Why I'm Not a Food Snob

Yes it's the first post to my brand new blog - and it should come as no surprise that I've decided to tackle the aforementioned subject. For those who know me, I have always loved to eat and cook. Every night a different adventure in gastronomic travel. Cookbooks, food magazines, restaurants and diners, all gold. People who talk about food, cook it, love it and most importantly, eat it. In fact, I loved to cook and eat so much that I enrolled in cooking school and subsequently worked in a few restaurants. I think it's pretty safe to say that I know food, can cook most of it and can usually tell if it's well done or if it's shit.
Here's where I get into trouble. You see, there is a lot of shit food out there posing as good food. And I don't mean greasy burgers or grilled cheeses with bacon or even cans of chef Boyardee. It's not haute cuisine but it's honest, it doesn't pretend to be good. It's dirty and it's good for hangovers or inducing diarrhea, whatever you require. What I'm talking about is a meal that is supposed to be good, supposed to be cooked well, flavourful and tasty, but is actually really, really shitty. Take for example the salmon tartar I had the other night. Small cubes of salmon mixed with equally small cubes of avocado. Should have been tasty. However, it was dry, underseasoned and badly presented. It needed salt, it needed oil, it needed to taste less like avocado and more like salmon. It needed to stop posing as good food. It was bad food masquerading as good food. This I cannot abide.
So, when I comment on food such as this, I'll usually say something witty like, "This is crap" or, my personal favourite, "this is really poorly done, someone in the kitchen needs to be fired." To which I am met with, "You're such a food snob." Hell NO my friends - what I am is someone who knows better, knows how easy it is to achieve decent flavour and taste in even the simplest dishes.
I don't need truffles, foie gras and lobster with every meal. And I don't need people fussing and fretting over garnishes and "accoutrements" - I just need something honest. And tasty.