# Rehashed: Foodie snobbery, fusion, and overall pretentiousness **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [May 11, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085 "2013-05-11T16:17:25Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/1 "2013-05-11T16:17:25Z")
I saw this on my friend’s fb status regarding brunch: “Um duck egg BLT on wheat berry bread with wasabi mayo?? Hi heaven.” and I couldn’t help but shudder. It just seems like a gimmick to include buzz-word ingredients into one haphazard mess. Of course I haven’t eaten it yet and it could be delightful but the trend of “fusion” dishes doesn’t sit well with me. ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/2 "2013-05-11T16:31:16Z")
Perhaps you’d prefer pancakes? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/3 "2013-05-11T16:33:12Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > I saw this on my friend’s fb status regarding brunch: > > “Um duck egg BLT on wheat berry bread with wasabi mayo?? Hi heaven.” > > and I couldn’t help but shudder. It just seems like a gimmick to include buzz-word ingredients into one haphazard mess. Of course I haven’t eaten it yet and it could be delightful but the trend of “fusion” dishes doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t like it much either. There’s a dish here or there that benefits from ‘fusion’, but that BLT sounds disgusting. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/4 "2013-05-11T16:33:48Z")
The BLT is perfection already. Adding fancy-sounding ingredients is simple douchebaggery. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/5 "2013-05-11T16:39:03Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > “Um duck egg BLT on wheat berry bread with wasabi mayo?? Hi heaven.” > > and I couldn’t help but shudder. It just seems like a gimmick to include buzz-word ingredients into one haphazard mess. Of course I haven’t eaten it yet and it could be delightful but the trend of “fusion” dishes doesn’t sit well with me. It doesn’t sound bad to me. But when I see many of these trendy dishes, I have to ask, ‘Why?’ I like good food, simply prepared. An excellent dish is a balance of flavours that compliment each other. Often, this comes from ingredients that ‘shouldn’t’ go together. When they do, in the right proportions, the conflict becomes compliment. Too often though, trendy dishes are an exercise in art; and the impression is that if you prefer a more traditional (‘authentic’) dish, then you are oh, so un-hip. Duck eggs? Sure, why not? I’ve never had one, but I’ve had quail’s eggs; and I can taste the difference between supermarket chicken eggs and homegrown chicken eggs. I’d love duck eggs if I were served any. Wheat berry bread? The sweetness of the bread would compliment the saltiness of the bacon. Nothing wrong with different breads. I’ve had wasabi mayo, and it’s good. The sandwich described in the OP is probably very tasty. But if I want to eat a BLT, I want to eat a BLT. Or a BLAT, because avocados and sandwiches are natural friends. A trendy DEBLT on wheat berry bread with wasabi mayo is not a ‘BLT’. Tasty as it may be, it can’t rival a BLT or BLAT. Those are already perfect. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/6 "2013-05-11T16:43:19Z")
So, you haven’t eaten it but you know it isn’t good? Or it has interesting ingredients, so she’s a pretentious foodie? How is this snobbery? Did she say your food sucks? Because it sounds like you;re saying her food sucks. So, who’s the real snob here? ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/7 "2013-05-11T16:46:18Z")
I’ve never eaten shit, but I’m pretty sure it sucks. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/8 "2013-05-11T16:55:22Z")
Well, there’s getting fancy because it actually is better and it’s getting fancy mostly for the sake of doing it and letting people know you are doing it. Which is one simple definition of snobbery. Yeah, that samich is probably good. But it sure sounds like the second reason has a high probability of being true. ---
**Author:** ![pancakes3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ba9def/32.png) [@pancakes3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pancakes3)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 4:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/9 "2013-05-11T16:58:10Z")
Or this upload: [https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/184470\_706020762044\_264925640\_n.jpg](https://fbcdn-sphotos-e-a.akamaihd.net/hphotos-ak-ash3/184470_706020762044_264925640_n.jpg) burgushi. “Seasoned natural Angus ground beef, applewood bacon, fresh jalapenos and spicy cream sauce inside of a sushi roll coated with tempura flakes. Each piece is topped with marinated Roma tomato and pepper jack cheese, then baked to perfection. Drizzled with cashew cilantro pesto to finish.” My point isn’t to pass judgment on my friends through the anonymity of the internet, but rather point out a trend in food preparation that is in my opinion, gimmicky and contrived - through the anonymity of the internet. The duck egg blt with wasabi mayo on wheatberry has the duck egg, bacon, and chicken egg fighting out for umami flavoring. Salt comes from the bacon. Sweet comes from the berries. Sour in the lemon juice in the mayo. An overpowering, unmistakable “spice” from the wasabi. and Sweetness from the mayo and whatever “berry” is in the wheatberry. I can’t comprehend how all of that happens to coincide into something tasty. The burger sushi has even more confluences of flavor and tastes that to me seems garbage-pile-y in its construction. Cream sauce AND pesto. The spicy cream AND jalapenos AND pepperjack. Vinegar in the hot sauce to make the spicy cream sauce AND the vinegar used to marinade the tomatoes AND vinegar in the rice used to marinate the sushi rice. Cilantro. ---
**Author:** ![DCnDC](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dcndc/32/2842_2.png) [@DCnDC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DCnDC)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 5:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/10 "2013-05-11T17:12:12Z")
Yes. Piling a dozen ingredients together, even if they’re _good_ ingredients, doesn’t make something good. High-quality ingredients should complement each other and stand out. When I see a dish with that many ingredients, I become suspicious that something is being covered up. That may or may not be the case, but that’s what I’m thinking. ---
**Author:** ![miss\_elizabeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/838e76/32.png) [@miss\_elizabeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/miss_elizabeth)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/11 "2013-05-11T17:15:06Z")
Well, we can’t all be happy with wonder bread and bologna. Sorry. I guess it’s just my unredeemable snobbery that causes me to… eat food that I like. ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 5:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/12 "2013-05-11T17:24:07Z")
You’ve never had free range organic wonder bread have you? Or bologna massaged by Japanese Gish girls? Peasant. ---
**Author:** ![grude](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e47774/32.png) [@grude](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/grude)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/13 "2013-05-11T17:35:19Z")
Ok this is bullshit, you didn’t even TRY IT. Will you post a scathing review of a novel you haven’t read next? ---
**Author:** ![gaffa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e68b1a/32.png) [@gaffa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaffa)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/14 "2013-05-11T19:05:36Z")
I’m reading Modernist Cuisine, and while many people have made fun of it for things like their hamburger recipe that would take 24 hours to prepare, there is other parts that wonderfully demolish food myths. The chapter on wine is guaranteed to make wine snobs have an aneurism. ---
**Author:** ![Maserschmidt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/maserschmidt/32/18829_2.png) [@Maserschmidt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maserschmidt)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/15 "2013-05-11T19:10:36Z")
> [@grude](#): > > Ok this is bullshit, you didn’t even TRY IT. > > Will you post a scathing review of a novel you haven’t read next? Yeah I agree with this. It’s not snobbery if it’s good, and I’ve tasted some unexpected, piled-on combinations that turned out to be quite good. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/16 "2013-05-11T19:12:33Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > their hamburger recipe that would take 24 hours to prepare Tell me this recipe is online somewhere. ---
**Author:** ![Blue\_Mood](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/ac91a4/32.png) [@Blue\_Mood](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Blue_Mood)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/17 "2013-05-11T19:21:08Z")
Echoing what others have said, I get where the OP’s coming from in terms of seemingly random ingredients strewn together just for the sake of it. But the sandwich describes sounds fine. I think the OP has a misconception of what wheatberry bread is. It is not bread with berries, but rather bread with cooked whole grains of wheat (wheatberry) incorporated. It’s like wholewheat bread plus. The wheatberries add a lovely chewy texture. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/18 "2013-05-11T19:25:18Z")
> [@Blue\_Mood](#): > > The wheatberries add a lovely chewy texture. And sweetness. (Or so it seems to me.) ---
**Author:** ![billfish678](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7bcc69/32.png) [@billfish678](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/billfish678)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/19 "2013-05-11T19:28:08Z")
> [@Maserschmidt](#): > > Yeah I agree with this. It’s not snobbery if it’s good, and I’ve tasted some unexpected, piled-on combinations that turned out to be quite good. No doubt. But I think issue is could you tell THAT pile where every ingredient had an extra level of “snobbieness” from a similar pile that just had quality (or for that matter even regular) ingredients? Fancy sandwich X: Blah this, blah that, blah the other things, REAL Vermont Cheddar! Could you even tell the difference if they just used some decent run of the mill cheddar? I think the OP’s point is not so much that better things can actually be better but when it sounds like every ingredient was chosen because it sounds fancier one has to first wonder if it actually works. And secondly, like I just mentioned could you actually tell the difference? And then you have to wonder if you actually ARE getting the real fancy versions of the ingredients in the first place. ---
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/20 "2013-05-11T19:35:08Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > I think the OP’s point is not so much that better things can actually be better but when it sounds like every ingredient was chosen because it sounds fancier one has to first wonder if it actually works. And secondly, like I just mentioned could you actually tell the difference? MAÎTRE D: Now, zis afternoon, we have monsieur’s favourite: ze jugged hare. Ze hare is very high, and ze sauce is very rich with truffles, anchovies, Grand Marnier, bacon, and cream… Uh, today we have, uh, for appetisers… moules marinières, pâté de foie gras, beluga caviar, eggs Benedictine, tart de poireaux-- that’s leek tart,-- frogs’ legs amandine, or oeufs de caille Richard Shepherd-- c’est à dire, little quails’ eggs on a bed of puréed mushroom. It’s very delicate. Very subtle. MR. CREOSOTE: I’ll have the lot. MAÎTRE D: A wise choice, monsieur. And now, how would you like it served? All, uh, mixed up togezer in a bucket? MR. CREOSOTE: Yeah, with the eggs on top. MAÎTRE D: But of course, avec les oeufs frites. MR. CREOSOTE: Yeah, and don’t skimp on the pâté. MAÎTRE D: Oh, monsieur, I assure you, just because it is mixed up wis all ze other things, we would not dream of giving you less than ze full amount. In fact, I will personally make sure you have a double helping. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085.md?page=2)