“There is no love sincerer than the love of food.”When nineteenth century playwright George Bernard Shaw wrote these words, he was probably not anticipating the invention of cooking shows, the rise of foodie culture, or the exponential spike in the number of accessible avenues for information about food which would only serve to justify his claim in years to come. In his time, epicures ruled the world of food. These type people differ from foodies in that they are known as connoisseurs of fine food and drink. Foodies, however, are just what the name implies, people with a particular interest in food. This food does not have to be from the liver of a fowl, the eggs of a frog, or be delivered on a silver platter in the expensive fashion of yesteryear. The rise of and improvements involving the internet and cooking shows and the increase of government assistance in purchasing food for the impoverished have led to an increase in the number of people called foodies, regardless of their socioeconomic status.
The influence of the internet on foodie culture is unmistakable. The speed and simple accessibility of the internet have made information about food more attainable than ever. In mere seconds a person can find the finest restaurant in town serving the best of a certain type of food for the lowest price. It can all be done from the comfort of one’s home. The Zagat Survey is a great example of how normal consumers now have access to information about certain restaurants and foods they may not have had before. Called “the gastronomic Bible” by the Wall Street Journal, the Zagat is the “world’s leading provider on where to eat and drink…” (zagat.com). The Zagat, and many websites like it, allow people to price restaurants. This makes these websites more middle-class friendly and allows them to offer those on a budget affordable places to assuage their interest in food.
Not only can foodies use the internet to find out where to eat, but they can also use it to determine what to eat and how to cook it. The internet offers so many resources which can be used to learn new information about food. A person can learn about the history of a certain food, the dishes in which it is used, nutritional facts and even where to find it with a few clicks of the mouse. If the word “recipe” is typed into the Google search engine, in fifteen-hundredths of a second the search will return over eighty million links. Cooking is no longer left to stay at home moms or those in the culinary field. A plethora of how-to sites and recipe sharing blogs have brought the joys of food to millions of people, whether they have gone to school to be a chef or they just want to cook a meal for a party. Online cookbooks are the new norm and many celebrity chefs such as Emeril Lagasse have their own websites. The general public can use these sites to learn about the exotic foods used in the kitchens of top restaurants, get recipes from great chefs, and even watch videos of the chefs at work. For those who are truly technologically savvy and who happen to be foodies, Emeril can now be followed on Twitter!
One of the biggest factors which contributed to the expansion of those who call themselves foodies is the development and evolution of cooking shows. Many people do not have the financial means to fly to Paris in an effort to experience foie gras or to Turkey to taste a döner. Shows about food have brought all the previously hidden and typically inaccessible aspects of food and cooking to our doorsteps.
The Food Network, established in 1993, has had a huge influence on foodie culture. With shows such as Thirty Minute Meals with Rachel Ray, it has led the way toward the creation of new, but simple meals in kitchens around the globe. Other shows like Boy Meets Grill are so personable that they allow anyone interested in grilling, whether they can afford to eat at a steakhouse or not, the opportunity to learn about different meats, grilling techniques, and spices. When Bobby Flay or Alton Brown shop for ingredients, they go to the same places the average person would shop. Though these details may seem minor, they help to show Food Network viewers that they do not need obscene amounts of money to eat well and enjoy their experience.
Critics of the rapid expansion of foodie culture to all socioeconomic levels claim that people of today do not appreciate food like they should. In his article Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch, University of California- Berkeley journalism professor and foodie Michael Pollan claims that people care more about who is cooking than what is cooking when it comes to shows on The Food Network. Pollan is right in that people do like to see personable, interesting chefs cook. He is wrong however, in assuming that people care more about the chefs than they do about food. By watching shows on The Food Network, anyone can learn not only what goes into cooking many dishes, but also how to plate dishes in a way that is pleasing to the eye. The Food Network, with shows like Ace of Cakes and Iron Chef, has made cooking and baking into widely publicized art forms. The more than forty shows on The Food Network reach viewers with different ideas about what is entertaining, but they all have one thing in common. They have a particular interest in food.
Sometimes people tend to believe that socioeconomic status determines one’s ability to be a foodie. If foodie is defined as someone who shows a particular interest in food, this belief is not correct. Socioeconomic status definitely has an effect on the type of food a person eats, but it is not correlated with a person’s interest in food or the making thereof. It seems, therefore, correct to assert that being an epicurean, in this case a person having luxurious tastes, is directly related to socioeconomic status; being a foodie, however, is not.
Foodies are all around. A foodie can be someone who grows his or her own organic vegetables in the backyard or a mom who wants to learn exotic new dishes to try at the dinner table. Foodies range from normal, middle class people to rich, indulgent ones. A foodie can be a local garbage worker or a New York Times restaurant reviewer. The only qualification needed to become a foodie is an avid interest in food.
Critics who argue that poverty- stricken people cannot enjoy or take the same interest in food which others can are incorrect. This assertion is unfounded because of the flexibility of the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Stamp Program. Every few years, the food stamp program is updated. It has now evolved into a program which does not restrict the types of foods which are bought using these stamps. Although those of a low socioeconomic status cannot be quite epicurean in their tastes, their membership in the realm of foodies consistently remains unhampered by the amount of money they bring in. Food stamps allow participants of the program to buy the same food as non-participants. Many organic and exotic food stores around the country have begun accepting food stamps. The ever-increasing number of venues which accept this form of payment help to prove that anyone, regardless of their financial situation, can appreciate and take a particular interest in food. United States Food and Nutrition Services has recently worked with the food stamp program in an effort to provide nutrition information to the less fortunate. These new programs such as Healthy School Challenge and the End Childhood Hunger Initiative serve to inform those of low socioeconomic status about different foods and nutritional options and can therefore contribute to their interest in foodie culture.
Food enthusiasts have been growing in number for years. The internet and television shows about food have made what used to be seen as a just a source of nourishment a true source of entertainment. These two media outlets have increased interest in the world of food by turning the preparation of things we eat everyday into competitions and creations of masterpieces. Government aid to the impoverished has helped to make many types of food available to many different types of people. Socioeconomic status no longer has a stake in whether or not a person can take an avid interest in what he or she is using to fuel his or her body. The accessibility of information about food and the daily onslaught of beautiful images involving colorful, edible creations make it hard to understand how anyone could resist falling in love with food. Whether or not a person can afford the most expensive nourishment, he or she can be involved in and enjoy the process of making, or learning about food. Rich or poor, that fact alone makes one a foodie.
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