I could never be a true foodie, because I let my conscience interfere with my tastebuds. In fact, I let all kinds of things affect my appreciation for a great meal. In other words, I think too much before I eat.

Here are a few examples: I have qualms about buying fois gras (horribly cruel to poultry) or plunking a lobster into a pot of boiling water (surely bad for the karma). I rarely even eat meat (Saturated fat! E.coli scares! The Meatrix! Bones freak me out!). These ideas just make confirmed gastronomes shake their heads with pity.

While I may never be a bonafide epicurean, I think it's fair to call myself an ethicurean. I learned that word and concept from a great blog that I found when I was poking around Epicurious.com, a site this wanna-be foodie checks out pretty often.

The Ethicurean is written by and for people who value the taste of their food, as long as it is sustainable, organic, local and/or ethical. As they put it, it's for people who believe in SOLE food. Or (and I like this better) people who want to "chew the right thing."

A brief review of their posts—which are written by six people around the country who share an ethics policy —taught me all kinds of helpful things. For instance:

• A rice cooker conserves up to three times the energy of cooking rice on the stove. And it makes perfect rice.

• Have you heard disturbing rumors about the Chilean sea bass served at the wedding of Al Gore's daughter? Don't believe it. It seems that the endangered fish was served by the groom's family and had been previously approved by the Marine Stewardship Council.

• Some Los Angeles restaurants are going greener by using solar-powered dishwashers and biodiesel delivery trucks. Still, they continue to sell bottled water.
  

It's stuff that I find both interesting and helpful as I try to wade through the ever-more challenging process of buying and eating food. We all know that it can be hard to chew the right thing—especially when there are a lot of mixed messages swirling around.

So I've bookmarked The Ethicurean and I'm so pleased to find an online resource that understands that food is much more delicious when it doesn't come with a side order of guilt.