ABSTRACT
At the same time we unconsciously acquire knowledge of high-end food establishments, we frequent an extensive roster of lower-cost eateries selling foods like bi bim bop, lamb roti, and barbeque brisket. We try to eat organic and local foods as frequently as possible, but we are not
above tucking into food court french fries, or using the occasional bribe of fast food to obtain compliance in our children. We enjoy the challenge of learning how to make unusual food items at home, like marshmallows or osso buco, but we frequently fall back on homey staples like rice pudding, roast chicken, and cinnamon buns. Perhaps because both of us were raised in remote outposts where jello salads and hamburger helper were culinary mainstays, we are acutely conscious of how “fancy” food can mark you as a snob and an outsider. While we tend to reject many of the packaged foods of our rural food culture (e.g., a neighbor’s chocolate fudge made with Velveeta cheese), we genuinely love eating many dishes prepared from rural community cookbooks1-even though we know that a “sophisticated” palate provides ease and comfort in many settings, like high-end restaurants and fancy university functions.
