When did we become food snobs?

slovelad

I remember in college I would druel over hungry howies pizza or some gas station wings...now I wouldn’t eat it if it was free.

after I started egging, I look way to closely at the quality of food...

when was it for you?

nolaegghead

When we achieve the luxury of choice (aka "means"), coupled with education (we learn what is "good").  Add a pinch of arrogance, high-falutiness (made up word) and the desire to show-off to others in order to elevate the self's super-ego, and...whenever that was.  Or when you learned ramen gets boring.

dmourati

I don't think foodie necessarily equates with haughtiness. Knowledge is power in this case. Good ingredients, thoughtful preparation, nice presentation all go a long way. Once you grasp those concepts, you can spot flaws when others fall short.

It's a bit of a mixed blessing. 

nolaegghead

You eat with your mind.

evie1370

Funny thing-it began when I quit smoking. Granted that was almost 40 years ago, but I started noticing the taste of food. Then gradually, as I had the economic mean to eat and cook really good food I became picky. I do not think of myself as a snob-I am just a discerning consumer.

Also over the years I am a real wine snob. If I am out, and do not like the wine list, I will drink a mixed drink-or water. I cannot stomach bad booze anymore.

nolaegghead

"Snob" is both a connotation and pejorative.  Or a badge of honor.  Funny how words work.

jabam

I’ll still grab an In and Out double double now and again. Or some A&W chicken tenders. 

But put me in a steak house  and I won’t order a steak. Usually will go with whatever chicken dish they serve. The steaks I cook at home are cooked the way we like them, rarely get them the same way at a steak house. 

Was gifted a gift card to Ruth’s Chris a couple of years ago, the wife ordered a rib eye and I had the filet. Neither one of us finished our steak. Took the remainder home for our Lab “Halle”. 

Sea2Ski

For me it was when I had to start paying for food which was in high school. It progressed further in college when I wanted to eat “better” food. Years later, I came to the realization that I could not eat as much of whatever I wanted and had to cut back on the volume, so like you, quality trumped quantity.

Now I go with the mentality of “you only get about 1000 meals a year - each one of them should count”.

Hopefully it will be many more years, but I see my next mentality being along the lines of “This could be my last meal, so I have to make it a good one.”

lkapigian

nolaegghead said:

"Snob" is both a connotation and pejorative.  Or a badge of honor.  Funny how words work.

My favorite word can be a Transitive Verb , Intransitive Verb,an Adjective, Adverb as an Adverb enhancing an Adjective, a Noun , just an all around versatile word

WeberWho

I'll still eat just about anything. Cardboard pizza, brat from the gas station, Burger King. I'm down. I'm even looking forward to my breaded fish sandwich from the Kwik Trip gas station this Friday with a chocolate milk. (Lent and gave up pop during it) Yep I'm weird.

nolaegghead

lkapigian said:

nolaegghead said:

"Snob" is both a connotation and pejorative.  Or a badge of honor.  Funny how words work.

My favorite word can be a Transitive Verb , Intransitive Verb,an Adjective, Adverb as an Adverb enhancing an Adjective, a Noun , just an all around versatile word

F*CK!

fishlessman

finally perfected meatballs this weekend. been working on it for years and no matter how snobby the recipe, beef, pork, veal, grated parm, bread cubes etc......

3 pounds cheap burger
2 packets lipton soup mix
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/8 cup green can stinky cheese
2 eggs

bake at 400 20 minutes, then broil til sizzling brown. bake 350 covered with ragu sauce (covered, an actual cover) 45 minutes

lkapigian

nolaegghead said:

lkapigian said:

nolaegghead said:

"Snob" is both a connotation and pejorative.  Or a badge of honor.  Funny how words work.

My favorite word can be a Transitive Verb , Intransitive Verb,an Adjective, Adverb as an Adverb enhancing an Adjective, a Noun , just an all around versatile word

F*CK!

  

Ozzie_Isaac

I still lile Kraft Mac'N Cheese.  Although I do doctor my ramen.

Eoin

I've always been fussy about the quality of the food I eat, which is why I learned to cook for myself in my teens.  I still like cooking now, the addition of the Eggs has just made it more interesting (and starting on the road of cooking outside has opened up a whole new set of options without worrying about space restrictions). Food snob - probably.

poster

fishlessman said:

finally perfected meatballs this weekend. been working on it for years and no matter how snobby the recipe, beef, pork, veal, grated parm, bread cubes etc......

3 pounds cheap burger
2 packets lipton soup mix
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/8 cup green can stinky cheese
2 eggs

bake at 400 20 minutes, then broil til sizzling brown. bake 350 covered with ragu sauce (covered, an actual cover) 45 minutes

whats green can stinky cheese? sounds interesting

nolaegghead

Botch

First years in the Air Force.  I would go TDY once, twice a month, and the "elders" knew where to go eat: seafood in Orlando, real barbeque in Austin, green chile in Albuquerque, paella in New Jersey, lobster & blue crab in Boston, Chinese and sushi in Silicone Valley, and alder-smoked salmon in Seattle.  I even took them out for real lutefisk when we went to the Twin Cities!  
It wasn't until my second assignment, to Kirtland/Albuquerque in 1987, that I really began to learn to cook; it's been a learning/growing process ever since.  I don't consider myself a snob, just a lucky guy who lived at the right time and place in History, with enough "means" to eat well.    

fishlessman

poster said:

fishlessman said:

finally perfected meatballs this weekend. been working on it for years and no matter how snobby the recipe, beef, pork, veal, grated parm, bread cubes etc......

3 pounds cheap burger
2 packets lipton soup mix
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/8 cup green can stinky cheese
2 eggs

bake at 400 20 minutes, then broil til sizzling brown. bake 350 covered with ragu sauce (covered, an actual cover) 45 minutes

whats green can stinky cheese? sounds interesting

GrillSgt

I was lucky enough to grow up with good cooks all around. Mom was adventurous and prepared "exotic" dishes. It doesn't cost more to eat well, just may take a little more work. When we vacationed we would eat at a top restaurant for lunch, same great food just a heck of a lot cheaper. Alas we had shaky cheese also.

blasting

I became a food snob back when I realized I could cook a steak with all the trimmings for the same as a combo #1.

HoustonEgger

Growing up at home - food was at best hamburger helper or "burritos" with can of refried beans, microwaved hamburger, preshredded cheese and flour tortillas.  

Once I left home, the military food was way better then home cooking. I can still eat MRE's for days. 

When I lived in NYC, the food choices got much better but also more $. So I lived for parties that served appetizers & food. Not much choice to be had, but lots of great food. Never had Indian, Thai or even Jewish food until I moved to NYC. 

After leaving there and heading to Texas - my meat choices got even pickier thanks to getting a BGE and now knowing what a good steak should taste like. As well as ribs, pulled pork, chicken and salmon. 

fishlessman

when i was 16 and had the car my parents were having extra guests and mom sent me to the butcher for "good" steaks. we were having new england steak tips(flap steak) they were out and the butcher suggested porterhouse. i was literally punished for not getting the good steaks and had to choke those porterhouse steaks down, the guests got the good flap meat.  i really wonder what the guests thought of kids eating big thick porterhouse steaks and they got the flap meat

Legume

I am more particular when a meal represents my time (preparation) or my money.  I have had my share of great meals that were mediocre food shared with friends.  I will eat an overdone steak or bland lasagna that friends or family serve or buy and not think twice except to avoid that restaurant in the future.

A restaurant may not make a steak that suits me as well as my own, but I would bet it’s still better than that chicken. 

Biggreenpharmacist

fishlessman said:

finally perfected meatballs this weekend. been working on it for years and no matter how snobby the recipe, beef, pork, veal, grated parm, bread cubes etc......

3 pounds cheap burger
2 packets lipton soup mix
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/8 cup green can stinky cheese
2 eggs

bake at 400 20 minutes, then broil til sizzling brown. bake 350 covered with ragu sauce (covered, an actual cover) 45 minutes

Sub sleeve of crushed ritz for breadcrumbs and you have my go to meatball recipe. 

vb4677

I think it starts once you have the opportunity to try something different/better.  

I remember growing up in SE Missouri in the '70's and people talking about not eating Italian food because it was too spicy.  Mexican food was just a simple hard shell taco, and forget about salmon, shellfish, Chinese, French, Cajun, Spanish, etc...  I was a junior in college before I ever had a bagel ! Heck, we raised our kids on bagels and Chinese and Mexican and Cajun and more varieties of ethnic food!

Fast forward to today and I've got all sorts of cooking and brewing toys, creating all sorts of tastes and sensory experiences.  I've taught myself to BBQ/smoke, wok, cold smoke, high temp pizzas and all that - what a ride!

I'd like to reframe it to improving my understanding, offerings, expertise and senses rather than snobbery.

nolaegghead

As we grow through our lifespan we change priorities.  birth => boobs, cartoons, sex, food, cartoons => death

may we all stay in the sex/food stage as long as possible.

jeponline

jabam said:

I’ll still grab an In and Out double double now and again. Or some A&W chicken tenders. 

But put me in a steak house  and I won’t order a steak. Usually will go with whatever chicken dish they serve. The steaks I cook at home are cooked the way we like them, rarely get them the same way at a steak house. 

Was gifted a gift card to Ruth’s Chris a couple of years ago, the wife ordered a rib eye and I had the filet. Neither one of us finished our steak. Took the remainder home for our Lab “Halle”. 

Ruth’s Chris has some sliders I like, but I’ll never get their steak again. 

Gulfcoastguy

We always had large gardens when I was growing up. My parents always bought a grass fed beef from my uncle also. Now admittedly Mom thought a steak was only done when red was a distant memory and Dad planted the same six things. I couldn’t do anything about the meat but as soon as I had a paper route I started buying different seeds. Now when I had a grown up job I went whole hog.

gdenby

I still like Kraft mac-n-cheese, Gortons' fish sticks and Chef Boyardee's ravioli.

But a few decades ago, my mom, the family's premier cook became too sick to host dinners. I tried to fill in, and was awful. Started paying attention to what I was doing, and was really quite flattered when my wife and kids said some spaghetti w. sauce I made from scratch was good enough for restaurant food. I tried to explain that it was just (barely) decent home cooking.

So, I kept working at it. I suppose anyone who cooks just to please their friends and family will get to the point where they realize that most of what is offered pre-made, or from most restaurants is OK at best. More often, well, it won't kill you, quickly.

And I recall there were the working men's taverns and grills, w. real cooks. .50 for a bowl of goulash that made the next 4 hours on the line tolerable. Eggs over easy, and ready before the coffee cooled enough to drink when you got up at daybreak. Fancy Fridays, with crispy catfish, and sometimes the accordion player would show up. So I have something as a base line.

thetrim

I still like the McRib and make frequent trips to Taco Bell.