# What meals represent stereotypical indulgence/luxury at higher incomes or in non-US nations **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [September 24, 2012, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643 "2012-09-24T01:06:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Filbert](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/filbert/32/3433_2.png) [@Filbert](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Filbert)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/21 "2012-09-24T17:03:59Z")
> [@Lynn\_Bodoni](#): > > Crayfish/crawfish/crawdads are freshwater crustaceans, while lobsters are salt water, and much bigger. Or at least that’s the way it is in North America. In New Zealand, (where presumably, given that he also called abalone ‘paua’ **Ken001** lives) the critter known as crayfish lives in saltwater, and is a species of spiny lobster. I’m not really sure what the go-to luxury food in the UK is, I’m not sure we have one, as other posters have said, it’s more the preparation and location that makes it luxury. ---
**Author:** ![Cinnamon\_Imp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/58956e/32.png) [@Cinnamon\_Imp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cinnamon_Imp)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/22 "2012-09-24T17:30:48Z")
Pheasant, wild boar and duck are quite high-class in the UK, but probably not the first choice for someone skint dining out on someone else’s treat. ---
**Author:** ![August\_West](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/august_west/32/18069_2.png) [@August\_West](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/August_West)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/23 "2012-09-24T17:47:18Z")
I think “Surf and Turf” was probably the _sine qua non_ of “luxury” dining in the US during the Mad Men-era, but we’re a long way from that now. There are so many things on the menu today that I never saw even 10 years ago. For example, we went out to dinner on Saturday evening and I had a Lamb Porterhouse with roasted fingerling potatoes and root vegetables. It was an amazing dish, and the first time I’d seen lamb Porterhouse on a menu. ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/24 "2012-09-24T17:53:59Z")
> [@Filbert](#): > > I’m not really sure what the go-to luxury food in the UK is, I’m not sure we have one, as other posters have said, it’s more the preparation and location that makes it luxury. I think this is correct. Lobster was identifed as “luxury” food upthread, but you can get a lobster roll sandwich in a casual seaside shack in New England for $10-15. Or you can get a full lobster dinner with all the trimmings in a fancy restaurant for several times that. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 5:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/25 "2012-09-24T17:58:14Z")
The phrase “surf and turf” reminds me of a cheesy mid-range steak house. ---
**Author:** ![AK84](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/85e7bf/32.png) [@AK84](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AK84)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/26 "2012-09-24T18:09:39Z")
> [@Dewey\_Finn](#): > > Gordon Ramsay did a program called _Gordon’s Great Escape_ in which he traveled around India and learned to cook various dishes. One of these was in Lucknow and showed the preparation of an elaborate biryani for a “small” wedding of a thousand guests. It involved two whole goats, stuffed with chicken, quail and eggs, and cooked over rice. It looked really good. My guess is that this qualifies as luxury food for non-veg Indians. (Did I mention that it looked really good? My mouth waters just remembering what it looked like on TV.) It most certainly is not a “luxury” food in the sub continent. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 6:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/27 "2012-09-24T18:49:11Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > The phrase “surf and turf” reminds me of a cheesy mid-range steak house. I’ve inadvertently displayed my class status. ---
**Author:** ![Lemur866](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lemur866/32/434_2.png) [@Lemur866](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lemur866)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2012, 7:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/28 "2012-09-24T19:15:16Z")
> [@AK84](#): > > It most certainly is not a “luxury” food in the sub continent. I think in the US and Europe foods that require massive amounts of time to prepare are considered “luxurious”. But in other places, hiring a team of cooks to work for a week to prepare a feast is something a middle class family can afford. ---
**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:** [September 24, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/29 "2012-09-24T19:24:30Z")
In Cameroon, the out-of-sight luxury meal would be a French meal with Johnny Walker black and copious champagne. For ordinary folks, chicken would be fairly luxurious because they are expensive and take a fair amount of work to clean- especially if you are feeding a crowd. Really, any meat in quantity is going to be a luxury. Because internal transportation is poor, people put a lot of value on local specialties- in the South, sesame seeds were sold at the same price as meat, while in the north they were cheap and ubiquitous. In the North, fruit, prepared cassava sticks, palm oil and certain preparations of grain were very expensive and people would save so they could serve them at a party, while in the South these were everyday food. Soda and beer was comparatively expensive- around $1.00 a bottle while 50% of the country lives on less than a dollar a day. Perhaps the greatest oddity were green apples- they were imported from South Africa and sold for an astonishing $1.00 a piece- which again is far more than the average family’s daily food budget. Street vendors would sell flats of them, and I honestly have no idea who was buying them or why. In China, the sky is really the limit for fine cuisine. There is a fairly typical set of “fancy banquet” foods (which will vary greatly by region). These feature rare cuisine (such as the mitten crabs mentioned above) as well as an astonishing amount of food. it’s not unusual for even a run-of-the-mill banquet table to end up with food stacked three plates high, with dozens and dozens of dishes coming out in an unending stream This should all come with copious amounts of very good liquor- it would not be unusual to get served liquor that costs hundreds of dollars a bottle at a serious banquet- and a good dinner party should go through quite a few bottles. The emphasis of a luxury meal is conspicuous consumption. The host always pays for the entire table, so it’s a chance to really show off. ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 12:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/30 "2012-09-25T00:29:09Z")
> [@fluiddruid](#): > > Kobe beef [isn’t available in the US](http://www.forbes.com/sites/larryolmsted/2012/04/12/foods-biggest-scam-the-great-kobe-beef-lie/). Due to lack of control of the name, you can call other stuff “Kobe beef” as in “Kobe style beef” but it doesn’t mean a whole heck of a lot. The US is [allowing Japanese beef imports](http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/24/usa-japan-beef-idUSL4E8JO0M720120824), although I don’t think that means Kobe beef will be on your plate any time soon. I was going to say: I’m sure many Americans have had “Kobe beef” because they had some regular beef of the same cut, which is the exact same damn thing. Lobster as said, is considered a delicacy over most of the US, but in Maine it’s much cheaper. Sometimes it is substituted for by a cheaper crustacean. ---
**Author:** ![Koxinga](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/4af34b/32.png) [@Koxinga](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Koxinga)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 12:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/31 "2012-09-25T00:42:44Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I was going to say: I’m sure many Americans have had “Kobe beef” because they had some regular beef of the same cut, which is the exact same damn thing. But do the farmers play soothing music for the American cows, and give them daily massages? :dubious: Then how can you say it’s the same? ---
**Author:** ![Ambivalid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/a5b964/32.png) [@Ambivalid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ambivalid)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 12:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/32 "2012-09-25T00:56:42Z")
> [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](#): > > The phrase “surf and turf” reminds me of a cheesy mid-range steak house. It reminds me of Applebee’s (right or wrong). Barf ---
**Author:** ![thelurkinghorror](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7c8e57/32.png) [@thelurkinghorror](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thelurkinghorror)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/33 "2012-09-25T02:47:16Z")
> [@Koxinga](#): > > But do the farmers play soothing music for the American cows, and give them daily massages? :dubious: Then how can you say it’s the same? Is it many multiple times the price same? Would you buy SuperBacon for $50 per pound, just because the pigs were well cared for and given daily happy endings? People buy Kobe because they’ve heard about the quality, and they are being sold something which _may very well be_ quality, but not what they paid for. ---
**Author:** ![Rand\_Rover](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/db5fbb/32.png) [@Rand\_Rover](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rand_Rover)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/34 "2012-09-25T02:54:21Z")
> [@Wesley\_Clark](#): > > For people who are wealthy, or for people in different cultures are there foods that are considered the stereotypical luxury meal? The stereotypical luxury meal in many parts of the world is “food.” –Donny Downer ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 4:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/35 "2012-09-25T04:37:10Z")
> [@thelurkinghorror](#): > > I was going to say: I’m sure many Americans have had “Kobe beef” because they had some regular beef of the same cut, which is the exact same damn thing. I’ve had a $90 wagyu steak at Tom Colliccio’s restaurant in Las Vegas and an actual Kobe steak in Tokyo (probably cost around $150 or more). They were the same thing only in the sense that a nice cava and a Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial of similar cost are the same thing because they’re both bubbly and made from grapes. ---
**Author:** ![Pyper](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Pyper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pyper)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/36 "2012-09-25T19:27:39Z")
> [@Nava](#): > > In Spain, not so much a meal as certain locations: many dishes which are considered “very good food” can be had in places ranging from five-fork restaurants to roadhouses, but if the one in the five-forker isn’t our of this world you’re allowed to glare very coldly at the maitre. El Bulli has closed shop, but while I doubt a Spaniard in a million (excluding former employees of the place) can name a single dish that was cooked there, “a place where you need to make reservations more than a year in advance” and where a meal could cost more than the median monthly income certainly counted as “luxury”. Wouldn’t _jamon iberico_ (sorry, no accent marks) be considered the stereotypical Spanish luxury food? ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/37 "2012-09-25T21:36:33Z")
> [@Rand\_Rover](#): > > The stereotypical luxury meal in many parts of the world is “food.” > > –Donny Downer Not everyone can indulge in $11 meals at applebees like me. I’ve earned my success and I’m not going to apologize for it. ---
**Author:** ![FlyingRat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/59ef9b/32.png) [@FlyingRat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FlyingRat)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2012, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/38 "2012-09-25T21:55:14Z")
> [@Ravenman](#): > > I’ve had a $90 wagyu steak at Tom Colliccio’s restaurant in Las Vegas and an actual Kobe steak in Tokyo (probably cost around $150 or more). They were the same thing only in the sense that a nice cava and a Moët & Chandon Nectar Imperial of similar cost are the same thing because they’re both bubbly and made from grapes. Exactly. The US “wagyuu” (actually a cross-breed of Angus and Japanese cattle) may be a good steak, but real Kobe or Matsuzaka beef is…almost indescribable, in how meltingly tender it is. I frankly wonder if real Kobe/Matsuzaka would fly here in the US, given the price (not to say that \*someone \*wouldn’t pay it). One of the best meals in my memory was a lunch at a restaurant in Ise, the centerpiece of which was five small pieces of very, very good Japanese beef, dipped in sauce and grilled at the table (Korean-style). It cost upwards of $80/person, and that was cheap. ---
**Author:** ![adhemar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@adhemar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/adhemar)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 12:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/39 "2012-09-26T00:38:20Z")
maybe the “luxury” is paying higher prices for a small increase in quality. It may seem negligible to one person counting the cost, but to someone that $150.00 bite of steak is pocket change, the small increase in quality is worth it to them. ---
**Author:** ![Nava](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/da6949/32.png) [@Nava](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nava)\ **Post date:** [September 26, 2012, 6:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643/40 "2012-09-26T06:42:25Z")
> [@Pyper](#): > > Wouldn’t _jamon iberico_ (sorry, no accent marks) be considered the stereotypical Spanish luxury food? Not necessarily. You can get a good ibérico\*, you can get a bad ibérico; it can be cut correctly or hacked. A good hand-carved serrano\* (doesn’t even need to be ibérico) with a good wine, properly breathed and at the right temperature, is a luxury (although it can be a pretty cheap one, cf. the white-brand whole serrano ham my roommate currently has in the kitchen and which cost him 22€ from Carrefour); an oversalted ibérico cut by machine and eaten cold out of a plastic envelope is crap. Lomo is the steak, preserved whole by rubbing it with cayenne and drying; it can often be more expensive than ham: some people consider it luxury, some consider it overpriced. - Ibérico is the race of the pig, the mode of preparation is serrano. The most common race is a French one whose name I can’t remember right now and there’s also many herds which are 50:50, French-race mothers and Ibérico stud. And many brands which claim to be ibérico when they’re not (some aren’t even 50:50). [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-meals-represent-stereotypical-indulgence-luxury-at-higher-incomes-or-in-non-us-nations/635643.md?page=3)