If arugula was the measure of elitism, how about "salade niçoise"

Remember all that brouhaha after the then candidate, Senator Obama, remarked at a campaign event in Iowa:

“Anybody gone into Whole Foods lately and see what they charge for arugula?” the senator said. “I mean, they’re charging a lot of money for this stuff.”

Of course, during the campaign season, candidates have to go figure out a way to exorcise the Coriolanus curse; it is a tradition in democracies.  Especially here in the US.

Even though I logically understand this, emotionally I cannot but think that country club Republicans will lead a very different life from mine, but that I will be able to relate to liberal luminaries ... Of course, my logic tells me that affluent liberals might not differ all that much from affluent Republicans. Thus, a tension between the logical and emotional understanding of the world, right?

A recent column in the Financial Times further illustrates the point.  Martin Wolf, of the FT, writes about his conversation with Paul "the conscience of a liberal" Krugman, in which he notes:

At this point we order: salade niçoise for Krugman; foie gras terrine for me; and a bottle of sparkling water. This is definitely not going to be up to the gourmet standards of some lunches with the FT.

I have always enjoyed reading Paul Krugman and Martin Wolf.  (Turns out that for whatever reason this old post on Krugman was quite popular last week!)  But, to realize through this simple comment that the world in which they live is so far removed from mine is quite startling, I suppose.

Ahem, that lunch was not up the gourmet lunch standards?  Wow!

BTW, I had to look up "salade niçoise" and "foie gras terrine" ... now I know, but they don't appeal to me :)