From guest contributor Molly B in NY:
Is meatloaf inherently a manly food? Is there something about its saucy, savory solidity that specifically appeals to the Y chromosome? There’s much to recommend a food that can be eaten in slabs. And perhaps this predilection is hard-wired into the DNA of men. I’m not suggesting a government study, but we can speculate.
Does it remind men of their mothers and happier times round the Formica table, when people actually drank milk with dinner and ate Jell-O for dessert? Does it represent a more wholesome and orderly universe not yet pervaded by scary foods that you can’t pronounce? If you had to ask me what the opposite of meat loaf is, I’d have to say “quinoa.” Not only can you not pronounce it, nobody knows exactly what it is, and it tastes terrible, although it is reported to be good for you. About as far from comfort food as you can get, I’d say. Or maybe arugula. Not a comfort food. Definitely not a guy food. Guys may eat lettuce and even spinach on occasion, but anything that looks too much like a weed is not making the cut.
Or is it the ground beef aspect of le loaf that gives it such masculine appeal? Its consanguinity with burgers and chili and some canned substance that I myself cannot identify called “Manwich?” See? It’s even got “Man” in the title. This is unquestionably a man thing. Ground meat and some kind of gravy on a bun. For my money, the bun is a poor substitute for mashed potatoes, but I can see the appeal.
I want to hear from guys and girls on this. Yes, I know girls love meat loaf. I love meatloaf as much as the next gal. But, I do not worship at the shrine of Loaf. Ground beef holds no mystical appeal for me, nor does A1 sauce or any other topping—except gravy (see earlier entry). What makes us traverse the nation in search of the Holy Grail of meat loaves? Because I am prepared to do just that. I want a meatloaf that will make me cry tears of joy. Bring it on, America.
