Excellent or even average

"average" banana bread slices

Someone recently asked me a question about people who won't eat certain foods unless the foods meet specific expectations as measured by gourmets.  I had a very simple response to that.

Even "average" food is pretty darn good, so why refuse to eat it?  Does anyone really have to be a food snob?

That doesn't mean that I eat everything.  Everyone who knows anything about my food preferences knows that I haven't yet come to terms with Brussels sprouts.  Or liver.  And I can't imagine eating tripe.  So I'm not talking about people who just don't care for some foods.  What I'm talking about is someone who won't eat a fast food taco since it's not a gourmet item but will eat the fanciest taco they can find on a three-star restaurant's menu despite the fact that sometimes it is 10 times the cost but nowhere near 10 times the quality.

The other day I tested a recipe for banana bread that I wanted to try out.  It came out only "average", but it was still banana bread and well worth the time to make and eat, even it would have been my second choice to eat if I had also made my favorite recipe that same day.

spiced flatbreads

I'm not saying a fast food taco is on the same level of a gourmet taco, even though sometimes it might be.  Not every item that is labeled gourmet is significantly better than one that is not.  By the same token, not every fast food item is as low quality as some people would like everyone to think.  And to be honest sometimes I'm just in the mood for a cheeseburger that is nothing special, just a plain old fast food cheeseburger.  There is nothing wrong with that.  Sometimes it hits the spot.  Just like a box of crackers from the grocery store might be something I'm craving even though I could just as easily make some lavash crackers or spiced flatbreads.  

fudge brownie

I dearly love the foods I make, and I'm eager to devote the time to make them from scratch.  I love my own brownies way more than anything I would find in a box in the grocery aisle or even at the bakery counter.  But when I'm in the mood for something that is not from a scratch-kitchen, then I'm OK going ahead and satisfying that craving. 

After all, even "average" food can be really good, and certainly extremely satisfying when that is what you crave.  So indulge in the gourmet foods from an excellent kitchen, but just as easily give in to your desire for something else when the mood strikes.