appreciating food

[navit]

Which are correct:

1) He sees himself as someone who appreciates food, not as a glutton.
2) He sees himself as appreciating food, not as a glutton.

If '2' is correct, is 'appreciating food' an adjective or is it verbal?

Gratefully,
Navi

[Alan]

Yes, (2) is possible, where 'appreciating' is a participle, and is therefore capable of functioning simultaneously as an adjectival object complement (or, alternatively, as a postmodifier to an implied complemental NP such as 'a person') and as verbal element governing its own object (food).