David Brooks Thinks Class Has More to Do With Where You Eat Than Where You Work
David Brooks Thinks Class Has More to Do With Where You Eat Than Where You Work
David Brooks, elite pundit par excellence, has been giving a master lesson for years in how to talk about class without actually talking about class. But class is about material realities, not empty cultural signifiers like one’s TV habits or food preferences.
I really dislike how the wealthy have turned such a fundemental human element as food into a class thing. The great irony is that so many "peasant" dishes are highly regarded by "foodies", they generally just have to be peasant dishes from another country or percieved exotic location.
There's nothing virtuous about a person's taste in food, it's completely subjective and based in such great degree on simply what you happened to eat growing up.
I had friends when I was younger who were very passively judgemental about food and taste, it kind of completely turned me off to the idea of trying to have "refined taste" at all. I don't want to meet some standard of taste, I will shamelessly enjoy what I like with no apologies, whether it's some painstakingly prepared dish from a nice restaurant or boxed mac and cheese with hotdogs, because the only thing that matters in terms of enjoyment is subjective to us as an individuals.
Anyway, sorry, just had to get that out lol. Everyone needs to stop being pretentious about food, we'll all be better off for it.
Completely agree, though if I do try food from other countries I want to have it as close as possible to how it's enjoyed by discerning locals ... I'm not sure if that counts as being snobbish?
Some people I work with have literally the same sandwich every day ... Pa Amb Tomaquet is a national dish that invokes pride (if done right) while also being thoroughly working class.
What I've seen of fancy places is the "peasant food" is fancied up with "better" ingredients, or the recipe is changed, which just turns my appetite off ... fortunately that's not a frequent problem for me since I can't afford to spend on eating out, lol
Some people I work with have literally the same sandwich every day
What's wrong with that? If you like something you can eat it.
Yeah I don't trust that site either; read this summary of the linked article
Click to expand
David Brooks tweeted about paying $78 for a meal at an airport, implying high inflation is hurting Americans. However, the actual cost was $17, revealing Brooks was being dishonest to appear more ordinary. The article critiques Brooks' tendency to use superficial cultural references like food instead of material factors to discuss class. Brooks sees class as a product of culture rather than political economy. This allows him to blame the lower classes' behavior for their circumstances.
The piece argues Brooks and other elite pundits maintain a patronizing view of those below them, even as they claim to better understand non-coastal Americans in the aftermath of the 2016 election.
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