by ALANA SCHETZER
Grabbing bowls, cutlery and cans of drink, my colleague and I prepared to have lunch together. As we walked towards an empty table and chairs, she looked at me and asked “you won’t judge me on my lunch will you?”, pointing to her bowl of 2-minute noodles.
My reaction was instant and genuine. “No, of course not!” I replied, showing her the can of soup I was about to heat in the microwave.
In a world where Foie Gras and panna cotta is becoming as common as bread and butter, my colleague and I had to laugh at our food failure. Had über -chef Shannon Bennett been in the room, he would have sentenced us to several whips and a lifetime of being force-fed French truffles.
Since the emergence of the celebrity chef and television cooking contests, food has become less a means of nutrition and sustenance, then as a philosophical symbol of status and a never-ending game of one-upmanship.
Steak and three veg has been replaced by roast duck and exotic greens, meatloaf has been banished in favour of steak tartare and a bowl of ice-cream and sprinkles is considered passé. But not everyone has jumped on the gourmet bandwagon. There are those of us that don’t have the desire to dedicate a weekend to creating a macaroon tower and don’t consider My Kitchen Rules mandatory viewing. It’s not particularly trendy to admit to this. And god forbid if someone finds out you are happy to eat a plate of pasta served with pre-grated parmesan cheese from a plastic packet – there’s really no place for you.