Grex Kitchen Conference

View Responses

Grex Kitchen Item 279: Artisan foods.
Entered by omni on Sun Apr 3 21:34:55 UTC 2011:

     I have been noticing a trend. Artisanal foods, or as I call them, 
needlessly marked up for maximum profits. 

     Zingies is famous for doing this and has no problem charging you 15 
dollars or better for a sandwich, or 25 dollars for a pound of ham. I am 
all for making money, but when does reasonable turn into gouge?

      I live in Detroit and I can get ham for about 1.99/lb. I think 
it's pretty good and not too terrible. It's not artisinal, its just ham. 
Same for cheese, 2.49/lb.

      I can also get tortillas for .79 per bag, made from ordinary flour 
and Detroit tap water. I have a suspicion that if these places ever got 
the idea that Authentic Mexicans make these things, they could get 9.00 
for a bag.

   The question is, have we lost our sense, or is it justified to charge 
outrageous prices for ordinary food?

8 responses total.

#1 of 8 by keesan on Sun Apr 3 22:17:21 2011:

People can charge whatever they want, but nobody has to pay it.
We make tortillas from dried corn, soaked overnight in CaOH (lime), boiled
for an hour, rinsed well, ground up, patted flat, and fried on a griddle.

#2 of 8 by edina on Mon Apr 4 15:28:18 2011:

Here's a question:  where does your $1.99 a pound ham come from?

#3 of 8 by mary on Mon Apr 4 15:50:02 2011:

Well, I tend to think it falls to personal preference.  I see a huge 
difference between cheap stuff and expensive artisan cheeses.  Coffee is 
another place I'll put some money.  Where I don't get it is imported 
bottled water.  Like Fuji.  My mind boggles over that one.

When I go to Zing's I can appreciate that the ingredients are often 
imported and of the finest quality.  And they can be absolutely delicious 
and worth the money, especially when a sandwich makes for two meals. 

Besides, splurging (which implies moderation) is good for the soul.

#4 of 8 by slynne on Mon Apr 4 21:11:50 2011:

Many sellers of luxury goods count on people not really being able to
tell the difference between the actual quality of their products and the
competition. Many people really do assume that if something costs more,
it must be better. But with that said, there are often real differences
in quality too. When it comes to food, I ll admit that I can t always
tell the difference but there are some times when I can. Those times, I
don t mind spending more. For example, Zingerman s makes a Rueben
sandwich that is hands down the very best Rueben sandwich I have ever
had anywhere. It is expensive but like Mary says, it is large enough for
two meals although I ll admit that I like that darn sandwich so much I
usually eat the whole thing (My tummy always regrets that decision which
comes entirely from my mouth though. Luckily it is expensive enough that
I only get it a couple of times a year).  I also like cheeses and I like
good cheeses and a variety of cheeses and some of them are expensive but
so worth it. Since I have been eating more vegetables, I have also
started to learn a bit about quality there too. Fresh and local is
almost always tastier although fortunately in the summer, it is often
cheaper too.

#5 of 8 by keesan on Tue Apr 5 14:18:58 2011:

Do you have a sunny spot in your yard?

#6 of 8 by slynne on Tue Apr 5 16:23:37 2011:

Yes but I don't enjoy gardening. Luckily for me, there are farmers.

#7 of 8 by keesan on Tue Apr 5 19:23:18 2011:

The farmers at our market rarely sell ripe tomatoes because they don't
transport well.  We ask for the ones they are throwing out (got squished)
because they are ripe.  You can grow your own ripe ones.

#8 of 8 by slynne on Wed Apr 6 15:46:49 2011:

While I will agree that the best tomatoes I have ever had have come from
people's gardens, the truth of the matter is that if I were to get into
gardening, it isn't tomatoes that I would grow.

Response not possible - You must register and login before posting.