A trickle of sweat moves its way down his forehead, pausing for a moment at his lips. A small crowd has gathered now, slowly inching closer and tightening the circle around him. He stares anxiously at the tall colored symbols sliding into place. The final reel jerks to a stop. “Bing bing bing!!!” screams the machine, and the onlookers erupt in applause. The machine spits out coins eagerly. He scoops them gingerly into his bag of winnings and decides he is finally satisfied for the night. With an air of confidence, he smoothes his new Versace suit and struts toward the most expensive restaurant in Las Vegas: Joël Robuchon. He is having lobster tonight.
Just as he passes through the translucent glass doors of the restaurant at MGM Grand Hotel and Casino, a distinguished couple is walking out. They have just polished off a classic French meal that cost upwards of $800. Eyeing the man’s triumphant grin as he clutches his bag of winnings against his chest, they immediately turn up their noses and scoot away from him. Who is this insolent man, parading around his money like a child with a dollar in a candy store? “He must be of new money,” mutters the husband, steering his wife away from the newbie. “These people have no class.”
From a bird’s eye point of view, this situation may appear to be strange. Money is money, right? But take a deeper look and it becomes clear that there are sharp distinctions even within the same social class. 21, a recent film with Kevin Spacey and Kate Bosworth, reveals this class distinction. In 21, a group of MIT students learn the trick of card counting and cheat Las Vegas casinos out of millions of dollars. They became masters of disguise, feigning to be part of a generation of wealth by carrying identification that linked them to top businessmen. In truth, they were just a group of kids with a ton of money: new money. Folks with “new money,” or those who joined the upper class without the help of a line of wealthy predecessors, tend to be looked down upon by individuals classified as being of “old money.” Yet within the world of gourmet food, we can group these subclasses together. Whether someone has grown up eating White Truffle Risotto at a nightly family dinner or is just beginning to delve into this buttery experience, the fact that he can easily afford to consume this type of meal makes him a foodie.
Being a foodie consists of two essential factors: affordability and taste. Foodies must somehow be able to fit the gourmet foods they consume into their budgets. Whether they do this by dining at lavish restaurants regularly or by using the finest ingredients in home cooking, affordability is a key component in the life of a foodie. Taste is equally significant. Foodies tend to savor the finer things in life, possessing taste buds that have been refined to take delight in luxurious pleasures that can go unnoticed by other members of society. Frog legs, anyone?
If members of the upper class can generally be classified as foodies because of their experience with fine dining, where does the other side of the spectrum fit into the world of gourmets? It has been argued that it is difficult for people of the lower, or working, class to become foodies. There is evidence to back up this claim, such as the high expenses involved with eating at extravagant restaurants. Many of the ingredients necessary to cook gourmet food can also set back a working class family with a limited income. It is important to note that adults in the working class generally do not have the time to cook delicious French cuisine, at least not the way Julia Child does it. It becomes obvious through The French Chef, a cooking show starring Child, that she enjoys taking her time when cooking and using the freshest ingredients, homemade if at all possible. This kind of preparation takes time that a working class family cannot afford to lose.
Other cooking shows seem to be directed toward the working class. Rachael Ray’s 30 Minute Meals cooking show offers tasty recipes, including some for tomato soup and salmon fillet. These meals, however, cannot be called gourmet. Many of them are made with store bought, packaged ingredients, a concept that would probably personally offend Julia Child. The meals also tend to be hastily prepared, lacking the delicate energy put into a true gourmet cuisine. Although cooking shows like 30 Minute Meals make cooking seem simple to a general audience, they do not train people to become foodies.
While I agree that it can be quite difficult for working class-individuals to become foodies, I make the claim that a large number of individuals of the lower class work hard to attain the title of “foodie”, and in a way, they achieve it. Why do so many people move past the obstacles of money and time to try and gain a refined palate? The answer is quite simple: status.
Sociologically speaking, all humans have a need to be accepted in society. Some may rebel against the urge and remain misfits. Others, however, will do whatever they can to gain some sort of standing in their environment. Being a foodie embodies many of the status symbols that much of the working class yearns for. It involves having the money to indulge in pricey cuisines and the sophistication to enjoy them.
Many examples in popular culture show the need of the working class to raise themselves in the eyes of society by becoming a part of the gourmet world. In the film 21, the newly affluent students quickly blew off large portions of their winnings at expensive restaurants and on expensive wines. While they do become part of the upper class as a result of the money they eventually accumulate, in the beginning they are just a bunch of kids, one of whom can only attend MIT on a scholarship basis. They are of the working class, unaware of this magical world of money and taste. The film does an excellent job portraying the joy these students feel as they sip champagne and relish the lifestyle of a foodie.
In Garlic and Sapphires, Ruth Reichl mentions a young couple that she met at the Box Tree, supposedly one of New York’s finest restaurants. Reichl describes the couple as naive and clearly out of place, yet incredibly excited to get the chance to eat at an expensive restaurant. The pair makes several awkward mistakes, such as not knowing when to taste the wine or what to order. Not only are they embarrassed multiple times, but they also do not realize how terrible the restaurant actually is, from the tacky decor to the almost nonexistent service. Yet the young man is still immensely proud to have the opportunity to take his lady out for an exorbitant meal. This scenario provides evidence that the motivation of the working class to consume gourmet meals is not for the classic tastes or atmosphere provided. The true motivation lies in the wish to catch a glimpse of the life of the upper class who wine and dine on a regular basis.
Examples of this claim are clearly seen in everyday life outside of the realm of popular culture. American adults in the working class are constantly striving to break free of the restraints put on them by money and the class system. They buy new cars and dine at costly restaurants, even when they are in debt and cannot afford to pay their mortgage.
Being a foodie is not a task; it is a lifestyle. The title must be earned and lived up to. The simple truth is that foodies generally have plenty of money and time to develop their passion for food. This can sharply limit the gourmet culture to the upper class. However, these restrictions cannot keep out the working class. The working class will continue to rebel against this system in hopes of attaining the revered title of being a foodie.
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