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The Ultimate Foodie Quiz
Whether you’re mad for matsutake mushrooms or crazy over crespelles, our test will separate the true epicures from the rest.
My mother knew she was raising a foodie long before I spoke my first words, which were potato chip. Later, instead of playing Barbies with the other girls, I built a tree fort with a plastic kitchen and an oven that baked small cakes with the heat from a light bulb. I opened my first neighborhood restaurant at age 6. In college I majored in pizza with a minor in red wine. Want to see pictures from my trip to Rome? I hope you appreciate the shot of the gnocchi in pink sauce. I had to stand in my chair to get the right angle. The maitre d was not amused.
Foodies walk, talk, dream, breathe, and sometimes even eat food. They spend more time deciding where to dine than they do planning their estates. They keep up with the latest trends and are well-schooled in where (in the world) to find everything from the perfect chocolate truffle (Knipschildt Chocolatier in Norwalk, Conn.) to the best blueberry pancakes (Sparky’s Diner in San Francisco).
Think you’re a foodie? We’ll be the judges of that. Try this test to see if you’re prepared to enter the hallowed halls of foodiedom.
1. The first sandwich was
a) discovered in 1778 when Captain James Cook landed on the Sandwich Islands and found the natives eating large chunks of meat between slices of bread.
b) served to witches in their Salem jail cells as they awaited trial.
c) created by renowned gambler John Montagu who held his meat between two slices of bread so that he wouldn’t have to leave the gaming table.
2. The term slow food pertains to
a) a chef’s slang term for dishes that take more time to prepare.
b) what doctors recommend to patients recovering from gastrointestinal surgery.
c) an international movement to protect the right to taste food.
3. Epicurious refers to
a) the Greek goddess of food.
b) a pathological addiction to gourmet magazines.
c) www.epicurious.com.
4. A spoom is
a) a chef’s tool with a short sweeper on one end and a spoon on the other.
b) how Barbara Walters pronounces spoon.
c) a frothy type of sherbet.
5. Swiss researchers have discovered that a small percentage of people who are recovering from strokes have a brain disorder that produces
a) a craving for Screaming Yellow Zonkers.
b) pleasure from dining on hospital food.
c) the gourmand syndrome a lusting for fine food.
6. A true gourmet identifies a classic cafe by
a) lots of police cars parked in front of a sign that reads Home of the.
b) a waitress who calls you Hon.
c) flower arrangements in used Spam cans.
d) all of the above.
7. The greatest restaurants in the world are located in
a) San Francisco.
b) Paris.
c) Rome.
d) New York.
e) all of the above.
f) none of the above.
8. The quote Ross Perot down home on the Range rich, earthy, and a little quirky pertains to
a) a blurb from Mr. Perot’s autobiography that describes his eating habits.
b) a 1997 Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon.
c) Mr. Perot after several bottles of a 1997 Kunde Cabernet Sauvignon.
9. People become addicted to chili peppers because
a) chili powder is mixed with cocaine in food factories in Southern California.
b) peppers release endorphins, the body’s natural opiate.
c) as you become tolerant to heat, you have to increase the numbers of peppers to achieve the desired taste.
10. Ouch! you burned your tongue on a raw chili pepper. Reach for
a) a shot of tequila.
b) ice water.
c) chocolate milk.
11. You can tell an apple is organic
a) by the price.
b) by the healthy worm.
c) if it was grown without synthetic pesticides.
12. A flageolet is
a) a traditional Brazilian casserole.
b) what you get after you eat the traditional Brazilian casserole.
c) a small kidney-shaped bean from France.
Answers: 1. c; 2. c; 3. c; 4. c; 5. c; 6. d; 7. f; 8. b; 9. c; 10. c; 11. c; 12. c
SCORING
Give yourself 5 points for each correct answer. Deduct 11 points if you answered on No. 4. Add 12 points if you answered none of the above on No. 7 foodies don’t pigeonhole.
0-20 Have a nice day with your iceberg lettuce and Lunchables from 7-Eleven.
21-40 Nice try, but come back when you know the difference between sate and sauté.
40+ Hold your head high among the aisles of heirloom tomatoes, hog plums, and mangosteens at CM and WF.
