Interesting Article on Culinary Elitism
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Interesting Article on Culinary Elitism
Finally a diet that I can make a lifestyle!
Started June 2010
6/27/2010 - 226 lbs
10/17/2010 - 203 lbs - 10% weight loss goal!
1/29/2011 - 182 lbs - 2nd 10% weight loss goal!
5/29/2011 - 165 lbs - 3rd 10% weight loss goal! (one more to go)
Started June 2010
6/27/2010 - 226 lbs
10/17/2010 - 203 lbs - 10% weight loss goal!
1/29/2011 - 182 lbs - 2nd 10% weight loss goal!
5/29/2011 - 165 lbs - 3rd 10% weight loss goal! (one more to go)
Hrm, there are more than two options for how you choose to eat - it isn't high end, expensive organic produce OR massively unhealthy high calorie/fat/salt/sugar food. There is bound to be a number of middle grounds in between....
This is one of my favourite food blogs:
http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/
Although it's US based so the prices and some of the items aren't applicable over here, I think it's great to be considering both health and budget (plus there's some really delicious recipes!). Perhaps more importantly, blogs like this encourage people to cook for themselves rather than relying on fast food or eating out where you can't control your calorie intake as much.
This is one of my favourite food blogs:
http://budgetbytes.blogspot.com/
Although it's US based so the prices and some of the items aren't applicable over here, I think it's great to be considering both health and budget (plus there's some really delicious recipes!). Perhaps more importantly, blogs like this encourage people to cook for themselves rather than relying on fast food or eating out where you can't control your calorie intake as much.
- Blithe Morning
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:56 pm
- Location: South Dakota
I take a middle road. I eat as much fresh as possible, but it's not always organic. I am learning to make more and more from scratch, but it's stuff like gravy, baked beans (although I do use HFCS free ketchup), ranch dressing, taco seasoning, roasted potatoes and sloppy joe sauce. I can make my own artisan bread and granola, though I've fallen out of the habit. I am contemplating making my own hummus next. If I buy prepared foods (i.e. canned, frozen or bottled or boxed) I try to make sure I can pronounce every ingredient and know what it actually is.
I think a lot of us are trying to find a way between haute cuisine and what I call dump and heat food. I think Jamie Oliver does a pretty good job of finding the middle ground, although I have to wonder what he was thinking with this week's recipe: salmon cakes.
I think a lot of us are trying to find a way between haute cuisine and what I call dump and heat food. I think Jamie Oliver does a pretty good job of finding the middle ground, although I have to wonder what he was thinking with this week's recipe: salmon cakes.
- Blithe Morning
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:56 pm
- Location: South Dakota
That middle ground used to be the norm.Blithe Morning wrote:
I think a lot of us are trying to find a way between haute cuisine and what I call dump and heat food. I think Jamie Oliver does a pretty good job of finding the middle ground, although I have to wonder what he was thinking with this week's recipe: salmon cakes.
I haven't looked at Jamie's recipe, but I used to love salmon patties made with canned salmon, egg, onion and crushed saltines. Yum!
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
- Blithe Morning
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:56 pm
- Location: South Dakota
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- Posts: 719
- Joined: Wed Aug 11, 2010 4:26 pm
I think it's important to acknowledge that there is a middle ground. For years, I thought you either ate only healthy foods, measured out your portions, and counted calories, or you ate what you wanted without regard to how healthy it was. Since I wasn't willing to give up all unhealthy foods and do all the rest, I figured I might as well not bother. Wrong.Blithe Morning wrote:I take a middle road. I eat as much fresh as possible, but it's not always organic. I am learning to make more and more from scratch, but it's stuff like gravy, baked beans (although I do use HFCS free ketchup), ranch dressing, taco seasoning, roasted potatoes and sloppy joe sauce. I can make my own artisan bread and granola, though I've fallen out of the habit. I am contemplating making my own hummus next. If I buy prepared foods (i.e. canned, frozen or bottled or boxed) I try to make sure I can pronounce every ingredient and know what it actually is.
I think a lot of us are trying to find a way between haute cuisine and what I call dump and heat food. I think Jamie Oliver does a pretty good job of finding the middle ground, although I have to wonder what he was thinking with this week's recipe: salmon cakes.
It's not written anywhere that you can't cook at home a few nights a week, and eat convenience food or takeout the other nights. (At least I hope it's not- that's what I've been doing for years) And if you do that, you'll be healthier than if you eat convenience food or takeout every night. You don't have to go to the extremes to benefit.
Oh, and hummus is super easy to make, at least if you have a food processor. You can start with canned chickpeas, or cook chickpeas. My biggest problem with making hummus is that tahini tends to separate in the jar. I was trying to re-integrate our tahini, and I ended up splashing the oil all over my shirt, and smelling like tahini for the rest of the day. There are worse things to smell like, though.
Fish cakes
I have also made this with Panko as the binder, and then put in a tube of Wasabi. Sounds strange but tastes yummy.wosnes wrote:That middle ground used to be the norm.Blithe Morning wrote:
I think a lot of us are trying to find a way between haute cuisine and what I call dump and heat food. I think Jamie Oliver does a pretty good job of finding the middle ground, although I have to wonder what he was thinking with this week's recipe: salmon cakes.
I haven't looked at Jamie's recipe, but I used to love salmon patties made with canned salmon, egg, onion and crushed saltines. Yum!
- Blithe Morning
- Posts: 1221
- Joined: Wed Apr 02, 2008 10:56 pm
- Location: South Dakota
I'm reading a book now called The Sorcerer's Apprentices: A Season in the Kitchen at Ferran Adrià 's elBulli a behind the scenes look at one of the most highly regarded restaurants in the world.
I read a similar behind the scenes look about a year at Cordon Bleu and enjoyed it immensely so I thought I would enjoy this one as well.
I'm not. Don't get me wrong. It's a well written book, so well written that I feel that I am actually there and that is why I don't like it. This hyper focus on haute cuisine food is really over the top. The food doesn't sound like anything I would want to eat, let alone cook (milk skin wraps anyone?). The kitchen is run on the premise there is one right way to do everything, including small things like pouring milk into a pot or unrolling a table cloth. Not that I would ever drop into elBulli should I find myself in Spain. First, it's closed now or will be shortly to become a gastronomic think tank. And second, it only serves 8,000 meals a year and 500,000 people minimum apply for reservations.
If I ever thought I might be a foodie this book makes it clear that I 'm not. Boy, am I not. I will stay firmly on the middle ground both in cooking and eating. In my world, rhubarb should be in a pie with strawberries, not turned to resemble a sea cucumber. Basil belongs in bruschetta, not freeze dried and dusted on candied mango molded into 3 dimensional leaves.
My middle class roots are showing and I'm ok with that. Good on you if you are a foodie. I can respect that. I am not a foodie and I can respect that too.
I read a similar behind the scenes look about a year at Cordon Bleu and enjoyed it immensely so I thought I would enjoy this one as well.
I'm not. Don't get me wrong. It's a well written book, so well written that I feel that I am actually there and that is why I don't like it. This hyper focus on haute cuisine food is really over the top. The food doesn't sound like anything I would want to eat, let alone cook (milk skin wraps anyone?). The kitchen is run on the premise there is one right way to do everything, including small things like pouring milk into a pot or unrolling a table cloth. Not that I would ever drop into elBulli should I find myself in Spain. First, it's closed now or will be shortly to become a gastronomic think tank. And second, it only serves 8,000 meals a year and 500,000 people minimum apply for reservations.
If I ever thought I might be a foodie this book makes it clear that I 'm not. Boy, am I not. I will stay firmly on the middle ground both in cooking and eating. In my world, rhubarb should be in a pie with strawberries, not turned to resemble a sea cucumber. Basil belongs in bruschetta, not freeze dried and dusted on candied mango molded into 3 dimensional leaves.
My middle class roots are showing and I'm ok with that. Good on you if you are a foodie. I can respect that. I am not a foodie and I can respect that too.
I found the same article on http://summertomato.com/ and she called it "excellent" - although, in my opinion, she does the same thing.
(Whole grain) Bread and pasta are baaad!
Meat is baaad!
Buying produce at the grocery store is baaad!
Eating lots of fruit (--> sugar) is baaad!
are things she implies (or even states outright) in her blog.
I mean, sure, rice, vegetarian foods, buying things at the farmer's market and eating more vegetables may be slightly better for you, but if you read her blog, you may think, "OMG, I'm eating all the above things she classified as bad! I might as well give up and go back to eating WonderBread, bagels, huge steaks and no fruits/vegetables whatsoever anymore!!"
And that would suck.
(Whole grain) Bread and pasta are baaad!
Meat is baaad!
Buying produce at the grocery store is baaad!
Eating lots of fruit (--> sugar) is baaad!
are things she implies (or even states outright) in her blog.
I mean, sure, rice, vegetarian foods, buying things at the farmer's market and eating more vegetables may be slightly better for you, but if you read her blog, you may think, "OMG, I'm eating all the above things she classified as bad! I might as well give up and go back to eating WonderBread, bagels, huge steaks and no fruits/vegetables whatsoever anymore!!"
And that would suck.
There's only us, there's only this
Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.
No other road, no other way,
No day but today.
Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.
No other road, no other way,
No day but today.
Well, what are you supposed to eat????Anoulie wrote:I found the same article on http://summertomato.com/ and she called it "excellent" - although, in my opinion, she does the same thing.
(Whole grain) Bread and pasta are baaad!
Meat is baaad!
Buying produce at the grocery store is baaad!
Eating lots of fruit (--> sugar) is baaad!
are things she implies (or even states outright) in her blog.
__________
I read the article and I think he is a donkey (to put it nicely). I don't think butter is making us fat and I don't think that people who watch Paula's show cook like she does everyday. I think people watch her show and pick up a few things and try them out every now and then. Nobody's frying butter at every meal. The author made a good point too about the fact that some will frown at having bacon for breakfast on Sunday but will applaud a chef who can cook a good piece of porkbelly. Butter is a star on the Paula Deen show and foie gras shines on Top Chef. Which items can the family of five living on one income afford?
Start date: August 31, 2011
Pregnant
Pregnant
I was trying to write a post that would deal with some of the points brought up here, when something occurred to me:
In the US, it's considered elitist to eat seasonally and locally and seek out organic food. In much of the rest of the world, that is how food is grown and consumed.
In much of the rest of the world, it's considered elitist to omit entire food groups from your diet (to be vegetarian or vegan or omit grains, etc). In the US, that is (more) normal.
In the US, it's unusual to cook your meals from scratch. In most of the rest of the world, that's the norm.
In the US, it's considered elitist to eat seasonally and locally and seek out organic food. In much of the rest of the world, that is how food is grown and consumed.
In much of the rest of the world, it's considered elitist to omit entire food groups from your diet (to be vegetarian or vegan or omit grains, etc). In the US, that is (more) normal.
In the US, it's unusual to cook your meals from scratch. In most of the rest of the world, that's the norm.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."
"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."