Boy Food vs. Girl Food
Ted and I were talking about the difference between ‘boy food’ and ‘girl food’. Prepare for some huge generalizations here, and you will likely think of plenty of exceptions to any rules we can come up with. Nevertheless…girls like small plates. Tapas. My friend Janet (and my friend Katie, and my friend Cherry) and I like to go to a local small plates place where we get a few bites of this, a few bites of that, and maybe (HA! Maybe, that’s funny…the particular joint I’m thinking of has wine flights…) some wine, and by the time we’re full, we’ve sampled many different items and had just enough of each. It elegant and expensive and delicious. My only issue is the expense. I just can’t spend that much for lunch. But I do love it. Little lamb chops. Tuna tartar. Green beans. Bass. Chocolate soufflé. Lovely.
Boy food, the food that makes guys happy, is traditionally much more filling, and makes a guy feel like he’s getting his money’s worth. Steak and potato. Short ribs. Pot roast. Rack of lamb perhaps, or pork chops. Pasta or chile. Meat, potato, veg. Maybe a delicious stew. Salad is an appetizer, not a main course.
So I wonder, is the difference biological? Do women just naturally like smaller servings and the social idea of sharing several plates of food? Or is it an economic and social thing, because men are traditionally paying for the food, and want to feel like they are getting their money’s worth, while there is TONS of pressure on women to stay thin at all costs, so small bites appeal to them, even though the number of calories consumed may be as much (or more than) the burger and fries they could have ordered elsewhere?
I don’t know. I just know that I enjoy restaurants like that, where we can order several small courses and share. And maybe it is economic, because while Ted wasn’t thrilled with the restaurant in question, where a meal like I’m describing would be $150 or more, he very much enjoys a good happy hour, where you do basically the same thing…share small plates, have a drink or two, and still get out for about $50. I knew I married well on that one.
7 Comments
Ally Bean
I agree. I adore a bunch of nibbles over a big meal– and my husband is the exact opposite. You raise a marvelous question: is the reason for this biological or financial? Food for thought… so to speak. 🙂
Ted
I think Happy Hour is one of those things that’s appealing to both genders because while they serve appetizers, they are large and bulky enough so a guy can get that “full belly” feeling, while a gal can sample different dishes without feeling like it’s a complete meal.
Cherry
yup.. just had to doublecheck my blog URL when filling out your comment form. I guess I’m a bit out of touch out here in the blogesphere!
As you know J, I eat a lot when I am hungry. I can put just about any guy I usually dine with to shame with the amount of food I consume, but I do LOVES me some variety.
I’ve actually thought my desire for small plates was more about avoiding the commitment to a single flavor for my meal. I like to have options and I love food, so I’d rather have a few bites of a bunch of truly scrumptious dishes than a big bowl of one dish. I get bored, and I get entree envy and would rather sample. Kind of sounds like a guy to me (think sex and dating and late teens/early twenties — yes total generalization, don’t hate). but eating like this is expensive.
I also prefer if I am dining with people who don’t mind sharing, that we each get a different dish so we can all sample… unless I am getting a dish I LOVE, then I’m like Joey and “I DON’T SHARE FOOD!”. And then there is my love of family style dining as long as I am eating with people who are aware of how much food they are consuming vs others and are generous and not hoardy (that’s totally a word).
Even if I am dining alone, I still want options, so it’s still not specifically a social thing for me although it is rare to see me dine alone unless I have my phone with me because then I never feel alone. Hello Internet!
So to me, its not about the quantity/small portions or the money but more about quality and options. Eh, strike that, even if its crap food I still like options but man I better leave with my belly full!
Nance
What Cherry said, pretty much. I like variety. I also like real quality food prepared well and served thoughtfully and beautifully. I don’t like to leave a restaurant empty, though, either tummy or wallet, or both. But if it had to be one or the other, I’d rather have a lot of little wonderful and lovely bites and know that I could go home and have ice cream then a big glob of yuck and feel terrible about it, yet still have money to go someplace else. You know?
Rick is happy anyplace he can have a bigass bloody burger. Period. If it’s an okay burger, at least it was a big okay burger. If it’s not a little bloody, that’s when the problems arise. But big food makes him happiest.
simon
Wow. It never even occurred to me that food could be gendered. I prefer smaller bites because it means I can get to try a wider variety of stuff, but I’m not conscious of these differences splitting along gender lines among any of my friends. Is it an American thing?
OmbudsBen
Barbecue. I’m sure there are women who like barbecue (and perhaps almost as much as men). It just happens that most of the people I know who like barbecued pork or beef ribs slathered in barbecue sauce are men. (Bonus points for getting to play with fire.)
I know a lot of women who are more into vegetarian stuff. Not that they don’t eat meat, but I’d guess their ratio of herbivore to carnivore is higher than it is for men.
Interesting that you mention tapas. I can’t get my wife to a tapas place. I’d like to go. I like ordering food to share, too–but as you mentioned, these are broad generalizations, and we are such a highly individualistic species. *smile*
p.s. Tofu. I’ll bet the tofu approval rating is higher for women than men, too.
J
I won’t say that I like barbeque as much as my husband, but pork ribs ROCK. Tofu I can eat under duress, but it’s not what I would call ‘good’.
Having said that, I do love a good salad for lunch…