Sam on Food

I was lucky enough to grow up in a household where I ate good and interesting food more often than most people I knew. When my neighborhood playmates were eating hot dogs and potato chips, I was eating artichokes and cardoons. I’ve continued to eat this way as an adult. Since I’ve become a food writer I’ve had good, if not great food all over the world, from the inspired seafood dishes of Tetsuya Wakuda in Sydney to the pastrami from Katz’s Delicatessen in New York.

I don’t eat this kind of food every day, but I do try to eat good food every day, even if it is a simple piece of fruit. My philosophy is that the better the food, the less you’ll eat of it because you’ll be satisfied more easily. It’s hard, if not impossible, to be truly satisfied with junk or just plain mediocre food.

What’s good food? It’s the kind of food I write about in my column in  Wine Spectator magazine and in my newsletters: Quality cheeses lovingly made by artisan producers; chicken, pork and beef raised humanely on farms instead of factories; hand-crafted chocolate.

Don’t these foods cost more money? Sure. But as I said, good food satisfies more easily, so you’ll eat less of it. Moreover, Americans pay too little for their food. As a percentage of the family budget, food is much more expensive almost everywhere else in the world. Most of us can afford to pay more for our food, and we should do it gladly to get better quality. What is more important than what we put in our bodies?

Finally, people who love good food as I do tend to share it as often as possible with family and friends. Unfortunately, too many Americans eat everywhere except at the dinner table—while walking down the street, riding in their cars or working at their desks. The way we eat is as important as what we eat. So join me my quest for interesting and delicious food and take the time to enjoy it.

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