Comments on: Why I Am Not A Foodie

By: Rabbi Shmuel

Rabbi Shmuel — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 10:54:42 +0000

Rabbi Avi – First class post- you have truly elevated the phrase “da ma l’hashiv”:)

I have always considered myself a yehudi and not a foodie!
you have just articulated the “why” in a more more “palatable” way

continued hatzlacha

By: Hannah Lee

Hannah Lee — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 09:50:06 +0000

Thank you, Rabbi Avi, and thanks to Leah for linking this article in yesterday’s post. I do like putting things in a Jewish as well as global context.

By: Anna Stevenson

Anna Stevenson — Fri, 18 May 2007 01:32:06 +0000

I LOVE the apikoros/epicurian connection — it puts into words so much of the hesitation i feel around this burgeonining ‘local foods movement’. Because i don’t care about this stuff to be trendy, or fancy, and I don’t even mind if something I grow tastes a little less good than something they grow down in Mexico — I’m not going to insist that could never happen. I’m a foodie only in asmuch as i recognize that the money I spend on food is one of the greatest ways I can influence the world, and therefore I want to know what I’m buying (in addition to the food, that is). And a fancy, pleasurable, special treat of truffle oiled local goat cheese is very nice, very very nice, but it’s not my goal, nor what fuels me in this work. Well said – thanks so much!!!

By: Michal Wasserman

Michal Wasserman — Thu, 10 May 2007 21:11:04 +0000

Wow, Avi! Interesting and insightful, and entirely true. And you should be impressed that I actually knew the Epicurus/Apikorus connection.

I think in general what you’re speaking of is a symptom of Judaism’s attitude toward the physical (and everything else, actually), as opposed to the irreligious perspective. At the end of the day, everything we do has purpose and meaning, and our actions in that direction (whether pleasureful or painful) bring long-lasting satisfaction. But for the irreligious, there is only the pursuit of pleasure, which is fleeting and, ultimately, destructive and dissatisfying.

Well done!

By: Leah Koenig

Leah Koenig — Thu, 10 May 2007 15:40:34 +0000

Avi – this is an absolutely amazing post! I’ve always felt uncomfortable with the term foodie. It seemed strange to me to place food activists like Alice Waters and small organic farmers, in the same category as superstar “chefs” like Rachel Ray or epicures who simply want the best tasting meal possible, with no regard for the source.

Thanks for bringing your knowledge and perspective to this topic.

By: Phyllis Bieri

Phyllis Bieri — Thu, 10 May 2007 14:27:20 +0000

Dear Rabbi Finegold,
Thank you so much for this beautiful essay. As I make challah tomorrow morning, I will be meditating on how to bring God into my kitchen. And into my heart.

By: Gluten-Free By The Bay

Gluten-Free By The Bay — Thu, 10 May 2007 03:34:53 +0000

What a completely terrific article! I am in so much agreement. This was so wonderful to read. Thanks for sharing.