“Consumption of mostly junk food costs a mere $3.52 a day versus $36.62 per day on a nutrient-rich diet.” This Civil Eats statistic gives evidence that a person’s socioeconomic status directly relates to their overall health and opportunity to enjoy food.
A “foodie” is defined as a person who enjoys food and displays interest in it; and to “enjoy” means to pleasurable reap the benefits of something. So what are the “benefits” of food? Well food’s sole purpose is to provide nutrients and energy. After all, humans must eat in order to sustain life. Additionally, people also consume food for the purpose of pleasure, which creates the underlying problem. This pleasure of food builds the foundation as to why poor people are less healthy. Sure, if poor people try really hard to cook healthy meals on a daily basis then being healthy is a possibility. But to say that every day, one must cook three healthy meals a day is just unreasonable. My argument can be summed up with the question; can a person truly reap the benefits of food with little financial support? The answer is no.
“Adam Drewnowski, Director of the Center for Public Health and Nutrition at the University of Washington examined how obesity could be linked to neighborhood-level measures of economic prosperity and found that obesity rates reached 30% in very deprived zip codes but touched only 5% in the most affluent neighborhoods,” reports Poola Mottl. Again, when we take a look at the stats, poor people do not have the same resources as those who are better off.
In America today, obesity is at an all time high. At a constantly increasing rate, 31% of Americans are obese and 63% of Americans are overweight. Childhood obesity has tripled over the last twenty years. And 300,000 deaths a year result from obesity. These numbers jump off the charts. Doctors show that obesity leads to health problems such as heart health, diabetes, certain diseases, and increased chances of cancer. Somehow, people still love to eat unhealthy food. There is no way around the fact that people love to eat and are willing to sacrifice health in order to enjoy their food. So why are people so unhealthy? Here are two reasons: people want to eat for cheap and for pleasure. To do this, Americans often fill their needs with fast food. Fast food allows customers to eat for cheap while not sacrificing taste. A customer can order a tasty hamburger with greasy fries for next to nothing, this would satisfy anyone’s taste expectations. Some other fatal fast food menus consist of fried chicken, onion rings, cokes, milkshakes, and ice cream, all of which taste delicious but are extremely unhealthy. However, the main kicker to fast food is that it’s “fast” food. Nearly anywhere, at anytime, a hot meal is available. Whether your want breakfast before work or a late night snack at 2 AM, fast food is always there. It’s no wonder that so many people eat fast food everyday. So when a person is financially challenged, then fast food seems to be the best option.
American Industry thrives on the middle class by making fast food not just an option for dinner, but also a way of life. Fast food joints are on every corner, in every shopping center, on college campuses, in malls, even in neighborhoods. Businesses target people with unhealthy habits by making cheap food available anywhere we are. To display the affects of fast food, Supersize me gives a perfect illustration. Supersize me depicts the fast food industry by having one man eat all his meals at McDonalds, the most popular restaurant in the world. In this show, Morgan Spurlock has three different doctors monitor his health over a 30-day period in which he eats every meal and snack at McDonalds. Throughout the experiment, Spurlock must eat every item on the menu at least once. Also he must accept to upgrade his meal when asked by a cashier. This displays the fast food’s attempt to encourage unhealthy eating. Every single customer is asked if they would like to “supersize” their meal upon ordering, and Sherlock must accept each offer. Throughout the testing, Sherlock experiences all sorts of health problems from physical weight gain to psychological well-being. Over this time, he gains 26 pounds, experiences depression, mood swings, headaches, rise in blood pressure, and a loss in sex drive. He is even seen throwing up in the McDonalds parking lot trying to finish off a big mac. Sherlock claims that the only way to satisfy his mood swings is to eat more, which is later diagnosed as an addiction to the food. Throughout these trials, any viewer can see the obvious negative affects that fast food has on a person’s body. Sadly, this is often the best option for those who are economically challenged.
On the international level, the point remains. Other cultures have absolutely amazing foods that any foodie would love to experience. For example, traveling to Mexico to taste the native enchiladas with home made sauces; or traveling to China to indulge in raw fish with sweet soy dressings; or even visiting Italy and trying authentic Italian cuisine. All would which require plane tickets, hotel reservations, and lots of money. Even if this were a one-time deal, a person still gets to experience food on the international level. This reaches far beyond just visiting the local Mexican restaurant next door. When traveling overseas, one takes in the entire culture surrounding the food. The native language, people, places, land, and lifestyles all contribute to the integrity of the food. How would a member of the working class afford to take an international trip? They simply cannot, their socioeconomic status does not allow them. Also cruise ships and yachts often associate themselves with the best food in the world. These get-a-way vacations capture the whole dining experience by offering the best scenery and service while eating. One ship’s weeklong experience is described as, “forget the cruise-ship buffet. Foodies at sea can now enjoy the innovations of Charlie Palmer of New York City’s acclaimed Aureole restaurant on the Yachts of Seabourn, including tasting menus. And on Crystal Cruises’ Serenity and Symphony, passengers can experience the sushi extravagances of famed chef Nobuyuki “Nobu” Matsuhisa without the hassle of waiting weeks for reservations at his landside restaurants (and passengers in Penthouse suites can even order Nobu from room service).” This unbelievable experience again proves the point that to truly capture the foodie understanding, one must be blessed financially.
Even in our own country, different cities and regions have made reputations for the food types they serve. Hotels are often host to five star restaurants. So to travel across the country pleads the same problem. People simply cannot afford to stay in these expensive resorts. Aside from just the food bill, it takes a great deal of financial support for hotels, travel, and transportation.
Looking in our communities, people still face the same issues. I was taken to the Palm restaurant for a recruiting visit where I was allowed to order anything I wanted. I will always remember this time because of how amazing the food was. I ate a steak that was the size of my head, tender lobster, bread, salad, and sides. This was hands down the best meal of my life. However, the bill for me alone was right around one hundred dollars. No way could a middle class person afford to spend that much money. All that money could buy twenty meals at a fast food joint. So they again miss out on the enjoyment of food. Not only does the bill get pricey but other factors also make eating out difficult. Many of these restaurants require fancy cloths and hotel reservations, which again restrain those who are less fortunate.
Similarly cooking at home takes a hit. For obvious reasons, underprivileged people cannot buy the finer meats, the freshest fish, the huge lobster, or the best wine. They simply don’t have the money. More specifically, cooking shows are only made available to those who are wealthy. A person must have cable or satellite and an Internet connection nowadays to stay on top of the foodie world. And even then, a person needs a digital recorder so that they don’t miss a step or ingredient when cooking. Surely someone can’t just watch a show and remember every detail and ingredient for cooking the dish. On the Internet side, it costs money to subscribe to websites for recipes and incite to cooking. One lady described her own experience by saying, “I'm a Saveur subscriber for now, my subscription is about to triple from $11 to $29, so not much longer.” This lady loses her access to this website merely because of her financial status. Again, the financially less fortunate take a hit when it comes to food.
Yes cookbooks, food memoirs, restaurant reviews, cooking shows, and "foodie culture" in American society have made the appreciation for good food available, but that does not mean it is affordable to many in the American society (lower or middle class especially). At least not on the level of what the upper classes can experience in dinning at high end restaurants, experiencing during luxury cruises, or renting or owning yachts with personal chief's, as well as traveling abroad to experience high end travel and dinning. They are trying to duplicate the experience of the wealthy or upper class and not actually experiencing it, totally due to economic restrictions.
www.Americansportsdata.com
www.dictionary.com
Golden, Fran. "Celebrity chef? crafted menus, dramatic dining rooms, and exotic ingredients: cruise-ship dining is seeing a wave of improvements." Sept. 2009. Web. Oct. 2009.
Mottl, Pooja R. "Good food for all: Here now." Civil Eats. 6 Feb. 2009. Web. 25 Oct. 2009.
"Supersize Me." Web. Oct. 2009.
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