Uncovering the Truth of a Foodie

A foodie is a person not only with an interest in the food and its different flavors, aromas and textures but how a specific dish has evolved over time. Considering the recent economic debacles, society has become more aware on what to dispense money on. Despite society best efforts in making restaurant reviews, cooking books, cooking classes, cooking equipment available for everyone, it has prove to be a difficult task resulting in spending a large amount of money and time. However, why does appreciating food and becoming knowledgeable and creative on it have to require vast amounts of money that the middle-class has to be exempt from it? The answer lies in a mislabeled. A foodie is sometimes confused as a gourmet. A gourmet is a foodie but in the sense that this subtype of foodie has an interest in high class food and expensive wines. Simple, delectable, affordable dishes are no thrill to this “evolved foodie”, the quality solely lies on how renounced was the chef who cook it and how expensive the dish is. But what determines one’s view in food. In my experience growing up in Peru, I remember seeing food as a means of getting everyone together at the dining table. This affected my view of food, I’m up for trying any type of cuisine but paying one-hundred dollars for a meal I find ridiculous. Yet others base their whole culinary experience in paying thousands for the best dish accompany by the perfect wine.

However, I do have to admit that the transition from Peru to the United States required large amounts of money, at this time only my dad had a job and we were forced to be satisfied with whatever we could find in the refrigerator such as leftovers from last night’s dinner, which we creatively turned into sandwiches or stews . This raises a vital point, money is fundamental to a culinary experience, thus a respectable socioeconomic status is imperative. Even though the title of a foodie is not centered on how much money one possesses, it does require time and a sustainable amount of money to wear the title with pride. One of the most influential networks for upcoming foodies in TV nowadays is the Food Network. However, these shows bend the meaning of a foodie by deviously replacing it with a gourmet. These shows include Iron Chef America, in which professional chefs battle in the kitchen stadium for the hopes of maintaining their title as the Iron Chef or receiving the maximum appraise that comes from defeating the Iron Chef. Their creations include high class chocolate inspired dishes that the middle-class person can only hope to eat once in a lifetime or be lucky if able to recreate. These not only influence us to try to recreate these dishes, but dine at high-end restaurants, forcing the middle-class population to save months of salary. Ruth Reichl describes a situation similar to this one in her book “Garlic and Sapphires”. Marion and she, disguised as Emily, decide to visit the Box Tree in which they find a young couple having the worst time and soon learned that they had saved their money for the opportunity of dinning at one of the most romantic restaurants in town. This society is attempting to redefine our taste buds for its benefit, to feed us false data as to what a foodie is. But foodies with a strong culinary background spot this right away. And what do they do? Educate the wider public, true foodies’ legacy does not end on self-benefit but on the enrichment that teaching others brings. This is why many foodies have their own blogs, published books or TV shows, teaching us how to prepare dishes in an easy, cheap and fast way.

Now comes the question, is a chef a foodie or a gourmet? Sadly, most TV shows depict chefs as gourmets. For example, Hell’s Kitchen depicts the struggles of sixteen chefs in the hopes of becoming the head chef at a renounce restaurant. Perfection is a must and so is ruthlessness, they all jump at the chance of becoming wealthy. Are there any true foodies left? Yes, there are foodie survivors trying to teach society about their culture. True foodies include Rachael Ray. In her TV show “30 minute meals”, she prepares entrees, main courses and desserts in under thirty minutes by utilizing products found in an everyday average kitchen. She has nothing set up, she makes her way to the pantries, grabs her ingredients , cuts her vegetables and cooks them right before our eyes. Not only does she cook relatively cheap food for the everyday middle-class person, she teaches us how to save money when cooking by giving advice such as “Instead of buying pieces of chicken, buy a whole chicken. You make that on Sunday, take the leftovers, roll that into fajitas, soups, stews, make your own stock. You've got to start thinking in bigger increments…”(CNN). A foodie must always be looking for new flavors and creativity, anywhere from a new flavor of pizza to the new way of cooking scallops. Time devoted to this activity is crucial. Who better to describe the latter aspect but Andrew Zimmern, another true foodie. In his show Bizarre Foods, he eats food found in an everyday markets, nothing fancy about it. But he brings a new twist to the foodie culture, he introduces the cultural aspect of it, every episode dictates his experience of eating food at a different country. Truly exceptional. But been a foodie does not mean liking every dish, it just means at least giving it a try and he does. He narrates his experience when eating Taiwanese “stinky tofu” which makes its presence long before you even see it. He gave it a try but never ate it again.

However, what if there is no time to cook after a rough day at work. Most people are prone to drive to a MacDonald’s or Wendy’s and buy a combo meal for about seven dollars including a drink. This is where the issue of obesity kicks in. Would the foodies and gourmets end up out of business if this behavior is to expand? No. This is where the foodie culture excels. Not only is it making easy and cheap food but in a small amount of time. By following Rachael’s Ray advice of stocking up, creating a simple meal can be done in a matter of minutes, just enough time to have the kids’ lunch ready and get to work in time. Yes, we have to consider the kids. One of the main factors of why foodies are to create 30-minute meals is mainly influence by kids. Middle-class parents’ most time-consuming responsibility is their children. Usually gourmet foods, which professional chefs enjoy cooking are not usually kid-friendly. For example, in an episode of Hell’s Kitchen season 6, Kevin admitted that vegetables, which as an adult he finds delectable, were not his favorite as a kid. Jessica Seinfeld, another foodie and Jerry Seinfeld’s wife, released a cookbook named Deceptively Delicious, which features kid-friendly food such as meatballs, pizza or hamburgers by “deceptively” including sweet potato, carrots or squash in them. Both a nutritious and delicious menu for kids not to mention affordable, since the ingredients are cheap and the cookbook alone costs $14.97.

Having considered the foodies’ trends, let’s consider the gourmets’ trends. One of the many trends that I find contradiction regarding the gourmet culture is the small portions of food. More money is been put onto the plate yet less food is given. In my opinion, the only reason for people having put up with this throughout the years is the “trendy and cool” ambiance it creates. Is a way of showcasing wealth. In this sense food appreciation took a wrong turn, leaving individuals hungry and cheated, even more if you are a middle-class person having saved a whole months’ salary for the chance of a fancy night.

Watching a TV shows host by a foodie does not make one a foodie. However, the foodie culture does better the middle-class and working class by trying to prevent obesity and introducing new dishes, both kid and adult friendly at a low price. The gourmet culture can’t uphold to these standards, their creations only seem fit to the wealthy, skinny and high end palate individuals. However, how about those in the lower end of the socioeconomic spectrum, the lower class. These are the people without a computer or TV that could enable them to become knowledgeable on recipes or cooking styles. They see food as sustenance not a lifestyle or as means of entertainment. They have no chance of becoming part of the foodie lifestyle. In the end, money is pivotal in this society and it divides the nation in four portions, the people who eat to survive, the people who enjoy of a standard culinary experience at local restaurants yet finding it fulfilling, those whose spend vast amount of money in sophisticated restaurants and then those not yet sure of the meaning of a foodie.

Works Cited

"Deceptively Delicious." 2007. Jessica Seinfeld, Web. 25 Oct 2009. .

"Rachael's Ray 30-Minute Meals." Every day with Rachael Ray. Reader's Digest, Web. 25 Oct 2009. .

"Rachael Ray: Great Food doesn't cost a fortune." CNN.com/entertainment. 10/03/2009. CNN, Web. 25 Oct 2009. .


"Taiwan." Bizarre World. Travel Channel, Web. 25 Oct 2009. .