Snobbery....

I was accused of being a bit of a food snob the other day (thanks Aaron), and my first thought was "How can I be a food snob? I like Taco Bell."

My second reaction was to look up the word "snob" to see if that was an accurate label. I hadn't really thought much about that word since high school.

As defined by dictionary.com a snob is "a person who imitates, cultivates, or slavishly admires social superiors and is condescending or overbearing to others." That's the type of snob encountered in high school. The second definition is what we're talking about now: "a person who believes himself or herself an expert or connoisseur in a given field and is condescending toward or disdainful of those who hold other opinions or have different tastes regarding this field: a musical snob." A musical snob is a great example. I've certainly known people who shun certain musicians just because said musician is played on the radio and/or gained a certain level of popularity.

I'll admit that in some weird way I am a food snob. I say in a weird way because it's not an exact and scientific snobbery, meaning I embrace Krystals but turn up my nose at Red Lobster or Olive Garden. In all fairness, I haven't eaten at Oliver Garden in at least five years. The last time I ate there was under protest, and my meal was so poor that I had to order dessert because I was still hungry. And then the dessert was still frozen in the center. My last meal at Red Lobster was at my father's request for Father's Day. Despite my usual ironclad stomach, I was sick within 30 minutes. And worse than that was the clientele at Red Lobster. In my direct line of vision was a woman who was eating like it was her job. Seriously, she was acting like she was at a trough rather than a restaurant. She was sweating. Totally unappetizing. On top of all of that, Red Lobster is expensive for what it is. A meal there easily costs $20, assuming you only have a soft drink and an entree. For that same price or a few dollars more, you can eat at a really nice restaurant in my neck of the woods (assuming your order just a soda and entree). Why settle for some shrimp that you can buy yourself in the local frozen foods section when you could have a nice meal somewhere else?

So Aaron then informed me that I fit into the high maintenance category solely based on my opinions about food. I'm not regularly labeled high maintenance, which is probably how I managed to be in so many (wrong) relationships for so long.

But again, Aaron is kind of right. If a guy suggested Applebees for a first date, I'd be tempted to back out. I'd be more impressed with a suggestion that we get shakes and fries at McDonalds with dessert at Krispy Kreme; those restaurants do what they do well. In general (with several notable exceptions), I'm not a huge fan of chain restaurants, especially chains that capitalize on mediocrity, and would much rather try something new and support a local establishment.

But as much as I love trying new places, once I find something I really love, I'm hooked. Hence my enormous excitement about having a bagel at Goldbergs each time I go to Atlanta. I guess in sum, food can be too good, in my mind, for us to settle for the mediocre. But who am I to declare what is and isn't mediocrity? To each their own; I'll try not to judge:)