Regular fry-ups - only for the 'working class'?

[Lysander]

I don't know about you but I love a fry-up. Occasionally. So occasionally that I can't remember the last time I had one, it must have been months ago. The reason being I work in an office, lead a sedantry lifestyle and only need a small amount of food for breakfast. As much as I would love a fry-up most mornings I don't have one because a] it's expensive b] I'd get terribly fat and c] I worry about the long-term effects.

This article in The Times got me thinking about it, is it really only "stupid" people who eat fried breakfasts regularly? I wouldn't use the term 'stupid', I'd split it between very active people and people wantonly ignorant of their effects. I'm sure there are many intelligent people who have fry-ups regularly but who choose to ignore the health risks.

Generally fried brekfasts do seem to be eating regularly by the working class, especially builders [before anyone jumps down my throat I'm not looking down on people of different 'classes' only making observations]. But a lot of those builders can work off 2000 calories in one morning... however, as the article says, not everyone does. I would agree about fried breakfasts being generally for the working class though, I can't remember the last time I saw anyone - or knew anyone - middle class who had them.

I know some people are going to ask me to 'define' working class. This is a bit of a sore point for me since I had a girlfriend years ago who was very proud of her working class roots. She lived in a poor area of London and her family were Communists. I spent a lot of time being derided for being middle class [glad I'm out of that relationship] and it led me to question what the whole class system meant as well as being very aware of how relative the definitions were. As a lot of people will tell you, being working class is not about what job you have, where you live or how much you earn. It's about your background, interests, state of mind. Of course the original definition of the term came literally from "the workers". So.. in order to simplify the definition, let's go with that. So is it really the case? Do lots of middle class people eat fried breakfasts? Or is it more of a thing for the more active working man?

 

[Lysander]

Middle class would do it if they weren't so busy trying to fill their boring lives with mowing lawns and washing cars, trying to impress their neighbours.

Come on mate, it's a bit stereotypical aint it?

I wouldn't class myself.
I eat fry ups most days. If not it's usually something fried in a sandwich else toast.

Is that directed at me? Did you read the whole of the first post? I know it's very stereotypical, which is exactly why I was keen to emphasise the relativity of class definitions.

You may not class yourself. But you are part of a class and you know which, no matter how much you or I may hate the divisions. So what's your answer to the question? Is it more or a working class thing? Because in my experience it is.

 

[Lysander]

Food doesn't have to be segregated into classes surely.

Do you really mean that? Food is one of the main attributes used when defining classes.

Pie and chips are thought of as working class. Lobster and caviar are thought of as middle class. Working class people look down on those who eat refined food for being snobby, middle class people look down on the working class for eating food which is common. It's the way of the world.

I don't really have to link to the pyramid of the capitalist system do I?

 

[Lysander]

I'd rather we forgot about classes and enjoyed good food.

So would I, but taking the topic into consideration it has to be addressed. Food has class connotations - very strong ones in fact. The idea of 'good food' is totally relative to the individual, and the kind of food that individual eats will have a strong link to their 'class'.

Food is food.

Food is food on the level that we all need it to survive, yes. But offer the miner smoked salmon and scambled eggs for breakfast and he'll tell you to sod off. Offer the man from the City bacon and fried bread for breakfast and he'll turn his nose up.

That's like saying 'clothes are clothes'. It's not that simple.

 

[Lysander]

But it just doesn't work like that at all.

I was boiling it down to its base ingredients. It's about what you and your peer group eat the majority of the time.

I went down to the house of my mum's partner for his birthday and on the Sunday morning we had an egg/sausage/bacon. This is from a person who lives in a huge detached house, in a protected forest. He was a big city boss with a 2.1 in aeronautical engineering from imperial. He has travelled the world and eaten many things. Yet he still loves a fry up, or home made pie.

Sure, he may love a fry-up and home made pie. But I doubt whether he has those many times during the week.

 

[Lysander]

Smoked Salmon for breakfast is just pretentious in the same way that those people who show off about their expensive "designer" clothes or car are pretentious.

You've just proved the point then. Some people think it's pretentious, some people thinks it's delicious. I'm of the latter category and I don't think it's pretentious at all.

no but my point is SHOULD food be linked to class?

Ideally not, no. But it's unavoidable I think.

 

[Lysander]

Because he isn't an idiot - pure and simple.

This is what the article was takling about. So are people who do it regularly idiotic? Choosing to ignore the risks certainly is an idiotic trait, but that doesn't mean the person is idiotic overall.

 

[Lysander]

Delicious != Pretentious

Sure it would be a tasty dish, but for breakfast it simply is pretentious and there is no need for it apart from the bragging factor.

Using the word 'delicious' is pretentious? I think it's quite a good word to describe something you enjoy the taste of.

I've had smoked salmon for breakfast and not told anyone about it afterwards. Why would I unless they asked what I'd eaten? You seem to have a skewed view of why people eat the food they enjoy.

I'm genuinely glad I was born "working class" with my feet firmly grounded

Not sure what this means. Care to elaborate?

 

[Lysander]

some rich kids don't understand money or what is normal. Not necessarily a bad thing. But it does make for very amusing comments.

Right, gotcha, more or less.

That makes no sense, if you like it, why not eat it for breakfast?

You sound just as bad as snobs, but from the other end of the spectrum. Turning your nose up at anything "posh"

Indeed, it's called inverted snobbery.

 

[Lysander]

Seeing as I reserve equal amounts of scorn (as I stated) for the "council scum" type people I cannot have Inverted Snobbery.

Not necesarily. Just because you dislike a certain group of people who are unrepresentative of the true working class does not make you averse to inverted snobbery. I take it by 'council scum' you mean chavs or those who scrounge off the taxpayer through benefit and live on council estates. Disliking such people is nothing to do with where you sit in the class scale since they're making a mockery of everyone, no matter who you are.

 

[Lysander]

I regard all classes with equal contempt

You regard yourself with contempt then? That's clever. Saying you regard class divisions with contempt would make more sense.

 

[Lysander]

Your class IS defined by a lot of things, including your education and profession and not interests/state of mind.

Nice retort, but you're wrong.