Food Snobbery

I feel the need to explain the title of this blog so that no one thinks I am a snob in general. I'm not. I'm just a food snob. And that doesn't mean I'm a picky eater- That's different.

When I go back home to Texas or go out to dinner with someone for the first time...they usually learn that I'm vegan and comment about me being a picky eater. Boy, do I hate that. I consider picky eaters to be children who refuse to eat any vegetables on the basis of fear or distaste. Or maybe folks who have more than 10 random foods that they just will not eat in any quantity for some unexplainable reason.

A vegan who abstains from animal products because of firmly held ethical beliefs about the value of animal lives or the environment or human health is not a "picky eater". That's living your life in accordance with your beliefs (As is eating meat if you believe that is ethical for you). I eat damn near everything except for things that come from animals. Any kind of fruit, vegetable, bean, or grain is welcome on my plate. I'm really not that picky.

But I am a food snob. Given the option, I'll choose to have the highest quality produce, the most fair trade, local, organic, sustainably grown foods I can find, prepared carefully with thought to balance of flavors, textures, and presentation. I'd prefer my onions slowly carmelized, with slightly browned edges (But I'll eat them still crunchy if that's what I've got). I'd prefer my tofu pressed, patted dry, heavily marinated, and baked until it is crisp on the outside and springy, delicately soft on the inside (But I'll eat the prepackaged kind cold out of the plastic wrapper, too). I'll spend all day on a meal: baking bread, harvesting vegetables, roasting seitan, rolling out pie crusts (But I'll swing by Chipotle if that's what I have to do).

Basically, I want the best quality food I can get. That's why I cook at home so much. If I control the preparation, I can make the food just like I want it. Of course, that's not always an option. But given the option: I'll be snobby.

So in this blog I'll share the foods that I love and you can take 'em or leave 'em. I like to write about food, take pictures of food, and eat food. You'll get to read stuff and look at pictures, but you'll have to cook it yourself if you want to eat it too. Feel free to change the recipes to make them suit your tastes- I might be a food snob, but that doesn't mean I know how you like your food.