I've never thought of myself as someone with expensive tastes in food, but I'm starting to reconsider.
I always thought that food was food and that the difference between the $3 product and the $6 product was in labeling, packaging, and advertising. Brands that you know are more expensive than the store brands but are frequently no higher in quality.
But there are exceptions, as I am learning. I'm no longer on a shoestring budget when it comes to food, so sometimes I splurge a little in the grocery store, and I've been known to pop into higher-end food stores from time to time and pick up an item that I never would have considered five years ago.
Take, for instance, balsalmic vinegar. You can purchase a bottle at the grocery store for an acceptable price, especially considering how long a big bottle lasts. It tastes ok when combined with other foods but is a little more bitter than you want it to be.
On the other hand, if you want to upgrade your experience, you can spend (literally) hundreds of dollars on a small bottle of aged balsalmic vineagar that you can practically drink on its own. This balsalmic vinegar is nirvana when combined with a fresh heirloom tomato and buffalo mozzarella.
A few months ago, we bought a mid-range bottle of aged balsalmic vinegar, and I'm not sure if I can ever go back to the version in the grocery store. There is a significant difference between the grocery store version and the hoity toity version, and upgrading is worth the cost.
Tonight, we tried another upgraded item--cheddar cheese. While grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, we saw a block of Cabot private stock cheese, and at a few dollars more than the generic cheddar block, it was worth a try. And what a difference! I'm no cheese expert and don't particularly like the smell or taste of most gourmet cheeses (especially if there is mold involved), but even I could taste a difference. How can I ever go back to generic cheese?
In general, I believe in maintaining a lifestyle with streamlined costs, but we might need to increase our food budget for 2009.
2 comments:
Yeah, one reason my clothing budget is so low is because the food budget is so high...
Thanks so much for the Cabot mention! We are thrilled that you enjoy our cheese. :)
No matter how tight things get, I always splurge on good bakery bread. It's just one of those quality things that I got started on and now can't go back to the shrink-wrapped variety!
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