I know lots of men who eat salad—straight men, too. At one time, I even knew more male than female vegetarians. However, I also know lots of men who find this hard to believe. Even in New York, there are tons of stereotypes about what kinds of foods are “gay” and which ones are “straight.”
Author Simon Doonan, photo by Joshua Bright for the New York Times
In Gay Men Don’t Get Fat, his nod to the popular French Women Don’t Get Fat, humorist Simon Doonan plays around with these long-held opinions by encouraging straight men to eat more gay food rather than the meaty, fatty “manly” grub he equates with heterosexual eating. To give you a little insight into the tone of the book, consider that this week’s New York Times article about the book and its author is titled “Pass the Large Grain of Salt.” Despite the emphasis on homosexual eats, Doonan recommends a balance, taking what you might call a bisexual approach to eating. For example, have your hetero meatloaf with a side of super-gay field greens.
I have to admit, I find this amusing. I like the tongue-in-cheek attitude and appreciate the emphasis on balance. Though not a “serious” diet book, I think it would be a fun read.
Would you read this book? What do you think some stereotypical “gay” and “straight” foods are?
Ha, I read this article too. It’s way over the top, but as you said, pretty amusing. I think his bigger implication is that gay men are more in tune with health- and how the food affects our physical appearance. But I also found it funny that he described the way you and I- and most other food bloggers- eat as really “lesbian.”
Haha I got a kick out of that too.