eruby, I know what you mean about labels. They can be a bad thing unless you label yourself, in that, you have finally found a kindred, or many!. For many years I felt like I didn't fit in or was weird (which I may still be

).
I can talk to people about all kinds of hotdogs, natural casing or not, mentioning their number to pound ratio. I'm always willing to debate dry versus wet aging of beef. And then there's how to make the perfect corned beef hash or that homemade tomato aspic I made my Mom for lunch when I was nine years old. For as long as I can remember whenever anyone I knew went out for dinner or to a party my first question was never "did you have a good time?" but "what did you have to eat?", even as a child.
I think that when I first read the term "foodie" in an old Gourmet magazine, when in my 20's, it was more of a revelation than an insult. I am many other things too, Mom to 3, wife and sci-fi nerd, along with that bad horror film thing I love.
I love the saying "Some people eat to live, I live to eat!" For me, I guess, the term "Foodie" is not derogatory but an affirmation that I'm not that weird and at least to some, I belong!