Friday, June 19, 2009

On Food Snobbery

I like food. Food is good. However, with that said, I do have some food dislikes. Onions would be public enemy numero uno on that list. That list would also include ginger, oysters, white meat, and most Mexican-origined cuisine. With that said, I'm sure a number of people have drawn back in horror, readily accusing me of a closed mind and unsophisticated taste buds.

I used to feel like I should be a little ashamed of my food hangups.

No longer.

I'm reading a book that goes over (in layman's terms) the thinking behind de gustibus non disputandum - "over tastes let there be no dispute." Basically "in matters of taste, it is generally not appropriate to talk of error...if you say you like tomatoes and I don't, we agree to differ: something is right or true for you but not for me. In such cases truth tracks sincerity: if I sincerely say that I like something, I cannot be wrong - it is true (for me)."

I read these lines. Then I read them again. Hallelujah!

So many food snobs out there are eager to write you off or they "just don't understand you" if you can't appreciate the fineness of xyz or the complexity of abc. And it's so easy to say "sure, that's great"...but what if you JUST DON'T LIKE IT??

I think the food snobs might be the closed minded ones in this case. If we take the above as true (that something is not wrong if I am sincere in saying I do not like it), then trying to convince me of my wrongness is just...wrong.

I realize this is semi-circular reasoning, but seriously...do you feel me on this one?

(Apologies for the 1AM rant, but this was inspired by meeting someone today who ALSO does not like onions and ginger. How often we are so unfairly judged!)