My Name is Pearl and I am a Food Snob

I was listening to an interview about Food Snobs last night. Automatically I am thinking of those people who insist that high-style French cuisine is the only cuisine but as the interview progressed, I realize that I am one too (aaargh).

Example 1: one of my lovelies wanted a recipe for a chicken curry and my reaction was 'from what country' she answered, after asking me of her options to which I rattled off 10 or 12, 'India' and I asked ' which region'. She looked at me blankly. No I wasn't being a smart-arse, I was genuinely wondering what sort of curry she wants - especially as there are thousands of options available.

Example 2: At home I am a localvore (buying my food from a 100 mile radius), with the next preference being Buy Australian (counting food miles all the way). That also gets overlayed with ethical considerations including fair trade considerations, whether the product is organic, who will benefit from my purchase (say a region that is doing it tough, or a local owned-store v multinational) and, of course, whether the chocolate is slave free.

Example 3: I was looking at recipes and items like white balsamic vinegar are not only completely normal, but I have them in the pantry.

I also know I go on about real food v fake food (say bacon v a jar of bacon bits, or homemade mayonnaise v a jar of the fake stuff, or homemade pizza with weird toppings (like satay chicken) v the real original options) and blithely eliminate complaints of not prepared food like sweet and sour sauce with a "we make that ourselves" but I like to think that is based on cost and nutrition more than snobbery. Actually a night of sleeping on it makes me think it is about 50/50.

Okay I know when I am at work and doing the shopping the credo is "Value for Money" so we look at generics, specials and branded items. Every now and then I know I exclaim "I am not paying that!" to which my lovelies patiently explain it isn't my money we are spending. It just isn't the point - a rip off is a rip off! But there is hope, I can switch off between home standards and work standard.

So having acknowledged that I have crossed the line from foodie to food snob, please tell me I don't inflict that (too much) on those around me. Lie if you have to ...