Food culture impacts many parts of our lives, from our history to our development as a society. Socially and ethically, a culture’s eating habits directly affects the environment around them. Who we eat with, how we eat, and how we obtain food are all factors that develop our society. When the industrial food industry began to mature, the importance of previous generation eating habits dwindled. Americans began devoting more time at work and less time at home, stripping future generations of the benefits of culture and knowledge that are traditionally handed down from parents to children. A subculture of enthusiasts still exists, however, within the increasing workload and demand of the modern times. They call themselves ‘foodies’, and they thrive without the need of wealth and status that is normally associated with fine dining. In our culture, changing times have distanced individuals from a cultural connection admired by previous generations.
Derived from French language and culture, the term bon vivant loosely translates to ‘one fond of good living’. The connotations of the word reveal an association of intellectualism and luxury living to developed tastes in cuisine and drinks. The evolution of food culture soon blurred the creation of new words to redefine a bon vivant: gourmets, epicures, aficionados. Each of these words bare striking similarities in their definitions and differ only slightly in their subjective connotations. Yet each word has been slowly phased out in favor of another. Conventionally, gourmet is no longer a definition standard, having been replaced by the other descendents of bon vivant and connoisseur. The connotations of condescending public figures and hierarchy have caused a rift in the English language definition of a person with taste. It is in this subjective imprecision that the term foodie was coined in 1981. More closely related to words like aficionado and devotee, the term foodie emphasizes a shift from sophistication towards amateurism, the learning and expertise on the subject of food at leisure. Foodie culture thrives, at its core, within the home, family, and heart. Some television shows began to cater to this ethic movement, but many shows fail to capture the ideology of a foodie. Outside of entertainment value, a foodie is not defined by media. A foodie loves food for its spirit, not for its social advancement or classification. Foodies are the geeks, thinkers, and hobbyists of food. It is in this comfortable environment that the foodie definition and culture thrives.
The dynamics of food culture changed dramatically throughout the 1900’s with the introduction of food industrialization. Electric stoves and frozen foods appeared in 1930 and began a large influence on the eating trends in America. Meals could be made with less effort and in less time. Though with a slow business beginning, the development of frozen foods eventually became popular in the 1950’s under the guidance of Albert and Meyer Bernstein. Swanson, a commercially recognizable brand to this day, began its integration of the frozen dinner during the period of black and white television. More and more, traditional family dinners were being pushed out of the picture in favor of convenience, both financially and time wise. As Americans devoted more hours to their employers and less to their families at home, fast, frozen dinners soon became heavily favorable. Considering this, it is not surprising that 66% percent of Americans were studied, in 2006, to regularly watch television during dinner, a strong pervasion of previous generation ethics. Dinners with the entire family, and without distractions, were normal for parents and grandparents. A family that is watching television at dinner is not having quality time together.
When I was a child in elementary school, my teachers would occasionally take a poll of the classroom to see a rough statistic of this phenomenon. A large number of my classmates claimed to watch TV regularly during dinner. Later on during my middle and high school years, the number of classmates who did not eat regularly eat dinner with the entire family was even more surprising. This social change has not gone unnoticed. In the pop art painting ‘Campbell’s Soup Cans’ by Andy Warhol, Campbell’s iconic Tomato soup can is used to hint at the industrialization of the American dinner. Despite the fact that more time was being spent in front of the television and less time with the family, this period marked a significant development in American food culture.
Pursuing a variety of food options involves both time and money. However, being a foodie does not require one to have a lot of free time or to be wealthy. Previously in our history, food was viewed as a delimiter, a divider, of social classes. In his article ‘Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch’, Michael Pollan remarks that food was the divider between humans and animals: out of all the animals in the animal kingdom, humans are the only ones that cook. The definition of a foodie, however, is sharply contrasted with these earlier hierarchies and definitions. Coined by Paul Levy and Ann Barr in ‘The Official Foodie Handbook’, a foodie, a hobbyist, is no more defined by class than a person playing baseball in a field or a person riding a skateboard on a street. An appreciator of the arts, for example, is by no means an artist or a connoisseur, yet they are still active in the world of artistic expression. In the same way, a foodie is by no means a critic or professional, yet they are still active in the world of food and culture. A foodie has an interest in the world of cuisine and dining, they appreciate food for what it is: a connection to people.
In this context, socioeconomic status refers to the average American household, where the categories of Education, Income, Occupation, and Wealth are factors of status. In 2008, the average household income was estimated at $50,233 by the U.S. Census Bureau. Compared to people in other countries, however, Americans spend much less of their disposable income on food: averaging roughly 9.9%. When compared with other high-income countries, the United States is one of the lowest: Japan, South Korea, and France families spend more than 13% of their disposable incomes on food. Thanks to the productivity and methods of local farmers, in partnership with external resources, the food prices in America are, statistically, taken for granted. Interestingly enough, only 48.5% of the income spent on food is used for foods away from the home. This trend has been steadily increasing where, in the 1950’s, only 25% of disposable income on food was spent away from the home. This trend relates back to the American relationship with the television, where statistics explore a deeper situation about dwindling time habits. According to A.C. Nielsen Co., the average American watches more than four hours of television every day. Annually, 250 billion hours of television are watched, as 99% of households possess at least one television and the average number of televisions in a household is 2.24. As people spend more of their money at restaurants and away from local grocery stores, less time is being spent developing food culture within the home.
With television entertainment at its prime, food culture on the networks have found their home within household viewings. In these ratings and viewer numbers, we can see the way contemporary America views food in society: as something to be watched, not practiced. Celebrity chefs such as Rachel Ray, Bobby Flay, and Anthony Bourdain demonstrate the abstract and seemingly easy nature of food preparation in thirty minute segments of euphoria, but many individuals do not take the time outside of the segments to reproduce what they watched. Other shows, such as Hell’s Kitchen, are pure entertainment: an unrealistic mess. The problem lies within the choices of watching these food entertainment shows. As the number of TV show viewings increase, the number of family dinners decreases. If Americans are able to devote thirty minutes of their time to watching a television show about cooking food or, in the case of Hell’s Kitchen, about yelling at people, why are they unable to devote thirty minutes to cooking a meal? People have the time to cook a meal; they just poorly manage their time.
It is possible to be a foodie in modern times without the need of wealth or a lot of time. The solution lies within returning to simpler roots: practices and traditions of previous generations that are being ignored. Americans are spending their hours in front of a television when that time could be spent with families in the kitchen preparing a meal. Instead of simply watching a television show on how to bake a turkey or how to make a coconut cake, Americans can spent that time actually baking a turkey or making a coconut cake. Taking an active role in time management is vitally important to this success. As a college student, I understand the importance of time management in my schedule. Rather than spending money on process items, junk foods, or at restaurants, return to simpler means: purchase fruits, vegetables, and other foods to make with the family. Not only is this a healthier option, but it also gives a greater range of flexibility in the kitchen. A tomato can serve more purposes than a bottle of ketchup. Rather than casually spending money at restaurants or commercial food businesses, spend the money on the basics. The basics will get families ‘off of the couch and in to the kitchen’. Considering the spending habits of Americans, the money, like time, is present. It is just not being used effectively as it could be.
Foodies stand against the negative connotations of wealth and status. This is because these associations do not capture the essence of food. Foodies are hobbyists that embody a truer sense of food culture in America. Their understanding of food value, not monetary value, trickles through the values of a family and down generations, much like the traditions of our parents and grandparents that are slowly being forgotten. In our lives, we are dynamic: constantly moving and adjusting to face the obstacles of life. Adjusting properly to this dynamic nature is healthier for food culture and development in America, and it does not come with a heavy price. Food brings people to the table, it builds connections. It comes with a simple price: management of time and responsibility of resources. It is in this that everyone has the opportunity to be a foodie, and that everyone is a foodie at heart.
Works Cited
How to be a Foodie. De Long, Steve, 29 Aug. 2006. Web. 24 Oct. 2009.
Income, Poverty, and Health Insurance Coverage in the United States: 2007. U.S. Census
Bureau, 2008. P60-235. Consumer Income. U.S. Department of Commerce, Aug. 2008. Web. 24 Oct. 2009.
"Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch." New York Times, 29 July 2009. Web. 24 Oct. 2009.
US Food Facts & History. Swafford, Jamie, 22 Oct. 2004. Web. 24 Oct. 2009.
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