Cookbooks, restaurants, cooking shows, restaurant reviews; the list just goes on. Food influences the American culture in many ways and is much more complex than one may be aware of. Americans today are completely infatuated with only the small piece of the puzzle and not the puzzle as a whole; they only see food only for its nutritional content. Without realizing it, food has taken a central role in culture, society, and existence. Food is our main source of pleasure and satisfaction, and is considered a social marker as well. Family and friends typically bond over meals through socializing. Though Americans as a whole do not realize the significance of food, there are people who appreciate food to the greatest extent such as food memoirs and cooking shows. These people, also known as “foodies”, are defined as those who recognize all aspects of food. Nowhere in this definition does it state that one has to be well off in their finances or high in their social or economic status to appreciate the greatness of food, in terms of food, everyone can be a foodie.
The average middle-class or working-class person may not have access to appreciating good food all the time, but he or she still spends most of their time in food related activities. A great deal of our lives and the most time-consuming things we do are food-related. We get jobs to earn money to buy food to feed and support the family, we spend time buying the products needed for making food, and we take the time to prepare the food for the family. Typically, the time when family members bond most is at the dinner table; members talk about their day and share their feelings at the table. On top of that, when the average family does acquire the time to eat out, it is often treated as a special event for the family members. One may say that eating out may require a lot of money; however, it all depends on how efficient one spends his or her money. Those with money eat out at fancy restaurants frequently and take these events for granted and never really appreciates the food, whereas the middle-class family treats this as something special as if is a one in a life time chance and lives the chance out to the fullest. Ruth Reichl is pretty well off when it comes to money, and she wrote multiple restaurant reviews in the time she was with the New York Times. These restaurant reviews however, were always aimed at the middle class families so they would not waste their money at a swindling restaurant and get their money’s worth. All of this time dealing with food added up is a major way of how most average families and true “foodies” spend their time. Though cooking for a family may be one of the components of a “foodie,” loving what you do in a kitchen is important as a “foodie.”
Most Americans today see cooking as a nuisance or a job they have to complete. To be a real “foodie” one must indulge himself or herself in cooking and preparing meals. Cooking does not require people to be well off in their finances. Cooking is an event itself as much as eating or even breathing. It takes time and effort to prepare a good meal. Most Americans today cooks meals without any passion and the meal ends up being half as good as it could be. Bringing happiness into cooking is what brings out the best part of cooking and is what a “foodie” should do. Julia Childs clearly exemplifies this case and can be considered the quintessence of joy in cooking. In “The French Chef,” Julia Childs shows viewers how enjoyable cooking is with her “cheery enthusiasm, distinctively charming warbly voice, and unpatronising and unaffected manner.” (Wikipedia) Julia Childs was a true “foodie” who appreciated and loved food for cooking, eating, and even writing. On top of preparing and cooking meals, foodies often watch cooking shows and read cookbooks to further their experience with food.
One can still watch cooking shows even though he or she is not high in their socioeconomic status; in fact, most families in America learn how to cook from cooking shows. Over the past couple of years, cooking shows have become popular and even exists as a form of entertainment. Cooking shows have aided people in cooking for several years and has been free for the general public; one does not need to be rich to watch the programs. One of the programs includes “30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray.” In this television program, Rachel Ray cooks a meal in 30 minutes step by step so those watching the show can follow exactly what she is doing. Ray brings up several ingredients throughout the show and clearly states each time a new ingredient comes out that she purchased it when it was on sale. The ingredients Ray used were not of high quality, but were actually ingredients that everyone can afford. Another program includes “Iron Chef America.” Rather than a typical cooking show where the chef shows the audience how to cook a meal, this show is presented in a form of entertainment. The “Iron Chef” is about a battle between a new challenger chef and one of the “Iron Chefs” in a one-hour cooking competition based on a theme ingredient. Even though the program is between world class chefs, the show is still aired on public television for the general audience. These programs show that, again, one does not have to be high in their economic status to enjoy these programs. On top of learning how to cook from cooking programs, “foodies” take their time to read and learn how to cook from cookbooks.
Cookbooks have always had a great impact on society and can be dated all the way back to the 1400s. Cookbooks are the basis of food culture and are what teaches people how to cook certain meals. Cookbooks are everywhere and do not require one to be frustrated by an income because it is affordable and even passed down through family generations. In his book “Bittersweet: Lessons From My Mother’s Kitcken,” Matt McAllester learns to cook from his mother’s cookbooks. McAllester’s mother was a huge fan of Elizabeth David and bought most of her cookbooks, and when his mother passed away, McAllester started cooking from these cookbooks to rediscover what he loved most about her: the “thousand sources of joy” of food that was lovingly prepared for him by his mother. A true “foodie” takes the time and effort to not only indulge in fine dining, but also to prepare and cook meals. McAllester’s family can be defined as a middle class family, and his mother and him learns to cook through cookbooks. “Foodies” often learn how to cook through cookbooks, and it does not require a huge sum of money to purchase one and learn from it.
What exactly defines a cuisine or fine dining? Culture plays a huge role in this definition. Different parts of the world have their own delicacies that can be viewed as disgusting in America; for instance, in China, fried grasshopper is a delicacy. Would those who eat grasshoppers in China be considered a “foodie?” Would they be considered a “foodie” in America? The term “foodie” can very from culture to culture. Cultural background indeed plays a huge role. A “foodie” can appreciate and value food without the need for economic or social status. Those who are low in their finances are probably the most common people who understand this value; they make sure not to waste a scrap of food whereas those with money tend to scoff at the quality of the food rather than accepting what the primary existence of food is for. This is clearly exemplified when Ruth Reichl gives the remaining of her duck to the homeless man: “I expected him to tear into the food and stuff it into his mouth, but he did not. With great dignity he spread the scarf on his lap as if it were a napkin, then pulled the container from the bad and set it on the scarf. Removing the wrapping, he examined his windfall. “Roasted duckling!” he croaked. And then, very delicately, he picked the leg up in his fingers and ate it slowly, savoring every morsel.” (pgs 225-26) Even though the homeless man does not have any money, he greatly appreciates the “roasted duckling” and takes the time to eat it. After this incident, Reichl wrote an article called “Why I Disapprove of What I Do.” Throughout the article, Reichl states how rich people should not be able to indulge in delicacies that other families cannot even dream of; however, towards the end of the article, Reichl stated that “all it really takes to be a restaurant critic is a good appetite;” similarly, all it takes to be a “foodie” is a good appetite and a love and passion for food, regardless of class.
Garlic and Sapphires by Ruth Reichl
Bittersweet: Lessons From My Mother's Kitchen by Matt McAllester
Wikipedia
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