CheGuevara

If you lived in Italy, you would probably not question yourself as the cost of good raw materials is not absurd...thus affodable to most anyone, regardless of income. You can make the same analogy with any material purchase - like the gentleman who owns a porsche but lives in a shack - each individual spends their money on what provides them the greatest gratification posssible. In the end it probably comes down to culture.

i think this comment is representative of most cultures, with few exceptions. on to your original question, elitism is perceived, much more than it is based on a measurable scale. the level of general interest/knowledge of food within a defined group should not influence the degree to which an idividual is "perceived" to be elitist. che

I feel exactly the same way as you did/do - having just found out about the Paco minutes ago. I used to have the simple Krups/Glaciere makers, which work with a removable bowl which needs pre-freezing....now i have a magimix which still hasn't convinced me of the value.

I have never taken a cooking course - so this might not be the best advice - however I have looked into many both here and the US. You have a few options, depending on the level of commitment. You could probably disregard any diploma oriented courses, as those are generally for a carreer in the industry, and require a lot of time and money. The well know Cordon Bleu has a school here in London, and they do offer evening or week-end courses which last a few months - these courses fit between one-day/week-end courses and a full diploma. The latter, from what I hear, are not really worthwhile if you are somewhat serious in your learining expectations. Having said that, there are numerous specialized courses which are worthwhile once you have a good skill-set as a base. In my opinion, if what you are seeking is to increase and imporve your techniques, i would stick to french cuisine as what you will learn will be applicable to any cooking style. Schools in London: Le Cordon Bleu - London Leith's Books for Cooks - apparently some decent day courses The only other advice I can give is DIY - get yourself a copy of Jacque Pepin's La Technique which is a re-release of two technique books, la technioque and la methode, and go through it. It is by far the best technique book out there. It did the trick for me. che

scott, have you ever tried "le souquet"? this is not haut cuisine, but a simple, regional style french restaurant which focuses on fish. by far one of the best restaurants i've been to in years, anywhere. the food is excellent, extremely classic french fish (skate w/ beurre noir, cabaillaud w/ provencale sauce, sole meuniere...), as well as some classic game (rabbit in mustard sauce). the service and environment is fabulous, they are very unpretentious, which i love. they have a lunch for 15 pounds, includes appetizer, main course, dessert & coffee.

There's nothing like Irish SOda Bread with some good salty butter.