The Incident

During a recent vacation trip when I was asked, "What do you do?” I casually answered, "I'm a food writer.”

"What's a food writer?” the gentleman responded.

Not thinking for even a moment, I blurted out the obvious, "A food writer is a person who writes about food.” Reflecting a moment, I recovered adding more information on the kinds of articles I'd written and for what magazines. But later the episode gave me pause to stop and think of just how I could answer that question in the future. After all, how would you answer that question right now?

So what exactly, is a food writer? Well essentially, there are three aspects to the response, "A food writer is a person who writes about food.” They are:

The Person

A food writer is a person with a character and personality suited to being a writer who is also:

* A "foodie” who loves food, tastes, flavors and cooking

* Organized to gather and present information

* Able to interview, research, gather and verify facts

The Writer

A food writer also needs knowledge of writing and writing technique in addition to:

* Use of different writing styles and techniques for a variety of publications

*An ever-increasing knowledge of online and print market publication guidelines

* Regular writing habits

* Dependability

The Food

What, pray tell, is food? Actually there are many items which fall under the category of "food”, including many things you don't (or can't) eat. Let's consider some examples:

* Edible - fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy products, cereals and sea foods

* Seasonings, spices and flavorings

* History and development of foods and edible products

* Production of meals

* Cooking implements - including pots, pans, dishes, glasses, silverware, utensils, and cutlery

* Cooking schools and Institutes of the Culinary Arts

* Restaurants and food reviews Nutrition and diet-related health issues

* Hazardous or potentially dangerous foods and food products

* Recipes and their variations

* Cookbooks and recipe collections

* Edible and Inedible food decorations

* Biographies and interviews with Chefs, Cooks and other food-related authorities

* New foods and preparation or manufacturing techniques

These and a seemingly never-ending variety of related issues and topics are all fair game for the astute food writer.

So, if someone ever asks you, "What do you do?” you'll be able to formulate just the right kind of mouth-watering response to make them hungry for more.

Bon Appetite!