Foie Gras
Kappa no He hands over the reins in the Absloute Write blog chain number 10 wondering if I can salvage anything from the post. If I can’t it won’t be your fault one way or the other Terrie but I’ll do my best. Considering we are rumbling along the food train of thought I’ll give some ideas about it.
Great chefs know they need to work in a great restaurant. You can’t create sublime food and be appreciated if the guy next to you is throwing burgers and onion rings nor if the waiter is a guy called Cindy who has just been released after a stint in the can for carjacking. France maintains a priviledged place in the world for a certain type of food – expensive, exquisite and rare. The whole experience is based around these things and it’s a difficult combination to democratize. But that’s the whole thing isn’t it? Not everyone can buy this quail stuffed with foie gras and raisins nor can they pay the check at the end and that’s why it’s special. No one would buy high quality food even if there was absolutely no difference between it and the most expensive restaurant in Paris, from a chain called Foie Gras is Us.
We want to feel something special when we fork out 375€ for a menu just as brides want to feel special wearing a dress bought for $5000 and worn only once. It’s all lies as Seth Godin would say and that’s the way it should stay. We are in the era of experience-based consumerism and if the experience doesn’t correspond to the product people drop off like flies.
I suggest you read all of the intelligent blogs in the chain and I wish good luck to Havlen who is up next. Happy reading.
Cath – http://cathsmith.madaboutkites.com
Midnight Muse – http://www.mymidnightmuse.blogspot.com/
Niteowl – http://theniteowl.blogspot.com/
s_aileronbois – http://samwoodfin.typepad.com/
wordsmyth – http://virtualwordsmith.blogspot.com/
Deathwizard – http://www.deathwizardchronicles.blogspot.com
Gillian – http://www.foodpast.com
Madderblue – http://kappanohe.blogspot.com/
Oswann – https://cootelibeau.wordpress.com/
Havlen – http://www.soundoff-blog.com/
valeenc – http://virginialeenc.blogspot.com/
Tim's Blog 
LOL @ “Foie Gras is Us”! You’re right, though. I don’t go to expensive restaurants very often, but I went to a relatively-expensive one in Taos that had a giant sculpture of an anaconda along the ceiling, patio dining (complete with a close-up woodpecker), and bathroom sinks that sort of spit at you if you get too close. It was beyond my budget, but in that environment, I really didn’t care.
What’s up with you wishing luck to all the other blogs except mine? I think you should have said all the intelligent *and not-so-intelligent* blogs!
I’d rather learn how to cook quail for myself and get to enjoy luxuries without having to develop the habits of wealth. Speaking of which, they had a special on quail at the markets.
I guess it depends on if you want to feel special, or if you want a particular taste experience. For me, it’s about the taste, not the feeling special, I guess.
One thing I have learned to appreciate here is good food. I had foie gras with much reservation and it was absolutely delicious. I’ll try anything once. Twice if I can afford it! Except the fish hearts…they were a bit too gamey for me.
“I’d rather learn how to cook quail for myself and get to enjoy luxuries without having to develop the habits of wealth.”
This is my point, you can’t. I mean you can go out and cook yourself some fantastic food, this is not the problem. What you can’t invent is the experience of the restaurant. It’s not a question of the function of food. You can eat a sandwich and it has the same function – to get sustinance down your gullet, but it has no experience attached. “Habits of wealth” is just saying I don’t want to participate in this experience.
I don’t think I’m a fancy restaurant sort of person. I like simple food made with simple ingredients. The idea of an avocado foam dressing the plate of something or other that has been flash cooked using liquid nitrogen or somesuch is beyond my ken. Give me a really good club sandwich and I’m happy. Especially if there’s a really good kosher dill pickle spear on the side.
I was amazed how easily you can get good, inexpensive food in France. You have to know where to look of course. And it helps that to a countrified Brit, moule frite sounds classy. 🙂
Interesting topic. Thanks for that one. Keep em coming.
I remember once when I was a kid, Mom and Dad took us all to this expensive place called Sundays – the most I remember from there was a waiter who seemed married to our table, the name of the place, and that it was the first time I’d ever been handed a bowl of warm water and a towel between each course for cleaning my fingers.
I’m more the Applebees-type. Give me a good bar, food that fills you up, a waitress who knows you and a bill small enough so you can leave a big tip and still have gas money!