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elitism and food
Since there have been a number of debates about this issue, I wanted to start a discussion to set out my own views, and to see if it is possible to debate them actually in terms of the argument and not personalities.
I understand that some people take real pleasure in cookery and the whole arena of food... in finding and sourcing rare ingredients, ingredients that are fresh and in season and local. I spend a lot of money in my life following football. If somebody else chooses to spend a lot of monet in their life on expensive ingredients, its not for me to say that their choice or more or less valid than mine, its a hobby.
I dont have any issue with people who have dinner parties
I dont have any problem with people who drink wine rather than beer
I dont have any criticism of someone who wants to spend two hours effort and half a day time making their own bread rather than spending £0.99 to buy fresh bake from a baker which to me would taste just as good.
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But I dont see why they want to criticise me if I buy my bread rather than bake it. I dont understand why some people have a problem with a pizza that is made in two minutes with 4 ingredients. I dont get why anyone has an issue if I like pasta and a nice tomato sauce better than I like half baked swordfish served with rissoto rice and asparagus foam, etc etc etc - whatever YOU would call a nice meal.
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Let me tell you, when I share my recipes on this board - I dont think that in a blind taste test they would be as nice as someone who works as a chef.
I dont think I am a better cook than someone who does it for a living. If I was, they shouldnt be in that job.
But I do believe there are a LOT of people out there who are just like I was say two years ago:
Eating junk food, take outs, pre-made meals you heat in the microwave, sandwiches and crisps and trash rather than meals. People who dont cook hardly at all because they are lazy, just dont have any recipes, just dont have the confidence or the habit.
And when I post my recipe, I am offering it to those people.
These are not people who will likely EVER care about food in the way you do.
These are not people who will ever have your passion, or who will ever see food as a creative art.
But they are people who can become like I am now... get into the habit of making simple, cheap meals. Realise that homemade food most times tastes nicer than junkfood. Realise that you can put together healthy, cheap, tasty meals cheaply and quickly and simply.
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And when the food elitists say "how dare I jokingly use the title chef when I talk about how I chef a meal" When they say I insult those who really love food when I compare my own simple meals... I tell you honestly - there are more people in the world who given the choice, 99/100 times would prefer to make a pizza in 5 minutes than spend an hour making the dough from scratch. At least 9 out of 10 people would rather put some cheese and tomato and onion on a pitta bread and grill it than spend two hours making everything from scratch.
You may well win a taste test challenge.
But my recipe would be the one that more people would prefer to follow.
And the fact that you prefer to make your own dough, mash your own tomato puree, whatever else... thats fine, its a perfectly reasonable hobby to have. But it DOES NOT make you better than the 9 out of 10 people who do not cook for pleasure, but who cook to pit a meal on the table for themselves and their family.
Anymore than I am better than you if I know more about football than you.
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This is my position.
I await to some the comments of the foodies, and why they think it is bad to not really care about food, to simply want to eat something relatively nice and relatively cheap that took relatively little effort to make.
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"Do not tell lies, and do not do what you hate,
for all things are plain in the sight of Heaven. For nothing
hidden will not become manifest, and nothing covered will remain
without being uncovered."
The Gospel of Thomas
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