Social class & food preferences (restaurant, energy drink, bbq, diet)

[tvdxer]

Are there any connection between the two, other than the amount of cash people are willing to plunk down for food?

I grew up among a standard working (lower than middle) class white Midwestern family. We had money at times, and were broke at others. We usually ate hotdishes or dishes with a lot of meat, such as steak. When we were feeling plush my dad would get lobster or cook up a prime rib for us. Sweets were a regular treat, although my mom's sister, than a dentist-in-training, influenced her to only allow us one pop every Saturday. My father drank soft drinks all the time, though.

Sugary breakfast cereal was de rigeur for all members of the family, including my parents. Some days my mom would prepare a full breakfast including eggs, waffles, pancakes, or french toast, hash browns, bacon, etc.

I have observed (obviously speculatively) that 1) The poorer one is, the sweeter one's tastes tend to be, 2) The wealthier one is, the more they are educated in nutrition and therefore the more nutritiously they eat, and 3) Wealthier people, or at least a subset of them, tend to have a more "sophisticated" diet that includes en vogue foreign foods.

I can expand on any of these factors if you would like. What have been your observations in regards to

[Caligula1]

When you say Social Class and food..

I dunno...we always ate pretty damn good, like you say meat on the table every night.
No lobster for special occasions (though being from LI) they were always had if wanted for cheap.
Just go to the Harbor/ceder beach where some boats come in..

I always figured myself to be in the higher (food type) class not social class (who the frik cares).
But only because I have always had MEAT and Potatos...cooked it pots and pans in a family kitchen..
I eat what the next guy eats...and he or her is welcome to my table if they are hungry...

[lubby]

Yeah we alsways ate good too, and when my parents did not have alot of money ( which was not all the time) it was never reflected at the dinner table. We ate out alot as kids at least twice a month. We always had good cuts of meat because my grandfather was a butcher.

[Elle Oh Elle]

Rich people also tend to know about more foods and they like going to expensive places because they can afford them. I think rich people are also more likely to eat gourmet. Their parents will teach them about these things as kids and they follow.

I grew up in a lower middle class family and I still eat like a millionaire, but it was not without great harm to our finances (and my reputation). As a child, I stood out for being picky.

[septuagenarian]

I was eight years old when Pearl Harbor and WW 2 began and food rationing quickly became a regular thing. Butter, sugar, meats, all rationed and horsemeat in the middle of the 40's was a replacement for beef and pork. Good old SPAM (in a can), powdered eggs, canned veggies, tuna casserole dishes. We were a middle class family but in those days everyone ate pretty much the same irrespective of social or economic status. Sure as hell eat better these days.

[Happy in Wyoming]

Originally Posted by septuagenarian

I was eight years old when Pearl Harbor and WW 2 began and food rationing quickly became a regular thing. Butter, sugar, meats, all rationed and horsemeat in the middle of the 40's was a replacement for beef and pork. Good old SPAM (in a can), powdered eggs, canned veggies, tuna casserole dishes. We were a middle class family but in those days everyone ate pretty much the same irrespective of social or economic status. Sure as hell eat better these days.

My parents spoke of those days. They told me of the black market that allowed people to eat as well as Roosevelt and his Red cronies.

Germany had no rationing until 1943.

[jasper12]

We grew up pretty poor. Oatmeal or cornbread for breakfast. Leftovers for lunch. Soup for dinner. We ate lots of veggies and fruit, because we grew it. Homemade whole wheat bread, from our wheat. I thought white bread from the store was a fancy treat! We used to get big blocks of American government cheese for free.

Ironic, polenta is in fancy restaurants, and whole wheat bread costs more than white bread. And now, I eat less fruit, because it is so expensive. Veggies too.

My wealthy Aunt follows a strict Atkins diet, no pasta or bread. She eats steak and salmon. She can afford to.

[tvdxer]

Originally Posted by Elle Oh Elle

Rich people also tend to know about more foods and they like going to expensive places because they can afford them. I think rich people are also more likely to eat gourmet. Their parents will teach them about these things as kids and they follow.

I grew up in a lower middle class family and I still eat like a millionaire, but it was not without great harm to our finances (and my reputation). As a child, I stood out for being picky.

But I've noticed that people on the higher rungs of the social ladder (not necessarily rich, though) tend to know more about foods like hummus and curry (which are not expensive) than those further down. My paternal side of the family (except my uncle, who is like 500 lb and very interested in food) does not know what hummus or curry is. When I brought up the delights of Ethiopian food with my uncle at Thanksgiving (which he is still unacquainted with, as there are no restaurants serving that cuisine locally), and was trying to explain it to him, my grand-aunt more or less told me to shut up and that it doesn't matter. Wealthier people, or at least a subset of them, on the other hand, tend to have more education and a better grasp of world cultures (from being more traveled). And of course there's the often obnoxious "trendy" foods which come and go in popularity among the Stuff White People Like-crowd, e.g. Thai food ten or fifteen years ago, sun-dried tomatoes, sashimi, etc.

[user_id]

Yes there are more differences in diet between the social classes, it has to do with nutritional knowledge, marketing efforts, and social makers. Lower income households are most susceptible to marketing and once marketers get these households hooked, addiction keeps them there. I've been amazed at the energy drink trend, these are highly addictive due to the sugar and caffeine and these drinks are almost exclusively consumed in the lower social classes.

But the expanded palette of the higher social classes also has to do with social distinction, its not just nutrition. Take wine, health wise its not much different than the bud light consumed in the lower social classes, but it does provide a convenient marker. Namely, if you don't know about wine....well you're probably not a member of a higher social class.

[Gerania]

Well, it doesn't always work out that way. I grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, but, my mother was from England so we would eat things like plum pudding with hard sauce during the holidays. My brilliant eldest brother spent a college semester in France and came home with all sorts of knowledge about wine, cheese. After that, he served in the Peace Corps in Morocco for a couple of years and returned with even more food knowledge. He loved to cook and would throw a family dinner party using all of his skills while introducing us to foods new to us. After that, he worked in northern NJ for a few years and took me to Manhattan a couple of times a year. Restaurant was often my choice, but always had to be a different ethnic cuisine.

I'm pretty sure that I look like a picky eater now, but only because I'm an excellent cook and I've eaten the world's finest foods.

When I was 5 years old, I was pouring Lucky Charms into my cereal bowl while a few older siblings and a dad prepared for the day. I'm pretty sure that my older sister had to pour the milk for me.

I expose my offspring to every sort of cuisine that I can reach. The last one was a highwayside BBQ place. BBQ was excellant, beans were a little too sweet and they were out of greens, bummer.