Elitist Foodie Trend? You Decide

Did you see the article "No White House Food Fight"
in the special Inauguration issue of Newsweek this week? page 10, or link to it here.
Apparently she who's name must remain holy "Alice Waters" the mother pioneer of all that is Organic, "wrote an open letter to the president elect, suggesting that his eating habits could set an example for the country. Waters, along with Gourmet magazine's Ruth Reichl and New York restaurateur Danny Meyer, offered to serve as Obama's informal "kitchen cabinet.'" (Newsweek, pg 10)

A about spit my toothpaste all over my mirror as I was brushing and reading this article this morning. Has the foodie community really gained this much power that they think they can run the White House Kitchen? When did good taste buds, and a love of cooking become such an elitist profession/interest/hobby/talent? Some foodies are so self important now that they have almost taken over the organic, self sustained farming trend that is so popular now. Have you watched Tom Colicchio on the show Top Chef? Last week he was spouting how one of the chef's in question dishonored the lamb she was given by performing a bad butchering job. Hellowww, responsible hunters and Native Americans and housewives from yester-year have had this opinion long before you Mr C.. I am so sick of your shit Tom Colicchio. But, I'll be tuning in next week Wednesday channel 181 at 11:00pm!.

"Soon enough, big name candidates for the job as White House chef began to circulate" (read the article to see who was recommended). But gasp! Michelle Obama actually kept the Bush's chef!!!! SHE KEPT THE BUSH'S CHEF!!!!! Could this be? Did the Obama's offend the foodies? Offend the future "food cabinet" of America? Hah! But alas no...it seems that the Bush's have been eating green, and organic for years and years now. No changes in attitude were necessary in the Bush kitchen, there were no lessons or "examples" to make out of anyone and it appears as Newsweek so eloquently put, "the foodies had egg on their faces".

This trend has trickled down into the food blogging world too. I have noticed this when I visit other blogs that talk about food. One lady even put on her blog that she will review other food blog sites and if they fit her criteria (of which she listed) and if she deems them "worthwhile" she will link to our blog. There is a big long list of food sites I no longer visit because they have become so pretentious and elitist that I feel unwelcome even by the first sentence.

I harbor no hard feelings to elitist chefs and a few fellow food blogger elitists, oh excuse me, I am not an "official food blogger" since I also write about my life and other experiences. But I harbor no hard feelings just the same.

Obama 2008 For the Backpacker In Us All

Typical Backpacker in Thailand

It is pretty common knowledge by those who backpack that you can do an around the world journey for extremely cheap prices. You can get an around the world plane ticket for under 1500. USD. There are numerous constraints..ie: you must always travel forward, tickets are good for a certain time of year, for a certain number of stops, etc.. I know people who can backpack for months in India or South East Asia for a few dollars a day. Sometimes, less than 10.00 a day. Train travel and bus travel in these countries is very, very cheap. Youth Hostels are in every single Asian city I have ever been to. Food is very cheap in Asia too. Why do you think most backpackers look grungy but happy? Clue: Hostel, bus travel, cheap street food.

an aside

***Here is Christina and some new backpacker friends at Dharma Healing Center in Koh Samui. A very cheap detox experience. Places like this in the U.S.A would cost thousands a week. We fasted for 7 days and learned to do juicing on this day. For a fraction of the cost. This is an open kitchen at our friend Hillary's house.***

Also, millions of college age kids take 6 months to a year off, to backpack. My own daughter will be going to South America in February to travel. She is saving money now by living at home. Many of the kids we have met "out there" have been Israeli kids who typically take one year between college and work to travel abroad. These kids have no responsibilities or dependants and this really is a chance of a lifetime.

Now, I will get to the real meat of this post, the real reason I have chosen to discuss backpacker style travel. Are you ready? Brace yourselves... Here it comes...

To the wife of a cousin who questioned the validity of a college age Barak Obama "getting" his money for his backpack trip to Indonesia, India, Pakistan etc, and claimed that she or her children would never have been able to afford it while they were in college, I say .."WAKE UP!!" Have you been out in the world??? It really is full of people traveling on really, really tight budgets! What are you so afraid of Elaine? Just because someone had Pakistani roommates, or has been to India, does not make them the enemy within (her words, not mine). She went on to discuss reasons that are so far out in right field, they are not even worth my blog space by mentioning them here. She did mention however, she was really fearful of Obama though. I for one am fearful of people like her, people who are so afraid of the real world, that they question any motive a person has for stepping out of the box. Even if it is to educate oneself and meet other Children of God from other lands, or even to visit one's mother.

Oh my goodness, I had an Indonesian Maid for 3 years...(gasp!) Maybe you better not count my vote.

Move On

Love me or hate me.

My Obama pins arrived in the mail today. I am a proud member of Move On. org

I know a few people in my life will be outraged, but I am out of the closet...deal with it.