# 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:** 2
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 8:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/21 "2013-05-11T20:47:34Z")
Okay, you guys do know that wheat berries are just wheat kernels, right? They aren’t sweet. ---
**Author:** ![Broomstick](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/broomstick/32/246_2.png) [@Broomstick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Broomstick)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 9:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/22 "2013-05-11T21:14:34Z")
> [@pancakes3](#): > > Sweetness from the mayo and whatever “berry” is in the wheatberry. “Wheatberry” usually refers to unground [wheat kernels,](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wheatberry) which are called “berries” for some reason or other. What that means (most likely) is whole wheat bread with some unground wheat in it for texture. Personally, I don’t find them particularly sweet. Rather bland and fiber-tasting. ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/23 "2013-05-11T21:18:02Z")
I take no issue with the sandwich. That’s a boring status update, though. It says nothing funny, interesting, or the slightest bit entertaining. Menu descriptions of random meals do not belong on Facebook, so I don’t have a hard time thinking that while the meal itself isn’t necessarily pretentious, the poster is. Now excuse me, I need to go tell all my friends about this bowl of cereal I just ate. It had wheatberries in it. ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/24 "2013-05-11T21:24:13Z")
It’s a BLT on whole wheat with an egg. The only thing particularly “out there” taste-wise is the wasabi mayo, and if you like wasabi (I love the stuff), I’m sure it’s good. The described dish is hardly even experimental- it’s a run of the mill sandwich made with good ingredients and a mildly unusual condiment. What’s the problem here? Did the foodies shut down your local IHOP or something? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/25 "2013-05-11T21:28:17Z")
> [@steronz](#): > > Now excuse me, I need to go tell all my friends about this bowl of cereal I just ate. It had wheatberries in it. Oooh! Pics please!! ---
**Author:** ![moriah](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/b2d939/32.png) [@moriah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/moriah)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/26 "2013-05-11T21:31:15Z")
> [@Procrustus](#): > > Perhaps you’d prefer pancakes? With ‘maple-flavored’ ‘syrup’! > [@even\_sven](#): > > It’s a BLT on whole wheat with an egg. The only thing particularly “out there” taste-wise is the wasabi mayo, and if you like wasabi (I love the stuff), I’m sure it’s good. The described dish is hardly even experimental- it’s a run of the mill sandwich made with good ingredients and a mildly unusual condiment. > > What’s the problem here? Did the foodies shut down your local IHOP or something? A foodie killed his brother!! ---
**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, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/27 "2013-05-11T21:31:25Z")
> [@billfish678](#): > > 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. The OP’s point is about slamming together a lot of fancy-sounding ingredients, and I did comment on that…which is to say, yes, I think it does work sometimes. As to your point and example, “Vermont cheddar” is just white cheddar, so yes I would know that I was getting a white cheddar that didn’t taste like processed cheese. But if they also told me the salad was made from organic field greens dried on the backs of sleeping pygmies, it’s true that I wouldn’t know the difference. But I’m not sure I’d much care, either. ---
**Author:** ![outlierrn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/outlierrn/32/3005_2.png) [@outlierrn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/outlierrn)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 9:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/28 "2013-05-11T21:31:30Z")
Every classic was an experiment once, people without taste or inspiration will try to fake it. You have to put it to the test, ya know, try it. ---
**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, 9:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/29 "2013-05-11T21:32:47Z")
I like descriptions of my friend’s food on facebook. I even like the pictures. I guess I’m not supposed to; I’ve seen all the recent trend articles about how annoying it is to see pictures of food on facebook. But my friends live in the same city as me, and when they eat neat food I like to know about it. What was it? Where did it come from? Was it good? Sharing food is one of the primary drives of humans. But if you don’t like it, filter your facebook feed. It’s _your_ feed. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 9:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/30 "2013-05-11T21:35:05Z")
> [@Johnny\_L.A](#): > > . . . because avocados and sandwiches are natural friends. Very true, indeed, though they are friends that rarely get along. (Meaning that the avocado is always trying to escape from the sandwich.) ETA: In fact, the ingredients of BLT in general seem to have been designed precisely so that it falls apart before it ever gets to your mouth. ---
**Author:** ![Smeghead](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f1d935/32.png) [@Smeghead](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smeghead)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 9:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/31 "2013-05-11T21:42:23Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > their hamburger recipe that would take 24 hours to prepare, Pfft. I can beat that easy. You’re going to need to start with a syringe full of bull semen and a receptive heifer. Angus, free range, of course… ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 9:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/32 "2013-05-11T21:48:03Z")
> [@miss\_elizabeth](#): > > I like descriptions of my friend’s food on facebook. I even like the pictures. But there’s no real _information_ in this post; notice that it’s lacking the name of the restaurant or anything in the way of a review other than “hi [sic] heaven!” I know you could ask for additional information in the comments, but I also hate people who leave out required information in their status updates just hoping for people to comment. “Oh man, what a crazy day!” That’s an annoying facebook update, and yes, I have hidden or unfriended people for excessively vague posts. Consider: “I had this great BLT at Jake’s on Main today, you should all check that place out. Great prices, nice atmosphere, interesting ingredients!” Much better! But I stand by my review of this Facebook post. D-, would not eat there again. /Facebook snob (btw, Jake’s on Main is a great restaurant in Danville, VA. If you’re ever in the area, you should check it out.) ---
**Author:** ![even\_sven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/dfb087/32.png) [@even\_sven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/even_sven)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 10:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/33 "2013-05-11T22:44:12Z")
Meh, I like food descriptions. Gives me ideas for my own culinary experimentations. ---
**Author:** ![bump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7c8e57/32.png) [@bump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bump)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2013, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/34 "2013-05-11T23:04:19Z")
> [@gaffa](#): > > 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. I have a copy of “Modernist Cuisine at Home” (can’t afford the full thing at $500), and it’s just about worth the $100 for the gorgeous photography and use as a coffee table book. Beyond that, it has a number of really interesting techniques and recipes. Some are a bit absurd in the amount of effort involved, but others are just ingenious. After reading it, I think it’s really meant as a starting point for people to branch out in the modernist style of cooking, rather than a compendium of modernist recipes. Of course, that requires people to understand what’s going on, and synthesize that into their own cooking repertoire, but I think most people willing to throw $100 at a cookbook and even more at some of the gadgetry, are probably able to actually understand and figure out why sous-vide works, and why using diastatic malt powder in mashed potatoes would make it smooth. I think a lot of people fall into the “food is fuel” category and would happily eat the same flavor of Bachelor Chow for every single meal for the remainder of their days. A larger number fall into the category that enjoys food slightly more than that, but who are risk averse and/or uninterested in branching out beyond childhood comfort foods, and eat really monotonous diets of the same basic things, and don’t have a clue why someone would want to spend money on an interesting English farmhouse cheddar, when they can get Cracker Barrel mild cheddar for half the price. Once you get out of there, it rapidly ramps up to the full-on foodie, who actively seeks out interesting new culinary experiences. Parallel to that, there’s the food snob, who uses their knowledge and experiences as a way to distinguish themselves and lord it over others. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/35 "2013-05-12T01:08:10Z")
I never heard of an egg on a BLT, much less a duck egg. Sounds random. But delicious, and I would certainly try it with a plain old white chicken egg. ---
**Author:** ![monstro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ba9def/32.png) [@monstro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/monstro)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 1:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/36 "2013-05-12T01:13:24Z")
I can see how it comes across as pretentious (but only if I squint my eyes real hard and turn my head to the side and walk backwards). If you aren’t into a scene and people in that scene take this for granted, then they can come across as douchey. But nothing in that list sounds all THAT weird or disgusting. No one would ever confuse me with a foodie, and yet I would be all over that sandwich (though I would have to go easy on that wasabi mayo). I just learned something interesting the other day. Pizza, my favorite food, is a fusion of different cuisines (Greek and Italian, if I’m not mistaken). So, people have been experimenting with “crazy” combinations for thousands of years. When those combos work, the heavens DO open up. But someone has to be brave enough to be “pretentious” and try new things. ---
**Author:** ![Maeglin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8baadc/32.png) [@Maeglin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Maeglin)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 1:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/37 "2013-05-12T01:20:14Z")
This is too much umami for your imagination? Have you ever had a bacon, egg & cheese on a roll? Or french fries and ketchup? Or some parmesan over carbonara? ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 1:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/38 "2013-05-12T01:40:00Z")
I can see why the OP only reads about what his friends are eating instead of being invited to go along. Really, that sandwich sounded pretty good, but the OP is slagging it without tasting it. What a depressing dining companion he must be. There are far trendier ingredients & combinations available. And most people who like slightly experimental places also frequent places offering no-frills regional favorites or assorted ethnic cuisines. (Actually, places fitting all these descriptions are located within a few blocks of my home. And they all have decent prices, for what you get.) If you want to pull your dinner out of the freezer & nuke it, please do. I can cook fairly well–partly because I like trying new things–or fiddling with favorite recipes. ---
**Author:** ![Flywheel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/eb8c5e/32.png) [@Flywheel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Flywheel)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/39 "2013-05-12T01:45:50Z")
> [@moriah](#): > > With ‘maple-flavored’ ‘syrup’! How about maple-wasabi aioli? It’s _de rigueur_ for a [Rush](http://www.mcsweeneys.net/articles/bandwiches). ---
**Author:** ![steronz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/steronz/32/11765_2.png) [@steronz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/steronz)\ **Post date:** [May 12, 2013, 2:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085/40 "2013-05-12T02:23:49Z")
> [@Bridget\_Burke](#): > > Really, that sandwich sounded pretty good, but the OP is slagging it without tasting it. I feel like people are missing the point – of _course_ the sandwich is pretty good, there’s absolutely nothing bizarre about it. It’s just a BLT on fancy bread with an egg on top. It’s not exactly an Iron Chef creation, where they had to make something edible out of whale sperm. The question is, did this restaurant choose duck eggs because the chef found, after careful testing and deliberation, that something in the duck eggs paired better with his favorite bacon than the free range chicken eggs he can likely get from the same source? Or was it simply a marketing decision? “Look at how edgy we are everyone! Duck eggs! Not those plebian chicken eggs everyone else uses!” I for one am rather sick of pointless substitutions. Especially when they actually make an inferior product that nobody is willing to admit is inferior. I’m looking at you, bison burgers. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/rehashed-foodie-snobbery-fusion-and-overall-pretentiousness/658085.md?page=3)