Is Something People Can Be Disinterested In
When I polled non-foodies, I found that consuming food is part of a routine, like brushing your teeth or making your bed. I received answers about peoples’ relationships with food as: “I eat the same 4 meals every day” and “The blander the food, the better. Keep it simple, it’s just fuel.”
These non-foodies don’t find themselves craving obscure dishes that they remember from an experience at a new restaurant, and they don’t yearn to try new things all the time.
Food Is Thought of So Uncommonly That It May Be Forgotten or Become Mindless
Non-foodies admit that eating is something that they do when they’re hungry and when they’re bored. We eat when we’re hungry, and when we’re doing things like watching TV.
There were a lot of similar responses admitting to things like: “I eat when I’m hungry and also when I’m bored” with some additional mentions of watching Netflix, liking sugar a little too much, and caring more about quantity of food over nutrition and quality.
Food Is More of a Hassle Than Anything
I’m used to viewing food as something exciting and interesting. It’s an outlet for trying new things. But from the responses I got, many non-foodies expressed that: “Food is meant to be kept simple and for its purpose”.
One non-foodie mentioned that, “Sometimes I look up recipes on Pinterest, pin them to a board, and then forget about them. For a year”. Another admitted that, “Usually what gets me to go grocery shopping is when I’m out of veggies or rice and when I go, I buy in bulk because I don’t go often”.
Foodies and Non-Foodies Coming Together
Food is something we all have to eat one way or another, whether we’re excited about a new brunch place or just heating up mac and cheese to avoid hunger for another few hours.
May foodies and non-foodies come together for meals and gatherings unrelated to food, whether or not we understand each others’ interest or disinterest either way.