In an ideal world, food would be something that unites the people of Planet Earth. We all need it to survive. Most cultures have figured out ways to make this necessity into something delicious and maybe even luxurious. But as food and cuisine have shifted from «need» to art and pleasure, some people have begun to turn something enjoyable into a source of snobbery and condescension. 

This self-importance and gatekeeping may have been reserved for food writing that reflects more privileged diners, but with the advent of the Internet, food snobs can be found pretty much everywhere. They creep into Twitter threads uninvited to share their tired opinion on fast food pizza. They balk at carbonara recipes that incorporate cream. They write essay-length reviews on Yelp, tearing into cuisines they only think they know something about. But while the diatribes and snide comments are wholly obnoxious, they’re also kind of entertaining. These people are so desperate to show that they know better that we can’t help but laugh at them.