Are you really serious? Being unable to experience the deep and primal pleasure of eating is on a par with being unable to enjoy the primal pleasures of sex, sleep, affectionate touch, love, laughter…
Pleasure is a great thing. Being unable to experience it would suck.
The blessing of course, is that it is a sure bet that legomancer is not now and never will be fat.
Fine food is like art. Some people are willing to spend more than others.
There IS a difference in between a meal at chili’s and a meal at Postrios. To say there isn’t is an insult to the chef.
This however is not putting down the food at other places. I have had excellent meals at 5 bucks a person.
Its all relative.
I think the analagy that best suits this is the car one: a honda and a benz will both get you to where you want to go.
I think that the Benz/Honda analogy is a good one. The first time I drove a performance car I was startled that it was better in ways I couldn’t imagine and could barely describe. Similarly, the first time I tried a fine wine a new world opened up. The same is true with food and even with the dining experience.
What annoys me (and I want to make clear that I am not accusing anyone in this thread of this) is the denigration of people who haven’t had these experiences, or who have chosen not to make them a priority in their lives. I’m glad that there are people out there who are able to patronize the great culinary artists - the work they do trickles down to the third or fourth tier restaurants I can afford. Recognize, however, that in addition to those who cannot afford these experiences, there are many who simply make different choices. They pursue the sublime in music, religion, travel, the visual arts, cinema, the visual arts, and innumerable other manifestations. Yes, there are some who have the money and leisure to pursue several of these at the same time, but I would assume that they, like most of the participants on this board, understand that that is an exceptional privilege, not a mark of superiority.
I do believe that there are some people (at time I fear it is a majority) who are oblivious to the sublime. These are the people who insist on eating at Applebee’s every chance they get, ignoring the variety of better and often cheaper reassurance offering better and more interesting food. I don’t know why this is, but it would probably make a better IMHO thread.
I agree completely.
I also feel though, that the reverse is true. There seems to be an air about this thread that those that DO patronize such restaurants are foolish, etc.
it works both ways.
It’s not foolish if you’ve got the money.
I just wanted to say that I’m completely bowled over by the numbers being bouncced aound in this thread. $50 for a cheap meal? My fiancee and I eat on $5 a day (we’re college students). We don’t eat at Chili’s or Applebee’s because they are too expensive, Taco Bell is barely in our price range.
Yes, I am serious, because I feel the same as Legomancer. I also feel this to be a prime example of food snobbery. Not caring for expensive food, or being unable to tell the supposed difference between “real” food and “crap” does not, in any way, correlate to being able, or unable, to experience other forms of pleasure. Some people experience great sexual pleasure from bondage; does this mean that those who do not partake of such activites are unable to experience pleasure in any form?
Pleasure is where you find it. Not all of us find it in food.
Wow. I never realized what a sad, pitiable life I live because I don’t sprout wood at the thought of a really well-done meal. No one before was ever kind enough to show me just what a worthless, pointless existence I lead because I don’t get giddy at the thought of sampling exquisite cuisine.
Nothing to do now but go and kill myself, I guess, since lack of appreciation for culinary artistry equates into a shallow life.
Wow. I never realized what a sad, pitiable life I live because I don’t sprout wood at the thought of a really well-done meal. No one before was ever kind enough to show me just what a worthless, pointless existence I lead because I don’t get giddy at the thought of sampling exquisite cuisine.
Nothing to do now but go and kill myself, I guess, since lack of appreciation for culinary artistry equates into a shallow life.
Well, being a bachelor, I eat out a lot. I like McDonald’s, Taco Bell and Burger King. But I also like great Sushi, which can easily go upwards of $60 per person, no drinks. I’ve also dined at Chez Panisse, courtesy of some really nice friends. It is in Berkeley, California and one of the world’s best restaurants. I am presuming it was about $125 per person, we brought our own wine. Everybody gets the same meal, the menu merely states what you are getting. I believe this is called Prix Fixe. It is prepared from seasonally fresh organic foods. It is fabulous. A hundred times better than Mickey D’s.
Would I do it every day if I could? Probably not. But special occasions are just that. And if I hadn’t been to dozens of good French restaurants (a few excellent) hundreds of good Italian restaurants, etc., a lot of it would have been wasted on me. 
Pleasure is indeed a great thing, and not all of us find it in food, that much is for sure. However, being able to enjoy the food you eat is indeed a blessing for those of us with the ability to do just that. Personally, I’ve never had a meal that cost more than $300, and them my rich uncle was paying for it. (in these expensive fancy Chinese restaurants)