Signs of a Fake Foodie

1. They always choose the trendiest restaurants

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The most hyped-up restaurants sometimes do deserve the praise, but if someone is constantly caught up in a cycle of ‘cool’ places to eat, it might well be the case that they’re actually not too fussed about the food itself, and more about the optics. If they can only name new, buzzy restaurants but no hidden gems, you’ve got a fake foodie on your hands.

2. And they usually find these restaurants on Instagram

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If someone only tends to find places to eat through Instagram, chances are, they’re more concerned about how the food looks, rather than how it tastes. They might talk about the ‘vibes’, or how pretty things are, and may well forget to appreciate the effort that’s gone into creating their plates of food.

3. They only cook with 'it' ingredients

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Like everything else, food and ingredients fall in and out of fashion. At the moment, the hottest ingredients include sriracha sauce, avocados and cauliflower (which is served as a veggie and vegan substitute just about everywhere). If your so-called culinary friend only seems to focus on food trends, they might not be as much of a foodie as they make out.

4. They have no knowledge of what foods and recipes should taste like

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Have you ever met someone who seems to talk the talk with food, but they don’t actually have that much knowledge? For example, they might say they LOVE a ‘real’ Italian carbonara, but will still add cream to it (which is a big no-no in Italy). If this happens, you know you have a fake foodie.

5. They think they know a lot about wine

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Those who think they know about food tend to think they know a lot about wine too. They might try and impress you by talking to a sommelier at a restaurant about tannins and mouthfeel, but when it comes to viticulture, they don’t have a clue. Why do people try and pretend to know more than they do?

6. They can't use chopsticks

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Have you ever encountered people who talk endlessly about their love of Thai or Japanese food, only to find that they can’t actually hold chopsticks properly? This is a great way to find out if someone is a foodie fraud, as it’ll be really clear from the get-go that they’re out of their depth. If they give up and use a knife or fork, then you know they’re an imposter.

7. They're actually a fussy eater

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You might think someone’s a foodie, but when you actually sit down for a meal with them, it turns out they’re actually a bit of a fussy eater. There’s a ton of things they don’t like, and they can only eat certain dishes if they’re ‘in the mood’ for them. Watch what they order, as this will tell you everything you need to know.

8. They only seem to enjoy food when they're taking pictures for Instagram

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Okay, we know real foodies do this one too. But if you find that all a person cares about is how a dish looks, rather than how it tastes, they could be enjoying food on a much more superficial level. They might spend at least five minutes arranging the table for the right shot, or take so many pictures that the food has started to go cold by the time they get around to eating it!

9. They don't care about organic food

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True passion for food goes beyond what ingredients look like when they come together on a plate. Real foodies care deeply about sustainability and biodiversity, and try to prioritise organic and ethically produced food as much as they can. If someone doesn’t really care about this, then it suggests that they’re a foodie fraud.

10. When they order takeout, they always pick the same fast food chains

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So you and your pal are getting takeout. How about that cute new independent Creole place? No? Fake foodies will give all the talk in the world, but if they keep ordering from the same tired fast food chains week in week out, it’s clear they don’t care about food as much as they think they do.

11. They prefer Westernised versions of most dishes

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This is a surefire way to detect a fake foodie. If someone prefers Western versions of dishes from countries like India, China and Thailand (meaning they have less spice and less authentic ingredients in them) then it suggests that they’re not that bothered about the culture and heritage that is represented in the dish.

12. They can't actually cook that well

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Have you ever seen the foodie of your friendship group actually cook? If you have and the food wasn’t as good as you expected, chance are, you’ve got a fake foodie on your hands. Fake foodies tend to lack serious culinary knowledge, which becomes apparent when they enter the kitchen!

13. They aren't aware of terminology

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Do they know their blanching from their bain marie? Or their flambe from their fricasse? While a lot of us can get a bit stuck with cooking terminology now and again (especially if you haven’t had French training) a so-called foodie can face serious embarrassment if they’ve not got the basics nailed down.

14. They equate being a food lover to being a snob

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Fake foodies will tend to be huge snobs. They will have their own idea of what peak gastronomy looks like, and anything outside of that just won’t hit the spot. Whether they’ve been influenced by Instagram or their favorite TV chef, they can tend to reject food that isn’t cool or trendy enough.

15. They aren't too bothered about fresh ingredients

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A tell-tale sign of a fake foodie is their lack of care towards ingredients. They won’t give a damn if ingredients aren’t fresh, or where they’ve been sourced from. As long as the food looks pretty and the vibes are good, they won’t be bothered if a dish has been opened out of a packet in a restaurant kitchen.

16. They put ketchup on everything

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So you think you’ve got a real foodie friend? Check their eating habits before you believe them. If they make some questionable choices like putting ketchup with absolutely everything, then they might not be as sophisticated as they make out they are!

17. They think that their 'culinary adventures' are better than everyone elses

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Did they once go to India? Or perhaps they jetted over to Italy or France? If they did and they ate some local cuisine there, you’ll definitely know about it. You’ll have probably heard the same stories over and over again, and it shows that your ‘foodie’ pal thinks that it makes them look cool and interesting.

18. They don't know how to eat things properly

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If you’ve ever spotted a so-called foodie eating super common foods the wrong way round (just like Michael Buble here) then they’ll probably be a foodie fraud. It shows that they don’t actually have knowledge about the food they profess to love, and makes them look a bit silly.

19. They eat WAY more microwave and frozen meals than you would think

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Foodies make a rod for their own back. They give the impression that they are at the cutting edge of gastronomy, but this will be seriously undermined if they’re living on microwave meals and frozen foods. Maybe they’re not as into food as they think they are!

20. You ask them what something is on a menu but they don't know

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Let’s face it – we’ve probably all read a menu and come across a term we’re not familiar with. And that’s totally ok. But if you’re finding that you understand more of the menu and the cooking techniques than your ‘foodie’ friend, they’re probably a bit of a fraud.

21. They don't want to visit less glamorous eateries

 

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A fake foodie will typically snub less glamorous eateries in favor of what’s currently cool or trending. And this means missing out on the cult places that serve some of the best food in town! If you come across someone who refuses to go anywhere that isn’t Instagram-friendly, you’re dealing with an imposter.

22. The spend more time photographing food than anything else

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Some ‘foodies’ are just in it for the likes. Which means they care deeply about taking cute shots of their food, and can even get other diners to take snaps of them posing with their dishes. While you might find a few true foodies that still do this, most of them are fakers.

23. They don't care about where their food comes from

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You’ve taken the time to go to the farmer’s market rather than go to the local supermarket. Your ‘foodie’ friend is proud of you for that, right? No. In fact, they don’t really seem to care. This is a major red flag with so-called foodies – if they were genuine, they would naturally take an interest.

24. You've tasted more ingredients than they have

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You’ve never styled yourself as a food guru, but it turns out you’ve tried more ingredients and dishes than your foodie pal. If they’re not actually that adventurous with what they try, it might mean that your friend is trying to be something that they’re not.

25. They like to tell you about the latest food trends

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To make it clear – an interest in food trends does NOT equate to a genuine interest in gastronomy. A self-styled ‘foodie’ may disagree, but chefs and restauranteurs across the world will definitely have a few things to say about that! Some chefs now despise the word ‘foodie’, as it’s generally seen as a name people give themselves to feign knowledge about things they don’t actually understand.

26. They see chefs as TV personalities and celebrities

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So your foodie pal has watched a few TV shows about food. So what? That doesn’t make them a great cook. They’ll probably have chefs they idolize, and will treat them like A-list celebs, but this won’t suddenly turn your friend into a fountain of food knowledge.

27. They have recipe books, but never use them

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Fake foodies do everything for show – right down to the recipe books they put on their shelves. They will want to give the impression that they really know their stuff, when the reality is quite different. The recipe books will generally sit there unused until the owner decides to sell them or give them to a thrift shop.

28. They don't like hosting dinners

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A true foodie would be itching to hold a dinner party, right? They would want to show off their culinary knowledge and dazzle their loved ones with their skills. But fake foodies will tend to shy away from this, as they just don’t know as much about food as they like to lead people to believe.

29. They care about how many people see their food pictures

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So they’ve finally finished taking tons of snaps of their food. For the rest of the meal, you spot them checking their Instagram Stories to see how many people have engaged with their carefully curated shots. It seems like this is a bigger deal than, you know, actually eating the food.

30. They don't realise what they've ordered

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They’ve made out that they know every ingredient on the menu, but now their food has arrived at the table, they look confused. Jerusalem artichokes don’t look like that, right? Well, they do. So if your ‘foodie’ isn’t totally clear on what they’ve ordered, they may well be faking it until they make it!