There's a difference between enjoyment and hedonism and much as I love food, right now it looks like people are using it the way they use drugs or material possessions to display wealth and give the impression that they too, have good taste, are taste makers, are important

You are spot on here. I had a front row seat to the propagation and marketing of this to middle america. I worked for the largest distribution company in the US. When the "foodie" craze started picking up, I started selling tons of "truffle oil" and already reduced balsamic "glaze". -Nevermind that you can take 5 minutes and reduce it yourself for a fraction of the cost and with tastier results.

People started buying "plate scapers" and suddenly every "Chocolate Lava Cake" on every menu came with an expertly designed spider webbing of mocha-chocolate-razberry drizzle on the plate.

It's all ridiculously marketed to us as "high brow" when MUCH of it comes in a box.

This said, there are some great restaurants even in "Middle America" where chefs are doing some kick ass scratch cooking. But this could be at a small family dining place with $10 meals just as easily as it could be at a fine dining place with $40 plates.

I don't need a $40 plate to be happy... I mean imagine that it's the last meal you will ever eat and even if it's on Wonderbread, it'll be fantastic.

All this said, I just had a boner-ific burnt caramel and sea salt gelato. -DAMN good.