Eagle lugging a deer head causes outage: “JUNEAU, Alaska – About 10,000 Juneau residents briefly lost power after a bald eagle lugging a deer head crashed into transmission lines.”
I am not fond of foodies.
That is a generous and kind way to express it. I, you see, love food, love good food, etc. But foodies … they get on my nerves.
Hatred is, however, too strong — I retract it.
I do use the term, however, in a narrow enough sense so as to exclude from the category those who simply love food, love trying new things … are simply, innocently, curious and passionate about food. But do not fetishize it. Oh, youknow the types I’m talking about.
A gourmet is a person with a discriminating palate and who is knowledgeable in fine food and drink. [source]
See, gourmet does not sound bad at all in this descriptive, non-normative sense. In fact, I would argue that those of us who can should aspire to such status. Oops, I used the word status, which exposes the problem with many foodies, self-styled gourmets — foodie-ism is just a way to resume the 18th-century taste debate, which — then, now, and likely in the future — was primarily about one thing: class. Who had it, and who didn’t. There are and have been attempts to universalize taste, and it is not success here that matters but rather the democratic and humanistic attempt, but among non-philosophers (and even with many of them) the focus is class, status, distinguishing the haves from have-nots.
America, a country that still pretends to be class-blind most of the time, is rife with foodies, and foodie-ism is a middle class pursuit, much as the 18th-century taste debate was a concern of the emerging middle class. By trying fancy new restaurants that are not too pricey, by finding those great yet affordable (or at least splurge-worthy) wines, and so on the foodie grasps at that which the wealthy have at their fingertips without effort, and at the same time by visiting places that are upper-scale, out-of-the-way, sometimes a bit hidden or available really only to those in-the-know, the foodie likewise is part of a select society, at least and especially one that excludes the lower class(es), those who cannot afford to keep-up-with-the-Jones.
At the same time foodie-ism is projection, displacement, an American obsession with finding consumption-oriented ways to avoid real problems. Keeping up with the Jones — now not about cars or homes or kids, but food, wine, organic, etc. In the 90s money came easy, but class did not; foodie-ism is thus a revenge-of-the-nerds for those disappointed Gen-X-ers who weren’t part of the dot-com-brigade — at least we have good taste in … War in Iraq? Expensive bottle of wine. High gas prices? Try this place around the corner, it has XYZ to die for!
The word is a corruption of the French word gourmet, a valet in charge of the wines.
There is any irony here. Obvious and not worth mentioning.
All this having been said, I love most food shows. America’s Test Kitchen? Kind of neat. The Frugal Gourmet? Too bad he was a pedophile — great show. Good Eats? That’s what I’m talking about.
I suspect there is a thread of passive-aggressive behavior at work with many of the annoying foodies.
A foodie might easily get caught up in a taco hunt — a search for the best taco stands and trucks in an area. But this would not be an adventure for a gourmet, strictly speaking. Generally speaking, a foodie is a person who has a special interest in food, even foods that a self-identified gourmet would turn his or her nose up at.
Finding the best taco stand, the best burrito place, the best hamburger — yeah, I know some of those types of foodies. My [blank] is better than your [blank].
Give me a year or two and I might change my mind and act like a foodie.
Last year Andrew pointed me to Becks & Posh for some article, some restaurant, some food photo … I forget what, and I no longer care. The link was in my bookmarks. Another foodie is to be found at I’ll Flip You. Flip You For Real.
While I’m cleaning out links …
… how ’bout a knitted Princess Leia Hat? Knitting is another old-lady-hobby that, in the age of the internet, has spread like the clap in a nympho colony. All the cool people are doing it. I admit my fascination for most things arts-and-crafts-esque.
… if you saw The Brown Bunny of even if you didn’t, you might be interested in some Vincent Gallo Merchandise — his sperm, perhaps?
… and finally, to finish with foodies of the non-annoying sort, I leave you with the Foppish Baker. I think she’s in Madison or somewhere in Wisconsin.
This evening, after watching the most recent Heroes episode, I spun up the Dire Straits (I began Brothers in Arms last night, I’m now on Money for nothing [“Portobello Belle – Live”], and after that comes On Every Street).
