The Decline of Foodie Culture

Food is essential to human life, and eating good food is one of the most pleasurable parts of life. So why don’t more people have a strong interest in food? “Foodie” culture in America is being replaced by a culture that willingly sacrifices quality for ease and simplicity. Some might suggest that being a foodie is too expensive for the lower and middle classes, keeping them from truly appreciating food. However, although socioeconomic status may change a person’s relationship with food, it cannot prevent them from being a foodie. Those who contend that it does are using lower economic status as an excuse when laziness and lack of appreciation for the act of cooking, an idea ingrained in them by television, are what really keeps them from being foodies.

To understand how socioeconomic status affects being a foodie, it is important to understand what the term “foodie” means. Webster’s dictionary defines “foodie” as “a person with a particular interest in food; a gourmet.” This definition says nothing about visiting fancy restaurants, or using the finest ingredients. Being a foodie is really about appreciating good food, and being willing to make a concerted effort to eat or make gourmet food. There are two very different ways that a person can become a foodie. One is the stereotypical, traditional way- participating in the “high society” of food, going to expensive, critically acclaimed restaurants. However, this strategy is not available to those of lower socioeconomic status. Another way to be a foodie is to learn to cook your own food, and have a vested interest in and a strong appreciation for it. One might argue that this method brings you much closer to the food than visiting restaurants ever could, making those who follow this path the most dedicated foodies.

Some say that cooking good food is not possible for people of the lower or middle class because it is too expensive to do so. This is a misguided opinion, as there are many people who successfully cook great food on very limited budgets. Resources are available for people who wish to do this, especially after the massive growth of food blogging in the past several years. These blogs serve as online cookbooks, and many of them focus on cooking without spending too much money. Two such blogs are “Poor Girl Eats Well” and “REC(ession)IPIES.” Poor Girl Eats Well is a critically acclaimed blog- its author has been featured on TV shows and has been nominated for a national food blog award. The top of her blog reads “The original food journal about how to eat ridiculously well on a miniscule budget.” The blog features inexpensive healthy gourmet recipes. Similarly, REC(ession)IPIES states that it provides “Recipes that stretch a dollar in the kitchen without sacrificing taste or health.” The author or the blog has extremely limited income after her husband lost his job, and lives in Manhattan, a very expensive place to live and eat. Her blog shows that people in any economic situation can make great food. The recipes provided in these blogs use fresh foods and combine them in inventive, exciting ways to create gourmet food, rather than using traditional recipes involving expensive ingredients. Through blogs like these, there are thousands of quality budget recipes to suit any taste.

Another suggested reason that many lower and middle class people are not foodies is that they do not have enough time to devote to cooking every day. However, being a foodie does not require a person to spend hours slaving over a stove every day. To be a foodie, a person has to appreciate good food, but not necessarily eat it every day. If a person manages to put thought and effort into making a gourmet meal once a week, that is plenty to qualify them as a foodie.

By working to become a good cook and by cooking good food, it is possible to be as much of a foodie, or even more, than those who spend hundreds of dollars every weekend eating at fancy restaurants.

But if monetary and time concerns do not keep those of lower socioeconomic status from becoming foodies by learning to cook, why don’t more of them do so? The answer is simply laziness- being a foodie requires a level of effort that most are simply not willing to spend on food. Taking just a small percentage of their leisure time to devote to cooking could be enough to make someone a foodie. A 2008 poll showed that the average American spends more than four hours per day watching TV. Additionally, Americans spend only 27 minutes per day preparing food on average. By simply watching half an hour less of television every day, the average American could double the amount of time they spend on cooking, giving them the ability to make truly great food. The reason that Americans choose not to do so is that they see cooking as a chore, something that is not enjoyable.

One possible reason for this is that food shows on TV have influenced and reinforced this idea. Ironically, TV shows like the ones on the “Food Network” may be contributing to the downfall of food in American culture. Many food shows have moved out of the kitchen (such as Guy Fieri’s “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives”), become reality shows (such as “Hell’s Kitchen” and “Top Chef”). The remaining instructional shows treat cooking like something that the viewer doesn’t want to do. They focus on quick, easy meals that get the cooking out of the way so that the viewer can do something more enjoyable. Rachel Ray’s “30 minute meals” focuses on getting you in and out of the kitchen in 30 minutes or less. As a result, the show focuses on food that is easy to make, which is hardly ever gourmet food. An even clearer example is Sandra Lee’s “Semi Homemade,” which avoids as much cooking as possible by buying nearly fully prepared items from the supermarket and mashing them together to make “semi-homemade” dishes. Shows such as Emeril Lagasse’s “Emeril Live,” which showed home cooks how to make restaurant quality meals by investing some time and effort, have all but disappeared.

If people are taught a true appreciation for food, cooking changes from being a chore into being an enjoyable, rewarding experience. In this case, people would be happy to sacrifice that extra half-hour of TV to prepare a great homemade meal.

With the grim outlook of food on TV, it would appear that American society is doomed to become a culture of mediocre, “quick and easy” food. But there are a few glimmers of hope that could bring good food back from the brink of being exiled into upscale restaurants only available to the rich, and back into mainstream American culture. A select few shows on TV cater to true foodies. An example of this is Alton Brown’s “Good Eats.” Hidden beneath a thin layer of cheesy story-lines is a show with a true appreciation for great food. Brown suggests that putting in the extra time to make gourmet food is worth it. An example of this is the “Good Eats” episode about coconut cake. He begins by remarking on the terribly low quality of the coconut cake at his local diner. He complains that it is “just white box cake with whipped shortening frosting with some old coconut flakes slapped on the side.” This description bears a strong resemblance to the “recipes” proposed by Sandra Lee on “Semi Homemade.” He rejects this cake and goes on a mission to learn to make a truly great coconut cake. He agonizes over every ingredient, even making his own coconut extract. He meticulously mixes and cooks his ingredients without worrying about how much time he is spending on it. By the end of the episode he has created a truly homemade cake that is undoubtedly superior to the bland, store-bought cake he set out to beat. It is this kind of effort, this kind of appreciation and respect for food that is what it truly means to be a foodie. Once he has completed his cake, he tells the audience, “It’s perfect.. and it only took half a day to make. But that’s OK! Our patience will be rewarded!” Hopefully shows like “Good eats” will begin to make a comeback, showing the general public how rewarding it can be to be a foodie.

If a comeback of true “cooking shows” on TV is unsuccessful, food blogging may be able to save the foodie movement. The idea that the blogs are written by other ordinary people may convince the public that cooking like the food bloggers is possible, and could convince the lower and middle classes to take the “do it yourself” route to becoming a foodie.

It is not poverty or the economic recession that has caused the decline of foodie culture in America. It is the widespread acceptance of mediocrity, the complacency of the public towards food. The television industry has contributed strongly to this. The remaining foodies, relegated to the new, open media of food blogs, may be the only hope for resurrecting America’s love of gourmet food.

Sources:
REC(ession)IPES- http://www.recessionipes.com/
Poor Girl Eats Well- http://www.poorgirleatswell.com/
"Out of the Kitchen, Onto the Couch" http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html?pagewanted=print
Time spent watching TV continues growing: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/27890381/
"Good Eats- Coconut Cake Revival" http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o3JAF-usAAM&feature=related