Who Can Be a Foodie?
by Jaeyun Moon
The Oxford English Dictionary defines money as “any generally accepted medium of exchange which enables a society to trade goods without the need for barter; any objects or tokens regarded as a store of value and used as a medium of exchange”. The first usage of money came from Mesopotamia circa 3000 BC, but barley was originally a unit of currency whereas other communities in the Americans, Asia, and Africa used shell money. Since the money was created, it has become a human nature that people want to be in a higher socioeconomic status. Rich people in old times had servants to do household work, and they owned big land that they could build whatever they wanted. But what can you do if you are rich now? If you are rich, you can have nearly unlimited activities, like buying big houses, expensive Lamborghinis, or traveling the world with your private jet. On the other hand, if you lack money, you wouldn’t be able to do so.
Appreciation for food has been increasing as time goes by. Food is essential to human life. People cannot survive without food. However, today people pay more attention to the quality of food than filling their empty stomach. Technologies have allowed people to know what they eat and have more information about food. Even students learn the components of food in high school: carbohydrate, protein, fat, vitamins, and water. Also, multimedia have allowed people to download a recipe and learn how to make a certain type of food that they have never cooked before. A person is referred to a foodie if the person has a passionate interest in food. Being a foodie is like playing an instrument; it can be time-consuming and cost of these activities can have a extensive range. To play an instrument, first you have to buy the instrument. It can be costly but also cheap depending on what you buy. The price range of a regular piano is usually from $1000 to $3000. However, if you choose to play the harmonica, you only have to pay $20. People tend to think that being a foodie can be time-consuming and cost a lot of money. However, it really depends on you.
To be a foodie, you may have to spend a lot of time. It takes time to read cookbooks, dine out, or cook your own meal. However, as a working class person, you do not have plenty of time to do so. When you realize that you are becoming a foodie, you can be frustrated by short time you have. If you want to cook in a short time, TV shows like “The French Chef” with Julia Child or “30 Minute Meals” with Rachel Ray are the right choice. The procedures in these shows are so simple and easy that only takes thirty minutes to cook and the ingredients are ubiquitous to purchase. If watching food shows on TV still bothers you, then go on-line. You can download recipes and list of ingredients from the Internet. If you want to know how to cook properly, you can watch short video clips on Youtube. If you want to find which restaurant has reasonable price near you and has fair ratings, Yelp should be your choice. Yelp offers restaurant reviews all over the US. It is so useful and organized that you will only spend five minutes of your time. You can sort the reviews by price, cuisine, and neighborhood. When you select a restaurant, you have access to hundreds of reviews from other people.
No matter what your income is, food is what becomes you. Everyone has the potential of being a foodie, but being a foodie can be expensive. Thus, the rich and working classes have different aspects of being a foodie based on their income. The rich can have unlimited activities as a foodie. They can have delicious and professionally prepared steak by going to a five star restaurant with luxurious atmosphere and fine service. They can order what they want regardless of the price. If they want to cook at their mansions, they can purchase expensive ingredients like saffron spice, beluga caviar, and white Alba truffle, which cost from $1,100 to $11,000 per kg. If they are willing to spend more money or if they have a family occasion like birthday parties, they can hire personal chefs. They can learn to cook directly from the chef or simply they can make him cook their meals by their taste and nourishment. On the other hand, people with lower income can buy steak from farmer’s market for a cheap price, and cook it to themselves. This way, they cannot have the same fancy atmosphere as the rich have, but they can have their advatage being home. They can have more casual, free, and friendly atmosphere; they can laugh out loud and joke with their family and friends. However, unlike the rich, working class people can’t afford costly ingredients.
As a result, everyone can be a foodie. There are some factors that require in order to be a foodie: time and money. Just like other hobbies, it may take fair amount of time and money. The rich has more ability to pursue as a foodie, and people in the middle class have less opportunity. However, it does not matter how much spare time you have or how rich you are. What really determines whether you are a foodie or not is your appreciation of food and how much you love food.
Work cited.
Child, Julia, host. “Cooking Lobsters.” The French Chef. WBGH. 11 Feb. 1963. Print.
Oxford English Dictionary.
Davies, Glyn, Histroy of Money from Ancient Times to the Present Day
Rachel Ray, host. "30 Minute Meals"
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