with more sophisticated tastes, it can also
be a turn-off.
"What makes a food masculine is kind
of silly," says Paul Kita, a writer for Men's
Health magazine and an author of this
spring's Guy Gourmet cookbook. "We've
gone beyond a man, a can and a plan."
Kita, 27, believes cooking has taken on
the role of a hands-on skill that men enjoy.
"Especially with my generation, we're not
really wood workers or welders anymore.
Sourcing ingredients and cooking is an outlet for men, a means of expression. Instead
of crafting a table, we're making lobster or
ratatouille or a great burger. There's a sense
of accomplishment."
"I'd agree with that," says John Balz, a
Philadelphia-area financial consultant who
frequently shops and cooks for his extended
family and groups of friends. His preferred
tool of late is a $200 Japanese chef 's knife,
he says. "I was never a carpenter. I'm not all
that handy except for cooking, and I love
sharpening knives."
Balz says he has always liked to cook
but in recent years his time in the shopping
aisles and in the kitchen has increased. "I've
gotten more comfortable and confident in
the kitchen and will try more things," he says,
adding that he has also become more health-
MALE SHOPPING HABITS
Here are some statistics on men's shopping preferences and spending habits from the
2012 "Today's Specialty Food Consumer" report, compiled by the Specialty Food
Association (formerly NASFT) and Mintel International:
• Forty-four percent of male consumers will purchase specialty
foods, slightly less than female consumers (47 percent).
• Men spend approximately $92 per week on food; women
spend $94/week.
• Male shoppers will spend 22 percent of their total food
dollars on specialty foods, while women will spend about
21 percent.
To read more data
on men's shopping
habits, go to
specialtyfood.com/
onlinehighlights.
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