Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Food Snob Baby

A few weeks ago, Kara upon her return home from a trip to Europe did a post about being hungry and she wrote this:

We may judge you based on your clothing, musical taste, political leanings, sexual orientation, choice of accessories, movie rentals, charities affiliated with, coffee addictions, home decor and sport teams supported...but not what you eat. It's just not done.”

When I read that we weren’t judge upon what we eat, I just had to disagree with her. Of course we judge people on what they eat. I know I do. Don’t you? Don’t we all have some prejudice about what people eat, or how they eat it? I think we do.

We’ve all, at some point, commented on the junk people eat or how much. I’m not even going to write about the obesity problems increasing in the world, but it is also flagrant that it’s not all about the quantity alone. That is part of the problem, but the quality is also a big part of it. We much rather go for the fast and easy than for the healthy choices. It’s sad to see that what is affordable for most, is crap. It’s almost like a vicious circle. You can only afford so much, so your options are not the healthiest ones. No wonder we go for junk food, or pre-made. It has, sadly, a lot to do with our budget.
I’ve been called a food snob, and often it’s self-proclaimed. I can assume it. Some of my snobbism does come from my childhood. My mother used to cook. She would prepare our food. She wasn’t a “can opener” as my father used to call women who would pop open a can for dinner. Maybe because of that, I’ve always cooked myself.

I can’t believe some people will eat sauce from a jar instead of making their own. It takes so little effort to do, and yet some people won’t even consider that option. Whenever we do groceries and I see someone buying a can of Chef Boyardee or a jar of pre-made sauce I almost get upset! I admit that, at times, I do enjoy a good old box of Mac & Cheese, but it is a seldom treat. Once in a while I do crave my Wendy’s Onion Rings or my A&W Teen Burger. Yes, I do have those cravings. But there is nothing as comforting as my own mashed potatoes. That is pure taste buds pleasure. Or a batch of cookies, not the Dough Boy type, the ones made from scratch! Yuuummmy!

I enjoy food. A lot. Food isn’t there only to fill us up, it should be savoured. I love to taste new things, discover new flavours, and new texture. I’ll try everything at least once. I also enjoy cooking, baking, etc. and I do; for others as well as for myself.

How about you? Do you enjoy food? Would you rather eat out or prepare yourself a good home cooked meal? Do you enjoy cooking or is it too much trouble? Do you judge others on what & how they eat?

8 comments:

lizgwiz said...

I eat prepared foods much more often than I should, simply because it's quick. And cooking for one, quite frankly, sucks. Too many leftovers and no one to compliment the chef. ;)

Annake said...

I have to admit that I use sauce from a jar. Oh the shame! ;-)

I do most of my own cooking these days especially since I decided to try to lose some weight. You're right, the "affordable" foods are really not all that good for you. I'm amazed now that I actually read the nutritional information on the packages. No wonder there are so many obese people these days!

tNb said...

As someone who rarely cooks, I absolutely adore and appreciate good food!

Unknown said...

Just because something comes from a can doesn't automatically make it bad. Read the labels; you can find some very good stuff!

Unfortunately, starches and carbs are both cheap and filling, so yeah, saving money with a full belly often means skipping the fresh but expensive in favor of the processed but affordable. I admit I go that route more often than I should.

Unknown said...

As the one who does most of the cooking in my house I have no shame in the fact that I use many a canned, jarred, and dehydrated dish. After working all day the last thing I feel like doing is making just about anything from scratch. As for judging people on what they eat, I would never do that...well, except for the English. Any nation that feels that spotted dick is an acceptable thing to put in one's mouth really has issues.*







*this troll is specifically designed to summon a certain indigo avian, and should not be construed as a total condemnation of all British cuisine which, while perhaps being a bit too guts intensive can be, nonetheless, quite tasty.

kara said...

oh poo...you wouldn't snub a reader on account 'a their liking spaghettios. and i bet you wouldn't walk out on a dinner party that served ox tail or something equally horrible. nah...you just like what you like...which is canadian cuisine ...which i believe involves rotisseried polar bear?

oh lordy but i'm cheesy.

Anonymous said...

Am I the only person here who does not recognise the names of many of the foods that you have mentioned?

Hurrah!

I do almost all of the cooking here too and make the majority of my own sauces. But I do have the odd "one or two" lurking in my cupboard for when I can't be arsed.

stinkypaw said...

lizgwiz: I know what you mean, cooking for one isn't as fun!

red: You should feel the same! ;-) And you'll always be Ananke for me... sorry!

tnb: Good food is just that, good! ;-)

tammie: I know that not everything in cans are bad, but the really good stuff is also more expensive.

marius: I understand that but some good dishes are no longer to prepare that some canned ones... I guess it's all about taste and choices.

kara: Not polar bear, but beaver! ;-)

pawpads: You're not missing much by not knowing what I'm ref. to. And yay for you for doing it all!