Who Can Be A Foodie And In What Way?
by Jaeyun Moon
Socioeconomic status is a measure of a position within a hierarchical social structure. It is based on one’s income, education, career, and family background and can be divided into three subdivisions: high, middle, and low socioeconomic status. The type of socioeconomic status that a person has governs the amount of resources that are available. People in a high socioeconomic status have the most access to any kind of resource, while people in the middle have access to fewer resources but much more than lower class. How would having a hobby affect a person of a certain socioeconomic status? What if food is an interest to them? Collins Dictionary defines a foodie as a person with a keen interest in food and cookery. Being a foodie is a hobby and like most hobbies, it requires money, time, and passion. These are things that everyone possesses, but their socioeconomic status can dictate their hobby of being a foodie.
Being a foodie is a hobby. Foodies often spend large quantities of their resources into food, whether it is their time, money, or passion. An example of a foodie would be one who, after work around 8:30 Friday evening, would rush home to catch a “Family Style” episode from “Diners, Drive-ins and Dives” on TV and write down the recipe and ingredients that they needed to pick up from the store on Saturday. Those ingredients could be something as simple as angel hair pasta, olive oil, boneless chicken breast halves, tomatoes, fresh garlic, dried basil, and Cajun-style blackening seasoning salt and pepper. If the same foodie were to buy the ingredients from the store on Saturday but the garlic was out of stock, the foodie would drive an extra 15 minutes to buy it. This is where the definition of a foodie becomes apparent: through their passion. They are willing to spend their resources at a rate that is proportional to their passion.
Although everyone can be a foodie with his/her passion in food, there are different foodie classes analogous to socioeconomic classes. If foodies are in high socioeconomic status, they have the resources to indulge in their passion in more ways. For example, they can have a delicious and professionally prepared steak at a five star restaurant with a luxurious atmosphere and fine service. They can also order whatever they want without worry about cost. Foodies in higher class can also afford more expensive ingredients. If they want to cook with ingredients such as saffron spice, beluga caviar, and white Alba truffle, which can cost in the range of $1,100 to $11,000 per kg. Higher-class foodies also have the ability to hire personal chefs. These chefs can teach them how to prepare certain dishes and also cook dishes according to their palate. Some shows such as “The Lobster Show,” which is an episode of “The French Chef” are aimed for those in a high socioeconomic status because lobster is an expensive ingredient. Truly, those in a higher socioeconomic status have more resources available to them, but that does not make those of a lower class any less of a foodie.
Consequently, people in a middle socioeconomic status can buy steak from a farmer’s market for a cheap price and cook it themselves. This way is not as elegant as a five-star restaurant, but it is still within the comfort of their own home. They can have more casual, free, and friendly atmosphere because they can laugh out loud and joke with their family and friends. People in this socioeconomic status can download on-line recipes and the procedures, or watch TV shows on “Youtube” with no charge. “Coconut Cake Revival,” an episode of “Good Eats,” hosted by Alton Brown and episodes from “30 Minute Meals” with Rachael Ray are great examples for those in middle or low socioeconomic statuses to watch. The procedures performed in these shows are so simple and easy that only takes thirty minutes to prepare and cook. No expensive equipment is required, and the ingredients are generally affordable.
People who do not have incomes and receive financial aid from government or family have limited activities as foodies. College students can represent those in a lower socioeconomic class because of their shortage of money and often education-based debts. It is hard for college students to cook food on their own. They do not have many cooking equipments or utensils, and it can be costly for them to purchase all the ingredients. Then, what can college foodies do if they can’t afford many activities? They can do various activities if they collectively combine their resources and share what they have. For example, I, as a college student at Georgia Institute of Technology, combine with four friends of mine to cook together. With $100 we go to Publix to buy ingredients for five recipes, and we share utensils we have. As a result, each one of us spent $20 for five meals.
In conclusion, anyone can be a foodie if they have a strong interest in food. Although if one does not have much time or money but one has passion in food, one can still be a foodie. However, just like other hobbies, the amount of resources each individual has varies from one socioeconomic class to the other. Based on one’s socioeconomic status, one has different ways of being a foodie. People in a high socioeconomic class have more ability to pursue their hobby as a foodie, while people in the middle class have less opportunity, and unfortunately, people in the low class have the least. By the definition of foodie, this, however, does not prevent them from pursuing their desire to understand more and love more about food.
Reference: Collins English Dictionary.
Diners, Drive-ins and Dives, Food Network.
The French Chef.
Good Eats.
30 Minute Meals
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