In an attempt to escape the every-day hum of bad economic Recession news, I joined a new club (soda). I am now otherwise known as a Foodie. Lest you think I made that word up (I promise, I didn't) you can find it in the dictionary. Foodie describes a person obsessed (my term) with all things food. As I examined my memory (potato) chip for clues as to when I first became aware of my extreme food passion (fruit), I recognized a number of Signs that qualified me as a die-hard Foodie. Read below to confirm (or deny) that you are a Foodie, too. The more Signs you recognize in yourself, the more a dedicated Foodie you likely are. The more confirmed you are, the more selective you become when it comes to choosing and preparing food. Or critiquing it. Since obsession with food can sometimes be a bad thing, I have kept this "keen interest" to myself, until now. I realize that there are many more Foodies out there, who have no idea about the "club" (cracker). In no particular order, here are 10 signs that define a Foodie:

#1: You'd rather shop at Whole Foods (insert your favorite grocer, here) than Nordstroms (insert your favorite store here). It hit me squarely in the keester, after months of belt-tightening and penny pinching, that I did not need another new pair of shoes. What I needed and wanted, instead, was a package of cream cheese, stalks of fresh celery, a few ugly tangerines, and some Trader Joe's rice pudding (substitute any favorite food items here).

#2: When visiting Costco (or any of the warehouse big box stores), you sometimes enjoy a lunch consisting solely of samples. It may be difficult to refrain from buying tubs of ice cream, multi-packs of cereal, and/or burlap bags of rice and beans, but this is one place that encourages you to taste test as you shop. There is something so satisfying (and economical) about cruising the aisles of one of these stores with a mini slice of pizza or a chocolate-covered cashew in your hand. If you shop at Costco for groceries (and not tires or appliances), you are showing your inner-Foodie . Costco samples are delicious, and I make it a practice to always compliment the sample and the server. A member of my family had this job once, and it's harder than it looks. Also, the more samples given out and products purchased, the better the chance the sample server will keep/his or her job (full employment is the goal here). Costco is a good place to buy coffee in bulk, fresh seafood and party trays. And also to lunch.

#3: Your favorite section of the newspaper (if you still have one) are the weekly grocery ads. A member of my household actually reads these ads, and I know many people who clip the coupons from here and other sources. I have been known to glance over them, but I find viewing and comparing the store items in person much more reliable (sometimes the coupon items in the ads are more expensive than the comparables.Sometimes you have to buy a quantity to get the deal). Is it just me or is the fine print on the coupons getting finer?

#4: You no longer watch network TV. Instead, your favorite cable TV shows are on Bravo (Top Chef, Top Chef Masters) and The Food Network (Chopped, Next Food Network TV star, various competition challenges). Whoo hee -- who wouldn't rather watch a real baker turning out a giant Wooly Mammoth cake, than yet another fictional forensic pathologist solving yet another creepy murder. It seems to me there's just as much drama and excitement (who will win the $10,000? or a spot hosting a food show?) in cooking competitions as hackneyed murder mysteries. The camera actually shows drops of perspiration as the faces of the chefs, who comes in all colors, shapes and sizes. There's a lot of action as they race around broiling, basting, baking. Let's here it for real reality! And often incredible food.

#5 : You have a cookbook library that rivals what can be found in a bookstore. Count me in here, big-time. I've been collecting cookbooks for eons. I have the original Toll House cookbook (from the old Mass. restaurant), the vintage Elsie the Cow cookbook (lots of dairy dishes) and cookbooks stretching back as far as the Turn of the Century. I love artist cookbooks, and have some with recipes from Georgia O'Keefe, Picasso (Bon Vivant) and the Museum of Modern Art. Great artists knew great cooking when they saw it.

#6: You are closely monitoring the progress of the movie about Julia Child, starring Meryl Streep. You've already seen some previews of this film, Julie and Julia - due out in August, and you can't wait to see it. You know more about Julia Child than you ever knew about Barbara Bush or Nancy Reagan. You've got a few Julia Child cookbooks; you watched her TV shows; you know details about her life (like the fact she was a spy for the government).

#7: When you travel, you like to visit the local outdoor food markets. On a trip to Los Angeles, you visit the famous Farmer's Market. In Seattle, the Pike Market. In Santa Fe New Mexico, the weekly market offers fresh ristras and when you've worked your way through the tortillas and tamales, sterling silver jewelry is located down the aisle. Of course, when you're a Foodie, you photograph these local markets and their food the way some people photograph Hollywood's Walk of Fame and Seattle's Space Needle.

# 8 : Yelp is one of your favorite sites on the internet because it rates restaurants. Yelp offers loads of reviews pointing out the best restaurants in your area and/or any you intend to visit. Yelp helped me find a nearby eco-friendly, green restaurant for Mother's Day, and a new restaurant on the ocean for a family member's upcoming birthday. Yelp also prevented me from booking a reservation at a well-known restaurant where the food reportedly declined in quality this year. I surf Yelp as often as some people surf TMZ.

#9 : You've started cooking again. Research shows that since the "Recession" started, dining out has taken a dive (some restaurants have closed, particularly smaller cafes or under-performing chain stores like Chili's near me). Restaurants were some of the first victims of the public's belt-tightening, which led to increased cooking at home. Many people simply microwave, but some of us are actually consulting our cookbooks and hand-crafting dinners like quiche Lorraine with wild mushrooms and wilted lettuce salad (I wonder who came up with that delicious meal?)

#10: You write about food (including Depression-era desserts, bananas, Zodiac comfort foods, and Foodies). If you don't write about food, you read all the food articles (including the many excellent articles from writers here on Factoidz like those on Koolaid pie, chocolate cranberry tarts and coffee's benefits). You've developed a list of favorite food blogs and web sites, and that includes, of course, Factoidz.

There is no doubt I became a Foodie as a direct result of The "Recession" and eating at home. I've always loved food - just not to this extent. Over the past 18 months, I found shopping for and cooking food, with all of its colors, aromas, textures and tastes, a great way to escape the bad economic news blues. So as long as I watch how much I eat, I can't find any downside to my food passion (fruit) except a strong trendency to be corny(creamed).

Note: You Are What You Eat, a book by nutritionist Victor Lindlahr, 1942.

07.04.09.