Food snobbery. Who has the right to tell others they are eating inferior stuff?
 

I came across this article, actually I was looking for the words "Food snob" and found this.

I think this whole category has a lot to do with people's personal values, what they consider important, what they were taught as children and their own personal taste. I think it has to do with manners too, which is another thing dealing with private values and rules.

Here is the article; ( I am not an Oscar Meyer Hot dog person. I like Nathans) Oops, that sound snobbish, doesn't it?

http://snobsite.com/food_explained.php

P.S. I am not touting this article, just saying I am often annoyed by some people who post on this forum thinking they are superior when it comes to their choices of food. Who's to say?

In my experience people either eat just to sustain themselves (these folks tend to remain lean as food means little or nothing to them) and those who truly enjoy food. Most of us develop a taste for what we eat growing up, whether it be Spam and lime Jello or steak tartare and flan; we are pretty much stuck with those preferences for life, be they salty, spicy, bland, healthy or unhealthy. The good news is that, to my knowledge, in America we truly have more choice in what we eat than anywhere else in the world.

Those who love tasty food will probably enjoy this book. The Man Who Ate Everything by Jeffrey Steingarten | PenguinRandomHouse.com

I think there are certain nutritional standards having to do with maintaining good health. Some things are known to bring us down healthwise--saturated fats, processed foods, and most importantly, sugar, are examples. If someone belts you for eating french fries and pasta carbonara every day, they may be considered to be a food snob. That's one kind.

The other kind is the person who likes to cook and follows the latest trends and methods and wouldn't, for example, tout Hamburger Helper over broiled salmon. Or like the fact that some restaurant is serving the same bland bagged salad with tired coated pre-shredded cheddar as opposed to whipping up their own salad dressing, shaving some onion, shredding some good cheese and using fresh lettuce and other creative toppings.

I think both these types of people have a point in today's food world.

Full disclosure: I didn't read the article. I'm too busy nuking my husband's dinner.

I have 2 sons who enjoy all kinds of food and a daughter who does not. So I'm not so sure it's simply exposure. I always had to cook 2 kinds of meals, one with and one without, fish and meat, spicy and not spicy.

Absolutely agree. My daughter likes all kinds of food and my son only eats meat and potatoes. The big joke was always trying to slip a vegetable in his food.

I agree. It is not simple exposure. We are probably born with preferences or we function better eating certain foods rather than other foods.

Too, some folks like to get out and try new foods and consequently develop new tastes. Others stick with what they have always eaten. People are different. I did not eat sushi until I was 49 years old. It took a while but I developed a taste for it and now eat sushi and other Japanese food a couple of times a week.

When I was younger I often joked that I was a human garbage disposal because I could eat anything, and lots of it, and never gained a pound. Then I got older, the metabolism slowed down, and I put on too much weight. Now I live by a strict diet, not because I like the cuisine, but because I like being lean and healthy. I avoid anything with added sugar, anything made with white flour, keep carbohydrates to a minimum, no precessed food, especially meats, no saturated fats, and very little fried food. Once I got used to it I have learned to like the lifestyle. I know that's not for everyone, but it works for me. If I only gave up beer then I could easily drop some more weight, but I gotta have something to look forward to.

And good for you. And as far as the beer goes, I agree with your reasoning. Don't make a lifestyle change you can't live with; it won't work long term.

My weakness is Chateau Palmer. Twenty years ago I could find it for $90 - $100 per bottle. Today it can be upwards of $400 per bottle, possibly because the winery is producing another wine on about half its acreage. Needless to say I only drank it on special occasions but now I drink it only on extra special occasions. lol

Chateau Palmer - Wikipedia

chateau palmer 2005 - Google Search

That's an unfortunate lifestyle change forced upon you!

Indeed!:cry:

I drink Chateau WhateverComesOutofaBox

I think February was a good year.:1rotfl:

I see you are a wine connoisseur also.

There are "foodies" and "not-so-foodies" in this world. Myself---I eat to live I don't live to eat. BUT I know what you're referring to. I had a friend before we moved here who wouldn't cook unless certain pans (I'm talking brand here) were used. The kitchen was A-1 first class and these were very middle class people. I'd bet the food in our kitchen tasted just as good.

Not food related BUT I took a class in college where we did a "road trip" and the manager of a local store took us on a tour. He talked about merchandising and how 'at market' the clothing all came from the same places BUT the different labels were put on them. Such as "piece A" might have a designer label and "piece C" has a store label. They might be the very same thing but because of the labels the prices vary greatly. From that time...I no longer was so hung up on the "name". Expensive isn't always better.

Whatever tastes decent!

With enough Chateau WhateverComesOutofaBox everything tastes good.

Awhile ago I was listening to a wine discussion on NPR. The guy said the best value in wine are wines from Chile. That's what I usually buy.

It is the same with car parts. A guy I know owns a shop which maintains Ferraris, Lamborghinis and such. If he orders a Ferrari part it costs maybe four times as much as if he orders, for example, a Volvo part so he keeps some kind of a cross reference file so he can order the Ferrari part under the Volvo name when possible; it is the identical part, of course.

I used to edit the off-line closed-captioning for Food Network, among other networks. So I watched every cooking show on Food between the mid to late '90s and 2006. I'm struck by the fact that so many of the restaurant chefs cook with dented, thin aluminum pans while turning out fantastic looking food. (Obviously I can't taste it, but it looks delicious.)

I think it's the cook, not the pans.

Thanks a damned lot! :mad:



I just spewed ice tea...all over my keyboard. :D

I truly do not think that you are a food snob if you choose not to eat processed food. I also think you are not a food snob if you choose to use a pan that does have a coating that could leave particles in your food.

For health reasons we choose not to eat processed foods. I own four cooking vessels that do not have a coating of any kind, while not inexpensive, my first one was a gift in 1975. I still use it today.

I don’t think that’s a snob I think that’s just trying to live longer.

Chilean wines are quite good and usually reasonably priced. Some of the Argentinian Malbecs are fantastic and typically not too pricey. Although I am not much of a white wine drinker I occasionally enjoy a Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand.

As I mentioned to Tomwed in another post, my definition of a good cook is someone who does need a recipe (unlike me) but just knows how to prepare food.

:boom: That hit me like a ton of bricks!

:agree:

Actually Sauvignon Blanc from the Marlborough region of New Zealand is my absolute favorite and unfortunately does not come in a box.

I have pretty simple tastes in food. I have eaten at very high end establishments and at dives. Some of the best food (to me) has been at what some would consider dives. We were in Maui at the Ritz Carleton for our national managers meeting with New York Life in the early 90s. We had gourmet receptions followed by gourmet meals with endless fine wine for four days in a row. I finally told my wife I would kill for a whopper and fries right now. She agreed!

Good thing it wasn't a...'ton of Velveeta.'


Because that would have been...a lot heavier.




:D

:1rotfl::1rotfl::1rotfl:

Way back when, I did show up at a wine and cheese party with a box of Velveeta just to rattle the host and get a laugh.
I wouldn't do that today.

Today you would need to make it into a dip

I heard it goes well with White Zinfandel:throwtomatoes:

but wouldn't know as I don't get near either one of them.

Dear Dr. Vinny,

Why do people hate white Zin? And hate on us? I love white Zin (and I’m not in college—I've already graduated). Why do people turn their nose up when they serve it?

—G.G.T., New York

Dear G.G.,

Well, some people are just rude. You should enjoy whatever is in your glass, haters be damned.

White Zinfandel is maligned by some wine lovers because it has a reputation as the wine people drink when they don’t actually like wine. It’s often made with relatively low-quality grapes and blended into a consistent house style that can mask the types of grapes it’s made from and where the grapes are grown. It’s also on the extremely affordable end of the wine-cost spectrum, which some people will only see as “cheap.” And the reasons you may enjoy it—its fruit-punch flavor profile and appealing sweet finish—are exactly what turn off some wine lovers. Sweetness can take the edge off of a simple wine, but it can also mask a wine’s nuances, if it has any.

I think you’ve hinted at the next point I’m going to make, which is that for some people (yours truly included), white Zinfandel was what we drank before we “graduated” to other, more serious and expensive wines. It helped me get comfortable with a wineglass in my hands, and most importantly, it gave me a reason to walk into a wine shop. It’s been a couple years since I’ve had a glass of white Zinfandel, and I imagine it would seem sweet and simple to me. But I would never want to be a jerk about it.

These days, there’s a bit of a revival of white Zinfandel—some terrific wineries out there are making it, but in a dry rosé style, which may or may not appeal to the typical white Zinfandel drinkers. And I should also mention that there are plenty of rosés made from other grapes besides Zinfandel at which only the most ignorant server would wrinkle their nose.

Unfortunately, there will always be someone judging you by what you drink. I have a lot of unsavory names for these people, but the one thing you’ll never hear me call them is “friend.”

—Dr. Vinny

Do you remember the Perry Como show I think. Kraft was the sponsor and they had the worst recipes made from Jet-Puffed Marshmallows; Velveeta Cheese and fig newtons.

or use it to bait rat traps.

Perry who?

Mr. Relaxation

Must have eaten the Velveeta

I agree with some of this. I have watched a friend of mine graduate from white Zin to Pinot Grigio to Chardonnay.