The costs & flaws of food snobbery

Elizabeth Davies takes a look at a new breed of snobs who splash out for a fashionable food-centric lifestyle

1st Oct 13, 9:01am by Elizabeth Davies

<a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/">Image sourced from Shutterstock.com</a>

By Elizabeth Davies

When I finished primary school my grandparents took me out for dinner to celebrate.

I remember putting on my best clothes and nervously driving to the restaurant with my grandparents, people I’d never really been alone with.

They told me to order whatever I wanted from the menu, so my granddad and I decided to share a crayfish. He taught me how to use the vast array of scary silver tools to separate the succulent flesh from the shell. I even had my very own finger bowl. For the first time in my life food was exciting, interesting, challenging, luxurious.

Food has become a staple part of my life. Every family event centres around a meal. Food is the way I say “I love you”, and “thank you” and “I’m sorry”. Not to mention, shut your face by putting this cupcake in it.

When I was little my mum told me never to turn up to someone’s house empty handed, and I’ve tried to keep up the habit as I’ve got older. In the last year especially I’ve noticed that food seems to have changed a bit. It’s not just about eating anymore. It’s about fashion.

Everyone is suddenly gluten free, organic, free range and soy focussed, and you won’t catch them referring to it as a "dietary decision", rest assured it’s a "lifestyle choice". From quinoa to acai juice and almonds, every week there is a new "super food" that will supposedly change your life forever. These products may help your body but they will seriously hurt your pocket.

I thought I had encountered all forms of snobbery, until I realised there was a whole new breed of snobs with their own standards and rules. Young professionals are the ultimate ambassadors of food snobbery.

With cooking competitions overtaking the beautiful dirty world of reality TV, every second yuppie in his disgustingly well-tailored suit thinks he’s the next Jamie Oliver, destined to score nookie with a half decently cooked meal.

This strange new breed shop exclusively at places like Farro or Nosh, admitting you frequent Pak'nSave will be met with gasps of horror and pity, ( I hear they don’t even stock kale!). These are the same friends that always have more than one choice of alcoholic beverage on offer, and wouldn’t be caught dead with a packed lunch – even if it was in a simply fabulous retro lunchbox.

It all seems to have something to do with the belief that food’s price directly reflects its quality, which, when it comes to a lot of products, just isn’t true.

Food is following the same fashion trends that you find from clothing to home-ware and everything in between. You’re paying for the brand not the food itself.

Just like your Sass & Bide jeans or your Ray Bans, you’re buying your lifestyle, one dehydrated blueberry protein shake at a time.

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*Elizabeth Davies is a 23 year old post graduate journalism student at Auckland University of Technology. She lives with her partner in Epsom and spends her free time refurbishing vintage furniture and attempting to bake while fighting a daily battle against her bank balance. She writes a weekly article for interest.co.nz on money matters and financial struggles from a young person's perspective.

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14 Comments

by Elliebelle | 1st Oct 13, 12:29pm 1380583742

Elizabeth - you reminded me of this I read earlier in the year: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/16/vegans-stomach-unpalatable-truth-quinoa (The comments are... yes, well, you can imagine. PETA also provided a rebuttal in the interests of balance)

by Scepticism | 1st Oct 13, 1:37pm 1380587871

This isn't new... heard of fondue?

Tragically cool young hipsters need something to define themselves by... it'd be great if it went a step further and allotments and growing your own became fashionable, but that takes time, and while the food may taste better, it won't look as good on Instagram

by Kakapo | 1st Oct 13, 2:19pm 1380590344

The obvious solution with these people is to ruthlessly take the piss. An obsession with artisanal tofu=comedy gold.

by Ms de Meanour | 1st Oct 13, 4:29pm 1380598172

Or you could accept that different people have different priorities and different preferences and that it is none of your business what they choose to spend their time and money on.

by Alex13 | 1st Oct 13, 5:21pm 1380601314

A bigger problem is that many people, both young and old, do not know what good food is any more.

They don’t know that an apple or pear needs to be ripe and juicy, not “crisp”.

They do believe that having sugar-reach manufactured breakfast cereal in the morning is “healthy”.

They do not know that freshly cooked hot soup must be had on most days and that it is eaten with a piece of buttered bread.

They do believe that that fertiliser-saturated green salad is “healthy”.

They think that the widely advertised brown-coloured concoction from Cadbury is indeed chocolate and that it should be consumed as a “treat”.

They do believe that the hastily prepared under-cooked fried steak in a restaurant is “beautiful food” and even try to reproduce same at home, not knowing that truly good food is food cooked slowly and for a considerably longer time.

They do believe that “fat free” is healthy.

They think that sour cream is indeed a mixture of milk solids and emulsifiers as sold in supermarkets, - they never tried real sour cream.

They do believe that the widely advertised and often discounted flavoured “yogurt” is good for their kids and buy it for them on a regular basis.

They think that those supermarket sausages that are full of all sorts of chemicals is “food” and often make them part of their (and their kids) staple diet.

I could go on…

The result is though that some years later, when such “nutrition” renders its effects, people are surprised as to how come their “healthy” eating habits have resulted in them getting very sick!

by Mark | 2nd Oct 13, 9:45am 1380660353

What a horribly bitter and small-minded article, poorly conceived and badly written.

by Omnologo | 2nd Oct 13, 11:13am 1380665592

You mean like the people it critiques?

My father has porridge sin sugar for breakfast everyday.

It's takes a bit to work through a bowl, but it is good for you, and cheeep.

by Alex13 | 2nd Oct 13, 1:40pm 1380674418

Mmm, porridge, cooked slowly with some milk for 10-15 minutes, with raisings in it, then with mixed in (while hot) small quantity of good quality nut (e.g., almond) butter or, alternatively, with a blob of whipped cream on top... Beautiful breakfast. Obviously, your father knows what good breakfast food is - many people don't...

As to the article, the writing leaves a lot more to be desired but, hey, she is still learning... :-)

by waymad | 2nd Oct 13, 1:55pm 1380675340

Yah, porridge but not wiv raisings, I prefers peanots, and the occasional phrune or plume, or on very special days, bruin shugar.

by Gummy Bear Hero | 2nd Oct 13, 5:17pm 1380687445

Steep some prunes or sultanas overnight in gin .... then add them to the rolled oats a minute or two prior to serving ... a pinch of cinnamon , and a teaspoon of brown sugar works wonders during the porridge cooking process ...

... some chantilly cream , or a blop of creme fraiche at serving ....

I say " blop " Elizabeth , 'cos we're not actually food snobs , but we do reckon mankind has risen from the primordial swamp , and can raise it's culinary expectations beyond that of scoffing swill from a feeding trough ...

Porridge Haute Cusine : Flocons d' avoine avec du gin imbibe pruneaux !

....Yummy , Gummy , happy tummy ..

by Von | 2nd Oct 13, 5:53pm 1380689635

GBH - I'm reliably told that prunes soaked in gin are good for arthritis!!! Sloshed and stoned! Me - I love my rolled oats every morning - must try the gin with it!

by Gummy Bear Hero | 2nd Oct 13, 6:46pm 1380692789

Von : Mummy Gummy was a devotee of the arthritic cure , prunes steeped in gin ... along with Poppa Gummy , they chomped through 2 - 3 of the wee ginny feckers everyday ......

... and left the juice for yours truely to .... ahhhh .... ummmm ... " dispose " of ....

... either / or , it's a lot cheaper ( and sh*t-loads more fun ) than those idiot scammer cures for arthritis advertised every 6 minutes on a popular national talkback radio station ...

As long as your prunes are more stoned than you are , you can face the world with pride and head held high ...

Cheers !

by Von | 2nd Oct 13, 7:21pm 1380694875

Love it GBH- so much more fun than talking about the AK housing market!!!! Have a good day on the stoned prunes!

by Gummy Bear Hero | 3rd Oct 13, 2:46pm 1380764813

... as a healthy but snazzy alternative , cook up your rolled oats as usual , then grate some ( peeled ) apple over , and mix in ...

Serve up with a sprinkle of cinnamon on top , and a drizzle of honey ...

... wish Elley was here , am sure she'd have some topnotch French variants on the theme ,,,