Do You Eat Dude Food? Does Your Guy Like Chick Drinks?
Posted by: Jessica Wakeman
Filed in:
news
10:30AM, Monday July 6th 2009
If you’ll indulge me in a little gender stereotyping here, most men are total trash compactors when it comes to food. They’ll just eat, eat, eat, eat, eat anything on their plate and suffer the consequences in the john later.
Except, that is, when it comes to a fruity yogurt parfait. Or a granola bar. You see, those foods are just not manly enough.
A. K. Whitney at Sirens Mag has an interesting essay up about “gendered foods”: how our culture designates some dishes “male foods,” while others are “female foods.” And though there are definitely exceptions, she is correct that it’s women who usually nosh on “lighter” foods like yogurt parfaits, rice cakes, garden salads, and quiche.
More than likely, silly sexist belief systems are the reasons foods get “gendered.” But here’s another thought: maybe guys are just smarter than us and realize rice cakes are generally lame and flavorless?
Of course, the pressure our culture puts on women to be slim is one of the culprits: it’s OK for dudes to scarf up onion rings like a Hoover vacuum, but a woman who does the same thing might raise some eyebrows. So women are subtly (or not so subtly) encouraged to eat something lighter, like a salad or a quiche, and those foods get marked “feminine,” prompting some men to skip them.
True, most men do eat more (bigger portions) than most women because their bodies are bigger and hundreds more calories to keep ‘em running. But it’s funny, then, that some men still avoid “womanly” foods, seemingly on principle.
Don’t believe me? Whitney has a good point on how marketers feed into this b.s. For example, Diet Coke, for example, has a long, caffeinated history as a “girly drink.” But just this weekend, Coke Zero, which comes in a black can, sponsored a NASCAR race at the Daytona International Speedway! What’s that all about?
I’m curious: which gender do you think is missing out? The men who believe stupid sayings like “real men don’t eat quiche,” or the women who munch on a garden salad instead of a pulled pork sandwich?—[Sirens Mag]
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CheeeeEEEEse
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 10:41 am: [report]
I’ve been drinking Coke Zero for years now and spout how good it tastes when ever there is a comment about it.
BTW, I had a halal chicken platter for lunch. Delicious.
jimnist10
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 10:44 am: [report]
Never have I ever turned down a pulled pork sandwich in favor of a salad.
I think both genders a missing out. A delicious, rare steak is friggin’ amazing, but so is an arugula salad with lemon juice and shaved asiago. If people feel they need to exert they masculinity or feminity via their food choices, then they need to smack themselves and realize that food has nothing to do with gender and that they’re missing out!
Catherine Strawn
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 10:49 am: [report]
I just ordered a bagel, and the guy behind me got one “scooped out.” I don’t even do that, girly man.
Infamous
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 10:51 am: [report]
If my household is any indicater, then a lot of men are missing out in the nutrition department. A cheeseburger is okay sometimes, but my bf would subsist on bloody steaks w/ an occasional potato. Since I do the grocery shopping and meal planning, I am able to encourage him to occasionally eat some vegetables and fiber. He also literally eats a PB&J;sandwich (with about 1/2 a cup of PB) every day. It grosses me out.
Jessica Wakeman
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 10:52 am: [report]
Writing this article just made me want an Angus burger, toasted rolls, with blue cheese.
Jessica Wakeman
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 10:53 am: [report]
Oh. And slightly unrelated. My bf went to some ice cream festival in Philly this weekend and ate 24 friggin’ scoops of ice cream.
I think the “how much can I eat?” contests are a total dude thing.
joyy
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 10:54 am: [report]
Both, though I get the impression more men refusing ‘girly’ foods than women avoiding ‘manly’ food.
My bf would eat granola/yogurt/berries every day if I could buy berries fast enough to support his habit. His tendency towards healthy food totally keeps me on the healthier side, though it’s really really hard to cook/keep healthy food in the house (salads, yogurt/granola, etc) and feed us in a way that a) doesn’t explode my weight and b) puts some weight on him (6’2” and 146 lbs).
BlueVibe
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 11:05 am: [report]
I don’t seem to see a gender split among the people I know closely enough to be familiar with their eating habits. I know certain PERSONALITIES who are resistant to anything but the most un-adventurous foods. Strict meat-and-potatoes people who think that spaghetti is a little too exotic. But it seems to be more of a personality thing than a gender thing.
I totally agree, though, that there are social pressures that tell women to eat lighter foods and men not to eat anything exotic or “diet”. It’s all pretty silly. The quiche thing is just dumb—it’s egg and cheese in a crust. Nothing really fancy about it. It’s really rather rustic and protein-heavy, actually. Kind of . . . manly.
(I’m a girl) I love salad just because I love salad. I love vegetables. I love fruit. I would LIVE on watermelon and broccoli if it were nutritionally possible. But I also love good barbecue, a good hamburger, onion rings, po’ boys, beer, pizza, etc.
GreenAura
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 11:08 am: [report]
I think its all about balance. My hubby and I are big time health food fanatics (when we are dining at home and work) but if we go out, we don’t want to restrict ourselves. At home and work, I eat fruits, veggies, egg whites, whole wheat pastas and brown rice. but if we go to a restaurant, I won’t hesitate to get a big fat bacon cheeseburger w/ fries. Why? Because variety is the spice of life!! How boring to always eat healthy and likewise how boring to always eat junk. But as an admitted “foodie” I LOVE IT ALL!! I just make sure nothing is in excess and I am fine.
Rose
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 11:52 am: [report]
I am allergic to poultry. When we eat out together, if my husband orders chicken and I order steak or lamb, the waitstaff invariably give me the chicken and him the manly red meat.
Mainer
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 12:03 pm: [report]
Women are also more likely to snack throughout the day - carrots and dip at the office, wheat thins, yogurt, and apple, etc. Men generally do all their consuming in one meal - breakfast, lunch, dinner. Men don’t choose yogurt for breakfast or a salad for lunch because a) we are hungry, b) it does not fill us up, and c) it rarely has the flavor we are craving. Men, in general, are bigger than women - we therefore need more fuel. You have to feed the horse or it won’t pull.
Women may tend to eat lighter during meals because they snack throughout the day or they are trying to watch their figure (women also hold fattier foods easier than men). Women are also more likely to exercise than men - even if it’s just going on a run. They do that to stay in shape, have more energy, and it’s a good stress relief. Chasing a nice 30 minute run with a double bacon cheeseburger just defeats the purpose of staying in shape.
These are obviously general statements supported by idiotic and not-very-thorough statistics - they do not apply to every person, so hold the “not my man” responses. I know, they’re unique and special.
And yes, unless there is a bacon egg and cheese between two rice cakes, we will never eat those because they have about as much flavor as taking a nice big bite of air.
tattooed_redhead
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 12:47 pm: [report]
I had a date recently where the guy made a comment about how it was nice to be with a woman who ‘ate like a normal person’. I had ordered steak. I never really paid attention to ‘genderized’ food, I just order what I’m hungry for, and I was a bit confused by his statement because of that. But then I’m pretty oblivious to most things, anyway.
Sara.B
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 01:50 pm: [report]
It’s more about serving size than types of food with me. When My BF and I go out, we will both order steaks or prime rib or surf and turf or what ever. I, more often than not, do not finish mine and he will finish it for me. We rarely need anything boxed to go. At home I often cook on the healthy (girlie?) side and he’s fine with it. But, If it’s something light, he will usually devour twice as much.
The thing is, he typically wears looser clothes than I do. Plus on his frame, a pound or two makes little difference. On me, things get tight all over.
writergirl
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 01:53 pm: [report]
My husband and I are foodies, so we eat just about anything. Enforcing the “health” factor falls to me but he’s slowly coming on board. I just can’t get him to eat egg whites. Not that I blame him—egg whites suck. But if I made a quiche and salad for dinner he’d eat it without complaining. Same as if I made steak. As long as it has flavor, he doesn’t care.
chouette
wrote on July 6 2009 @ 03:26 pm: [report]
I would love to exist solely on fried foods, cake, and soda, but if I did I would probably gain around 30 lbs. I eat “girly” foods to stay a reasonable size. It’s a self-control, and health, thing. You won’t hear me arguing that rice cakes with a side of carrots make for an enjoyable meal. I agree: it’s all about the pressure to stay thin, and if I was a man I would probably eat as much steak and fries as I could afford to. And then have a heart attack at age 40.
saramarie
wrote on July 7 2009 @ 12:39 pm: [report]
My husband likes to joke about the Burger King commercials and how they’re basically the only fast food joint that hasn’t even bothered with the healthier foods/female market. While McD’s and Wendy’s touts their salads and healthier sides, the King basically calls you a d*ck if you don’t eat 10LBS of cow covered in bacon.
I try not to limit myself too much when it comes to eating tasty (and generally fattening) foods since I believe if you crave it and don’t eat it, you’ll wind up overeating something else to compensate…but since I’ve recently become a vegetarian I’ve been forced into a world of foods I never thought to try before and have actually found a lot of the healthier foods to be tastier than what I was eating before.
The hubby is a different story…he has been told by the doctor that he MUST eat red meat at least once a week to keep his iron up. Poor guy. =)
avaxcontrol
wrote on July 10 2009 @ 05:25 am: [report]
I personally just eat whatever I feel like eating. The only time I ever feel weird about eating in front of a guy is if he’s a vegetarian. It gives me this kind of guilty feeling and I wonder if I’m being judged or something. This doesn’t make me feel weird enough not to order whatever I want, even if it has meat in it.
One thing I HATE is when guys I know say they like a girl who can eat a “real meal”, but then they also prefer girls who are thin. I’m not saying a girl can’t eat a “real meal” and also be thin, but generally speaking the girls who are thin and in good shape eat lighter to stay that way. Girls who eat whatever they want tend to look like they do.