Quote of the Day

[Content Note: Disablism; privilege; gender essentialism; othering.]

"That is insane. I mean this meal here is like $2 a person so I don't know where they're getting (that from). I say I like honey, like raw honey, and a jar is $25, but it lasts for two years. So they were just being sensationalist. There is a lot of inches of column that people need to fill and a lot of times they just try to get attention and say things that aren't true, unfortunately. ...For example, I like to use organic chicken, but it's more expensive—you don't have to."—Gwyneth Paltrow, defending herself against charges that it would cost around $300/day to eat meals prepared from recipes in her new cookbook.

The number is indeed overinflated, because the occasional cost of whole jar of honey or a whole bag of a specialty brand of gluten-free flour are built into the estimates for a single recipe. So it's probably closer to, say, $100/day.

Which obviously all of us can totes afford. And, if not, just switch to the regular chicken.

(Even though in the book she's promoting, she writes: "I am a firm believer in raising animals right and eating only organic, heritage, grass-fed, free-range ones—or even better, game birds from the wild, the way it was meant to be." Admirable, truly. Also not something everyone can afford, if they even have access to ethically-raised meat.)

Ask your favorite fishmonger for other suggestions on how to save money!

Anyway. There are certainly people who write bullshit for attention or page hits or whatthefuckever, but there are also a hell of a lot of people who have written serious and thoughtful criticisms of Paltrow's seemingly clueless privilege embedded in her GOOP lifestyle garbage.

And, you know, even in a shitty economy, there's still plenty of space for luxury brands because there are still plenty of people with lots of money. But the thing to which people (myself included) are objecting is that Paltrow positions her brand as accessible, not aspirational.

* * *

On another note, her new cookbook is also peppered (see what I did there?) with some super insights about gender roles:

On meat: "Gwyneth eats zero red meat and Julia eats a tiny bit here and there, but we both often make it for other people in our lives (mostly men...)."

On an egg white omelet: "This is what to make in the morning if your boyfriend is a body builder. Or you want him to look like one. We got the idea to partially whip the egg whites from a Jean-Georges Vongerichten recipe."

...On men's needs: "I don't eat red meat, but sometimes a man needs a steak."

And finally, this great bit of othering: "Fish sauce can be scary, it has so much flavor. And that's why I love it." Yes. Fish sauce, a kitchen staple in literally billions of homes globally, is scary. Good grief.