I’m debating as a food lover whether we’re in the best of times or the worst of times. As gas and food prices have risen, and Wall Street is sick, people have started talking seriously again about eating and cooking cheaply. This is not a new crisis for a lot of Americans, simply life as usual. For a lot of us, in large cities, and the middle class I think we’ve felt it in different ways. But this week I’ve read some interesting articles that contradict where we’re at as a food loving public long term and short term.

New York Magazine dropped its 40th anniversary issue - pick it up - even if you’re not a New Yorker. This is one of the few issues of the magazine that I’ve read cover to cover, actually really intrested in what the writers had to say. Well, you can’t put out an issue about how New York has changed over the past 40 years without an article involving chefs and the change in New York cuisine. The writers interviewed David Chang of Momofuku and André Soltner of Lutece. Both are institutions of the city and both chefs have changed how we eat here - well mostly how we eat out. They commented on the public’s taste, expectations, and buying habits. As a child of the 80’s, I’ve grown up expecting choices in produce, herbs, and meats. Soltner answers the question, Do people eat better now, saying: “Oh, sure. Forty years ago, they didn’t eat good. When I came to this country, everything had to be big! Just big. Potatoes, they had to be big. Didn’t matter that in the middle there was a hole, as long as the potato was big. And that was the only potato that you could buy. Now you go to a supermarket, you have five or six different potatoes. Not just in the specialty markets or farmers’ markets. Why? Because the people demand this. Why didn’t the farmers grow smaller potatoes? Because there was nobody to sell it to. but now, they know that with small potatoes, they can demand more money, because we chefs told them.” He also makes a similar comment about carrots, herbs, and Fairy Tale Eggplant. I have no generational perspective on this phenomenon, but feel privileged to live in such a “snobby” food culture where I expect 6 different potatoes and get them.

Today, I also received an email from The Kitchn, which was heavy on the cooking cheap/frugal vs. luxury posts. I clicked on an article that challenged people to eat for $25 a week/person, which is what a typical food stamp recipient in Illinois has to spend each week. I champion the awareness, but find it a bit condescending to just take the challenge on for a week (”to see how the other half lives”) and not make a significant change or effort to change how the system works. Before you get all upset, I would imagine, that a lot of people writing and trying this project will find themselves and their food habits changed and more aware. For a moment, I felt bad, like I was spending a crazy amount on food, which comparably I am. However, I thankfully do not have to live on $25 a week, nor do I want to eat peanut butter sandwiches and soup for 4 days. Cooking Broke, for me, is about living well - being healthy (sans most bacon recipes), and coming around a table with friends, serving them with great food and doing it on a realistic budget. Sarah from The Kitchn said, “this is a time to talk to our farmers and grocers. This is a time to plan our meals out ahead of time. This is a time to eat less meat and to use the meat we do in its entirety.”

It’s funny, we’ve never been more obsessed with food and food culture before. How many of us watch hours of Food Network, wait for the best restaurant reservations, and surf Epicurious? It’s so much fun, and has made Johnathan and I so fulfilled. But we also have the highest food prices of the last 40 years. A lot of families can’t afford meat or fresh veggies. This is an interesting time for foodies. We’ll have to see what the report is in another 40 years. Any predictions?