Foodies

We all know the word and at least four people who fit the category, but what does being a foodie actually mean in 2025? And why is it a “banned word” in Infatuation’s style guide? In this episode of Restaurant People, Hannah and Bryan talk with Mike Chau a.k.a. FoodBabyNY and co-host of How Long Gone Jason Stewart about the sub-categories of obsessive diners, social media’s impact on restaurants, and whether or not foodies need a rebrand.

Episode Transcript

(00:00):
- Hannah, can I read you something?
- Please.
- Here it is.
"Generally, the tartare wasinteresting, but monotextural,
because the jicama had lost its bite,
aside from the five grasshoppers."
That is in reference to arestaurant called Comal.
- Okay.- "4:00 PM solo chovy toast
and Lambrusco, are you kidding me?"
That is someone talking about Rhodora

(00:22):
in Clinton Hill, I believe.- I know what you're doing.
- And that's someone is you.
- I knew what you were doing.
- And those quotes sound-- You're setting me up.
- Like quotes from a foodie.
Would you
consider yourself a foodie?
Have you ever called yourself a foodie?
- No, I've never called myself a foodie.
I am a foodie in the eyesof all of my relatives.

(00:42):
They're like, "Oh, Hannah,my niece, she's a foodie."
"Oh, you'd like this person, Hannah,
because they're a foodie, too."
- Right, so I don't think it's up to you.
I think once you get thatlabel from somebody else,
once they apply it to you,
- Really?- You are a foodie.
I think that might be how it works.
Yeah.
- But I don't know ifI want to be a foodie.
Hi, I'm Hannah Albertine,senior editor at Infatuation.

(01:05):
My grandma calls me a foodie.
- And I'm Bryan Kim, editorial lead in NYC
for Infatuation.
In 2017, I tried a rainbowbagel and it wasn't bad.
- And this is "Restaurant People,"
the show for people who eatat restaurants sometimes
from Infatuation.
- Today on "RestaurantPeople," we're talking
about the concept of foodies.
We all know the word, butwhat does it actually mean?
Is being a foodie a bad thing,

(01:26):
or do they just need better PR?
- First, we'll try todefine the term, foodie,
and its many subcategories,
then we get to hang out withiconic foodie, Mike Chau,
AKA Food Baby, to discusshis experience with the term
and what it's like to existin the world of foodies today.
- Finally, we're joinedby fellow podcaster
and food enthusiast, Jason Stewart,
to give us a glimmer of hopefor the foodie's future.

(01:49):
All of this and more on today's episode
of "Restaurant People."
- So foodie clearly has akind of cringe connotation,
and no matter what you mean by foodie,
even just the term in 2025feels a little like, ugh.
Do you think that foodie need a rebrand?

(02:11):
- I think that a rebrandwould be highly beneficial
for foodies, at least at first,
until people started makingfun of the next term,
you know?
- Yeah, right.- But we can all recognize
that the word, foodie,does sound kind of silly.
- It's a silly word.
- So what's next?
How do we rebrand it?
'Cause I think that it wouldbe in both of our interests,

(02:31):
because, like it or not,we're foodies. Right?
- Right.- We fall into
the foodie camp?
We're just a specific kind of foodie,
not necessarily better thanany other kind of foodie.
- That's right.- But we are foodies.
- I mean, I'm not anti-foodie.
I'm anti-bad behavior foodies,I guess is what I'm saying?
Like, I think my friends whowork in the restaurant industry
have a really negativeconnotation with foodies,

(02:53):
because they associate them with people
who pretend to know a lotabout restaurants or food,
but maybe they don't actually,
people who pull out ringlights at restaurants.
- The term, foodie, is, first off,
not a term we use at "The Infatuation,"
and do you know why that is?
- Yeah, it's literally onour, like, banned word list,

(03:15):
and Arden, in our editor-in-chief,
her policy about why we don't say foodie
is that we're not necessarily anti-foodie,
but foodieism tends to fetishizefancy-schmancy cooking,
and also sort of glorifies chefs,
and glorifies the word, yummy,
and whatever the current,like, rainbow bagel craze is.
So instead of that, wewant to focus on, like,

(03:36):
the whole restaurant experience,
and also recommend great restaurants
for, like, very specificsituations and dining experiences,
and not just, like, caterto whatever a trend is
or a chef is doing.
Feels a little like aFood-Networky bow down.
You know what I mean?- Yeah, I know what you mean.
I think those are all good reasons.
I think the main reason that I don't love

(03:58):
using the word, foodie,is because it is so vague.
- So vague.- It has so many
different meanings.- Means so many things
to so many different people.
- There are so manydifferent types of foodie,
and I think we could easily just, like,
break out a bunch of different subtypes.
- Yeah.- Subtypes categories,
different categories of foodie.

(04:20):
So what do you got?
What are the subcategories of foodie?
Right off the bat, obviously,
there is the social media foodie.
- That's right.
- These foodies likefads, they like posting,
they like lines.
Maybe they take one bite of a burger?
- So we have these social media foodies.
and then next, we haveknow-it-all foodies?

(04:41):
- Know-it-all foodies.
They love information,
and they want you to knowthat they love information,
so they're keeping spreadsheets.
They're into authentic stuff.
They will keep track of which Irish pub
Bourdain went to on his New York episode.
- Sure, who doesn't do that?

(05:02):
- They are perhaps amateur chefs.
- Mm-hmm, that's me.- They love
to whip up a complicated recipe at home.
- Oh, I love doing that, so-
- [Hannah] I think you mightbe a know-it-all foodie.
- Part of me definitelyfalls into this category,
know-it-all foodie.- Yeah, for sure.
- Social media foodie, a bit as well,
and you are also a bit ofsocial media foodie as well.
- Yeah, I'll post sometimes, for sure.
- After the know-it-all foodies.
I think we have something wecall the try-it-all foodie.

(05:25):
- Yeah.- Which is a little vague.
Do you want to explain that one?
- Yeah, the try-it-all foodies are like,
"If it exists, I must eat it."
Maybe they're really into offal?
Maybe they have a tinned fishcollection in their pantry?
Maybe they are a littleperformative in that way?
We've been there,

(05:45):
like they buy, you know,- Sure.
- A certain needlefish, cured needlefish
on their trip to Portugal,
and they bring it home, andthey just don't ever eat it.
- Is this the samething as, like, a foodie
who just needs to try everyGreek spot in Astoria?
Or is that, like, a know-it-all foodie?
- I think that that'sa know-it-all foodie,
because it's more about, like,
they're going to try all the stuff

(06:07):
in all the Greek restaurants in Astoria,
so that they can tell youwhich their favorite is.
- Okay.- A try-it-all is more like,
that's you, for sure, I mean-
- You like tinned fish, there'sa bit of performative foodie
in you.- Yeah,
and also, I'm down to, like,
I'm down with dare food,
I'm down for, like, ablood sausage panna cotta.
- Oh, that sounds good,- I've actually had

(06:28):
pig blood panna cotta.- Actually.
Yeah, it sounds not bad.- It was good.
Yeah, it was good.- Yeah, yeah.
- I liked it.
- There's also, I would say,like, establishment foodies.
I don't really know howto describe this one,
but I will tell you-- food writers, it's us.
- I go out, you know, Igo out with food writers
kind of a lot.
You know what all
food writers do?- You mean our coworkers?
- Yeah, our coworkers.
- Yeah.

(06:49):
- Do you know what food writers do
that really just- What?
- Makes me angry?- What?
- Complain about tomatoes,the quality of tomatoes.
I don't know what it is above all produce,
it's always a tomato.
- "Oh, that's a mealy tomato."
- Yeah.- "Oh, how dare they
serve us," totally.- "Ugh,
that tomato isn't ripe."- You know what I do?
Is the whole summer, I'mlike, "Look at that tomato.
Look at it, look at it in the eye.
It's beautiful."- Yeah, I think tomato snobs
are this, their own category of foodie.

(07:10):
- Yeah.- I think it's fine
to be a tomato snob,
I'm a snob about things, too,
I'm just saying it makes me really angry.
Irrationally.- I'm definitely, I mean,
of course, we're both in the food writer
establishment foodies.
Like, we're going to say, "Wow,
look at that skate wing slick with lardo."
- The word, slick.
- Slick is definitely us- Slick.
- For sure.- You use the word slick
referring to food?
You are a foodie.

(07:32):
- Foodie.- Foodie.
- Also, foodies with passports.
You know, they'll go toMexico City to try Pujol.
- That sounds like you.
- For sure,
and then we have a different bucket,
the pre-internet foodie.
What do you think about those?
- Pre-internet foodies, Idon't know a lot about them,
because, you know, I'm a post-internet
kind of guy.- So you're young, yeah,
you get it.
- Yeah, but I would assume that...

(07:55):
My parents aren't foodies, so, no, no, no.
That's wrong, they are,
but not really restauranty,they cook a lot.
- Yeah, that counts.
- Are your parents foodies?- Does their kitchen
look like Tuscany?
- It did at one point, for sure.
- Yeah, and does their adult son tell them
to go to Taqueria Ramirez whenthey come to visit Brooklyn?
- Yes, absolutely.- For sure, okay,
so they are pre-internet foodies.
My father is definitelya pre-internet foodie.

(08:17):
Prolific diners inmaybe the '80s and '90s,
and maybe even the early aughts.
They started collecting "ZAGAT" books.
They would go to the bookstorewhen "ZAGAT" dropped,
and see how manyrestaurants they'd been to.
- Okay.- Also, maybe they have
a subscription to "Wine Spectator,"
the magazine, yeah.- "Wine Spectator," of course.

(08:37):
Next, I think we have something
called the entry-level foodie.
- Oh, I love these ones.
- It's someone who's justthey're dipping their toes in.
- They're trying it.
- They're seeing if it fits them, right?
Somebody who is beginning to notice
what the seasons arefor vegetables, right?
- That's right, they'relike, "Oh, artichokes,
okay, spring."
- Yeah, that's spring.- Spring.

(08:58):
I think of the entry-levelfoodies as people
who, like, follow thesocial media foodies online,
and they're absorbing that foodie content,
so they know about the Molly Baz mayo.
Maybe they're going to buy it, maybe not,
but they also are starting to think about,
"Hmm, maybe I'll do a littlehack, a little cooking hack?

(09:20):
Maybe I'll do the Emily Mariko salmon?"
- And then we have onemore kind, what is it?
- The status foodie.
- The status foodie.
- These foodies are clout-chasing.
They maybe have a corporatecard or a lot of money.
They could be wine bro foodies.
They could be wearingsneakers and T-shirts

(09:40):
to fine dining restaurants,
where they really arejust there for the wine.
It's nice that the food is fine.
- And they're maybeinterested in restaurants
that have received awards.
- Accolades, yeah.
They're big into the lauded restaurants.
- Mm-hmm, and I've done that, too.
I've gone on to, when I'm traveling,
and I'm looking for restaurants,
I'll inevitably end up on an awards page,

(10:00):
and I'll be like, "Well, I'll look around
at these restaurants and see if I want
to go to any of them,"
so I've done some clout-chasing
in my day.- For sure, of course.
You want to check it out.- Specifically in Paris.
- Oh, in Paris?- A little in Greece.
- Oh.
- I've clout-chased.- Yeah,
and there's nothing wrong inherently
with being any of these foodies.
Like, we all, at Infatuation,have a little bit of each.

(10:21):
We kind of have to, that's our jobs.
- There's a little bitright and a little bit wrong
with every single one of them, maybe.
- Well, it's like, each onecan be a little ridiculous,
for sure.- Yeah.
Yeah, we're all our ownbrand of ridiculous.
- [Hannah] Yeah, that's right.
- But hey, those are just our thoughts,
let's talk to some actual foodies,
get some foodies in the studio and-
- Some live foodies?

(10:41):
- Some live foodies,and get their thoughts.
- Foodies with heartbeats?
- Foodies with heartbeats.
Let's get their thoughtson the subject right now.
- All right.
- Right now, we have a guest in studio,
it is Mike Chau, alsoknown as @foodbabyny,
here to help us discussthe origins of foodies.

(11:03):
- Hey, Mike.- Hey,
thanks for having me.- Thanks for joining us,
food father.- Thank you so much
for stopping by,
food dad.- Food papa.
That's a food father of three.
- Food poppy.
- Oh yes, food poppy, that's a new one.
- Foodie, question mark?
Do you think of yourself as a foodie?
- I guess so, I mean-- Oh,
there's some trepidation there.
- I mean, that's kindof always been, like,
a cringe kind of word.
I feel like-- Tell me why it's cringe.

(11:24):
- It just is, from thebeginning, I don't know.
I think that's, like, whatpeople who aren't into food
call people that are into food.
- Oh.- Like I feel like my mom
would tell her friends that I'm a foodie.
- Does your mom tell your herfriends that you're a foodie?
- Pretty sure, yeah, yeah.- What else does your mom say
about you?
- She probably tells them Ihave a big Instagram account
or something like that.
- So you were postingaround 2012 and beyond,

(11:45):
like you've sort of trackedthe foodies on social media
- Yeah.- Of the last decade plus.
Like, what do you think,
break down, like, the earlyfoodie history that you saw,
at least in social mediaor in your travels?
- Yeah, no, it was interesting.
So I was thinking about it today,
the term, influencer, didn'teven exist in the beginning.
- What did we call them?
Like, tastemakers or something?
- I don't even, it wasn't even a thing

(12:06):
when I started with Instagram.
I didn't even know what it was,
so I remember the very firsttime someone called me that,
and I was like, "Wait, what?"
- And when did you start
like, being noticed-- Not that many.
- As like, an influencer?
- Probably in the early days of Food Baby.
- Okay.- 'Cause there was, like,
a ton of press that would come out,
and then people would kindof recognize us from that.
- What was the trajectoryof that account like?

(12:28):
Was it like exponential growthor just steady over time?
- It was pretty...
It's funny, because even back then,
when you got, like, a big feature,
there wasn't that muchfollowing happening,
just like the way it is now.
Like, you can post one video today,
and get 10,000 followers immediately,
and it wasn't like that back then.
It was a lot slower,
but I think it was still...
Most of the growth was inthe beginning, I guess,

(12:49):
but steadily over time.
- Okay, so you're startingto blow up on Instagram,
what year is this, where does this put us?
- I think a lot of the press and stuff
was in 2015, probably?
- And then what is the scene like?
Who are the other foodinfluencers in this scene?
Do you hear the word,foodie, being tossed around?
- Not really foodie, like I said,
I feel like people that are doing it

(13:10):
don't really use that term that much.
- Mm.- I think it's, like,
outsiders that aren't like-
- Because they're-- Living and breathing food.
- Because it's weird tocall yourself a foodie?
Is that what you mean?
- I always thought of it as cringe,
so I never called myself that,
but I accept that that'swhat people think of me as,
that aren't into it.- You accept your fate
as a foodie?- I accept it, yeah.
- Because you, like, went to Smorgasburg
and like, ate the burger
with the ramen buns?- Yeah, yeah.

(13:31):
Exactly.- Right?
- And the teardrop, remember the teardrop?
The raindrop cake?
- Oh yeah, yeah.- Oh my God.
- Of course I do.
- Yeah.
Wow, we were justsimple, little back then.
No, it's true, it's true.- You know?
Yeah.- But it felt newer
back then.- Yeah, yeah, yeah.
- Because of the sort of,like, growing of social media
at the time.- Yes.
Yeah, totally.- That's the difference.
- Yeah, it's so interestingto me that even back in 2015,

(13:52):
people didn't reallyuse that term proudly.
I guess that's what you're saying,
but to me, 2015 doesfeel like a cringe time,
so it just seems like people
would've used that term.- It's cringe now, yes.
- And I feel like I did useto see that term a lot more,
at least back, you know, around 2015,
a little less so nowadays.
Maybe it's just gotten moreand more cringe over time?
- Well, I think of the word, foodie,

(14:14):
as spiking in, like, actually, like,
'80s, '90s, when it was coined,
and that was, like, the first wave
of sort of, like, snobbyfoodies, gourmet diners, perhaps.
And then again in the,like, 2015, 2016 era,
when we were post-Facebook,but early-ish Instagram,

(14:36):
it wasn't so fringeanymore to use Instagram,
and yeah, I think it'slike, "Hey, look at this.
I went here, and I wantto share it with you."
And it says somethingabout me if I'm posting
the Dominique Ansel, Imean, Cronut at that time.
Maybe it was a few years too late.
Can you remember any other,like, foodie foods of the time?
- I mean, maybe a year later,- Like, that good engagement?

(14:57):
- The Black Tap milkshake.
- I was just about to- Oh my God.
- Say that.- Yes.
- [Mike] That was like the big thing.
- Will you explain what that is for people
who don't know?
- The Black Tap milkshake was they,
I guess there was, like, a whole fight
about who invented it, too, right?
But they started sellingthese over-the-top milkshakes
that were just a regularmilkshake in the glass,
but then it was, like, frosted rim,
they dipped it in, like, cereal
or God knows what,- Yes.

(15:18):
- And they put a wholeslice of cake on top,
or a whole pie on top, aChipwich on top, or whatever,
and then that, like, just spawned
so many imitators immediately
In all different restaurants.- That's right.
- I mean, still, they're popular now.
- Yeah.- Not at Black Top, really,
but all over the place.
- Would we be eating, like,
outrageous milkshakes without foodies?

(15:38):
- I don't think so.
- You don't think so?- Yeah.
A lot of the crap that we eat now
is because of Instagramand social media, I think,
'cause these restaurants are making it
specifically for that purpose.
- Right, and do you haveany feelings about that?
- Yeah, I mean,
I don't really like most of that stuff.
- [Hannah] Yeah.
- It usually tends to not be very good.
- [Hannah] Yes.

(15:58):
- A lot of these inventionsthat are made just for that.
- Do you think ofyourself as an influencer,
a critic, something in between?
- Definitely not a critic.
- Okay-- 'Cause I don't know
what I'm talking about.
- Although you do, I've seenyou do some negative posts.
Like, you'll go-- Yeah, we're going to push back
on that one, Mike.- You'll go somewhere,
and be like, "This wasn'tactually up to snuff."
- Yeah,
I know if I'd call these-- Which I love when you
do that, frankly.

(16:18):
- Yeah,
it's fun, right?- Like, to me,
that's a critic's thing.
- Is that something you'redoing more and more of?
Because it's something I'veonly noticed really recently,
where you will kind ofpost negative things.
- Yeah, some bad food lately
in New York, I guess.
So what's the thought
behind doing that?
- It's more of like a newsfeed.
So like, even if it's not good,
I just share that this place is open.
- Okay.- I think that's how
a lot of people know ifI like it or not, too.
A lot of times, if it's not good,

(16:39):
like, I don't really liketo be mean or negative.
- Sure, of course.- Too outright negative
to restaurants, so,
I'll tell people, "This place opened."
- Okay, so you don't thinkof yourself as a critic.
You do think of yourself asan influencer, question mark?
- I suppose, like, I obviouslydon't really like that term
just because of the negative-- Why not?
- I mean-- 'Cause we're talking
the people who don't-
- I mean, everybody talks influencers
with good reason, I think, too.

(17:00):
A lot of influencers are annoying,
and entitled,- Sure.
- And it's kind of a dirty word now.
- So you've been around since, really,
the beginning of foodieism,food pictures on Instagram,
how do you think foodieismonline has evolved since then?
What's the scene now?

(17:20):
Is it good for restaurants?
What's happening?
- Yeah, that's a tough one.
I think in the beginning,it was very much...
It wasn't as stunty as now, obviously,
'cause this stuff didn't exist,
so I think in thebeginning, when I started,
it was a lot more people looking at, like,
"The New York Times" reviews,
which is the constant, obviously,
but it feels like you don'treally care about that
as much anymore fromthis kind of community

(17:42):
of creators and influencers.
People just care more about,like, what's hot, what's new,
and what's kind of the over-the-top stuff
that people are goingto want to get views on?
- So you have these people nowadays
chasing new things, new trends,it's more trend-focused?
- Yeah, I think so, 'cause then, I mean,
I've talked about it withother influencers, too,
and then it's like,
and even just as a consumeron the app, you see it, too.

(18:04):
Like, once someone posts about the place,
usually, I'm like, one of the first,
which is not an accident, obviously.
I mean, I've been doing it before this,
so it's not like I changedmy behavior for that,
- Yeah.
- But you just see, like, in a few days,
like, by now, Mommy Pai's,
now, you see a Reel of it,
it's like, "Oh my God,I've seen it already
a million times,"- Yeah, sure.
- Like, who cares now?
- Right.- It's kind of almost
like that, where like, every single person
posts the same exactcontent after, like, a week.

(18:25):
- Yes, or you can tell-- So I think that drives
the behavior a little bit,too, of a lot of the people.
- Is that having some kindof impact, do you think,
on the restaurant scene?
Is the restaurant scene adapting to that
in New York City and beyond?
- I don't know if therestaurants are adapting to it,
or I don't know if there's anything
they can really do about it,
but I know that for sure, that like,
a lot of people now talk about, like,
and all these same contentfrom all these influencers,

(18:46):
it's always like, "Oncethe line dies down,
you should go check it out,"
'cause that's what's going to happen.
Like, there's going tobe a huge line for, like,
the first two weeks,
and then it'll be like,nobody cares about it anymore,
almost, or like,
I mean, the good places, yeah,they'll still be crowded,
but definitely a lot easier to go to
after, like, the first, you know,
after everyone's Reeldropped and a few weeks pass.
- So Mike, before we let you go,
I want to ask you, do youthink foodies need a rebrand?

(19:09):
If so, how do you see that rebrand going?
- I think so.
I think we need somethingto weed out the people
like we were talking about,
that don't really care about the food,
that are doing it just forthe social media aspect of it.
So we need some kind of wayto weed those people out,
'cause they don't really care about food.
- Mike, this has been so fun.
- I agree.- Thank you so much
for joining us.- This a good time, thank you.
- Hopefully, we'll seeyou out in the wild.

(19:30):
- [Bryan] If you're enjoying this episode,
be sure to follow, like, subscribe
to "Restaurant People" on YouTube
and all your preferred podcast platforms
so you never miss an episode.
- Joining us on the Ham Phone,
we have co-host of "HowLong Gone," Jason Stewart,
self-proclaimed foodie, I think.
Jason, thanks so much forcoming to talk with us.

(19:52):
- [Jason] Thank you so much for having me
and answering my Ham call, you guys.
- We answered the Ham call, we did.
- We always answer.
- We always answer the Ham call.
So you are a foodie?
Would you identify as a foodie?
- [Jason] I think so, yeah.
I would identify as a foodie.
I mean, you know, call a spade a spade.
I'm an influencer, I'm afoodie, I'm a podcaster,

(20:14):
the three most embarrassing
creative paths one could take.
- You reference restaurantsa lot on your podcast.
It sounds like you're goingout to eat a lot in LA.
- [Jason] Yeah, we go to a lot.
My co-host lives inNew York, I live in LA,
he doesn't cook at all, I do.
I cook pretty much every day,
so I'm a little past the retired,
I'm like, a retired restaurant goer.

(20:37):
I just kind of go to littlelocal neighborhood spots,
but it's rare that I'mchasing the new, trendy thing,
but when I come to New York,
I try to visit some new little hotspots
and things like that.
- What are some of your associations
with foodies and foodie culture?
Like, just spitball,
like, what are some nouns you're thinking?
- I called myself, like, afood enthusiast for a while,

(20:58):
just to try to say anything
but foodie.- Oh.
- [Jason] But you know, it is what it is,
it's just kind of like the word, hipster,
like it's had so many iterations
and ups and downs over the years.
You're like, "What doesit even mean anymore?"
Like, is it good or bad?
Who even knows?
It's just kind of, like, aregular word in our lexicon

(21:19):
that's sort of neutral,
but I mean, yeah, I'ma card-carrying foodie
at the end of the day.
It is what it is,
and I think there aresubgroups of foodies now,
where now that so much ofeating seems to be based
around content creation,
and to push one's personal brand forward

(21:41):
versus, like, enjoying food.
- Yeah, the social media foodies,that's what we call them.
- Yeah, I agree with you,there are, like, yeah,
there are tons, tons ofjust subtypes of foodies.
We are, of course,foodies, you're a foodie.
Are there any foodies, a type of foodie,
you don't necessarily wantto be associated with?
- [Jason] People thatreview food in the car

(22:05):
feels dystopian, you know?- Yeah, sure.
- [Jason] It feels a little dark.
- Do you believe thatfoodies need a rebrand?
- [Jason] I think it's,like, beyond a brand.
I think it's just, like,a utility in our life.
It'd be like if yourebrand the water company,
it's just like, yeah, well, whatever.
It's still water.- It's still water.
- [Jason] Yeah, it's like, you know,

(22:27):
it's just going to behere forever until we die,
and I think, like, wheneverything else collapses,
like, the entertainmentindustry collapses,
and all that stuff,
you know, the housing market,
we're still going to have food content.
- We're going to have foodies.- It's going to be, like,
the last.
It's going to be the lastthing you watch on your phone
as you die.
- Foodies are cockroaches.

(22:48):
- In an ideal world,what's next for foodies?
How do you see foodies going forward,
marching into the future?
- [Jason] I think fellowfoodies marching in the future,
we should, you know, number one,
learn how to cook andappreciate how food is made,
and how things that happen in a restaurant
cannot happen in your kitchen,

(23:09):
because you're not good enough.
Number two, we also haveto go to restaurants
and vote with our dollars.
Even if we are home cooks,
even if we're really good at cooking,
and restaurants are too much money,
we still have to go support them,
because they are sort of the reason
why this is all happening,
and why we love the food that we're eating
and cooking at home.

(23:29):
So I would say, be a little more judicious
with how you're voting withyour restaurant dollars.
If you think a restaurantis dumb, don't go to it.
If you think that it's some trendy ,
and it doesn't seem likeit has the right essence
or spiritual aura to itthat you want to support,

(23:50):
let 'em go out of business,
and then spend your money on places
where the people that work there
and the people that seemto own it are good people
that deserve to make aliving doing what they love.
- Wow, Jason Stewart, everybody.
- That all sounds very great
and reasonable.- That's nice.
- Before you take off, do youwant to let our listeners know
where they can find you?

(24:11):
- [Jason] Yeah, you couldlisten to my podcast.
It's called "How Long Gone,"
available everywhereyou can find a podcast.
We do three episodes a week,
interview lots of random people
from Nancy Silverton to Lena Dunham,
and all the way back.
And you could follow me onsocial media @themjeans.
- Thank you so much, Jason.

(24:31):
- Thanks, Jason.
- Be sure to check out ourincredible reviews and guides
on theinfatuation.com and@infatuation on Instagram,
and at @theinfatuation on TikTok.
- So we talked to some foodies,foodies with heartbeats,
actual foodies.
Jason thinks foodies don'treally need a rebrand.
What's your thought on that?

(24:52):
- I'm inclined to agree with Jason,
because, you know, Ithink, like I said before,
any term we come up with is justgoing to need another rebrand.
- But isn't that the fun of language?
- Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah.
- I'd like to show you some of my ideas.
- Absolutely, I mean, I'm pro-rebrand.
- Okay.- Just because
I don't really like the term, foodie.

(25:12):
- It's not nice to say it out loud.
- It's not great, itsounds a little ridiculous,
but maybe that's a me problem?
- It might be a you problem.
Well, it's an all of us problem.
- I would love to hearsome of your alternatives.
- Okay.- And I'll let you know
if they're any good.
I'll give you a right answer.- No, please, I want, like,
quick, live.
I want your reactions, don't hold back.
All right, Eaters Plus.
- No, no, no.

(25:33):
- Okay.- Absolutely not.
- Food Neophiles.
- I like that more thanEaters Plus for some reason.
- No, that makes sense.- So that's the current
king of the hill.- Okay.
We got some ideas fromour editors and writers.
Dish Heads is an idea- Dish Heads?
- [Hannah] From Nick in Chicago.
Dish Heads.- Okay, Nick.
How do you feel- Dish Heads
is kind of fun, I kind of- About that one?
- Like it.- Dish Heads.
- [Hannah] Dish Heads.

(25:53):
- What's up, my fellow Dish Heads?
- What's up, Dish Heads and dudes?
- [Bryan] Yeah.
- What's up, my dishy Ds?
Okay, here's another onefrom Aimee in Seattle,
Gastronomers.
- Gastronomers.
- Like astronomy.- Gastronomy?
- I don't know, it's-- That's too close to, like,
a terms we already have.- I agree.
Here's from Sonal, theeditor of New York City.
Gastronauts.

(26:14):
- Gastronauts.- Like astronauts.
- I actually think I've heard that
before.- You have, okay.
Yeah, so far, Dish Heads is my vote.
The last one that I'mkind of excited about,
Feinschmecker.
- Feinschmecker?
Is that actual German?
It sounds like actual German.- It's the German word
for someone whoappreciates food and drink.
- Feinschmecker.
- Feinschmecker, oh!
- We're going to offend some Germans.
We don't want to do that.- That's okay,

(26:35):
that's all right.
I think if someone calledme a Feinschmecker,
I'd be like, "Yeah."
I'd be like, "Absolutely."
- I really like Feinschmecker
more than foodie, for sure.- Feinschmecker
- So that beats up foodie for me,
but I think I'm still-- Okay, so,
and then the last idea, are you ready?
- Yeah.- Restaurant people.
- Restaurant people.
That one, I think honestly,before we started this game,

(26:57):
that would've been mypitch for the rebrand.
I don't know what it is.
Something about that termreally resonates with me.
Restaurant People.- Maybe 'cause you're a host
of a podcast called
"Restaurant People."- I don't know what it is.
Something about that term
really resonates with me,
but also, it's straightforward,it's no nonsense,
but then could you seeit being just, like,
this derogatory thingthat people shout at you
in the future?- Hey, restaurant person!

(27:18):
- Get off my stoop!
Hey, restaurant people,
get some bigger plates.
Stop eating on such
small plates.
- Yeah, well, what doyou want to yell about
with restaurant people?
- Hey, restaurant people,stay away from my crop
of Jimmy Nardellos!
Leave my Zerbinati melons alone.
Zerbinati melons
are so hot right now.- Oh my God, choke food,
too many choke foods you've had.

(27:38):
- Stay away from my bonnymelons, restaurant people.
- Hey, restaurant people, giveit a rest with the sabayon!
- Yeah.
- Yeah, what else?
- I could tell you a restaurant person
as soon as I saw your Clamato tote bag.
Something I might say.- As soon as I smelled
the prosciutto di Parma on you.
- I'm going to go dishhead, restaurant people.
- Let us know in thecomments which foodie rebrand
you are most excited about,and why it's Dish Heads.

(28:03):
Everyone's a foodie.
Grow up, admit it.
If you like food in restaurants,
if you think about food in a way,
just beyond the swallowing of it all,
in a way that's just beyondfuel, you're a foodie,
and just accept it.
- If you think about yourself,
who is someone who not justneeds food, but loves food,
you are a foodie.- Yes.
- Even if you especiallylike food, you're a foodie.

(28:23):
- But just foodie responsibly, you know?
Like, tip nicely,
treat your servers well.
Don't be a .
- Yeah.- I'm Hannah.
- I'm Bryan.
Big thanks to Mike Chau for joining us,
and Jason Stewart as well.
- Thanks for joining us, all you foodies,
all you cutie foodie,Feinschmecker eaters.
This was "Restaurant People,"a show from Infatuation.