(Mike Maharrey, Money Metals News Service) Hungry? Eat gold. Seriously. It’s a thing.
Mind you, it’s not a thing that interests me in the least. But some people do eat gold.
The other day, I was doing a little headline search for gold stories, and I ran across a blog post on a site called Tita Italian. It’s a high-end food company that sells caviar, cured meats, and other delicacies.
The company also sells gold that you can eat.
But why?
Gold doesn’t add to the taste. But it is pretty. As the Tita Italian blog post explains, it’s all about plating and presentation.
“Food can tell a story. Use plating to create a visual narrative, letting your ingredients speak for themselves. Edible gold can be the finishing touch, adding a touch of luxury or symbolism.”
Now, I don’t know about you, but I don’t need my food to tell a story. I need it to fill my belly. However, some people are more concerned with aesthetics than I am. And by aesthetics, I mean showing people how much money they have.
My wife and I often joke that people blowing down the highway 20 or 30 mph over the speed limit have “ticket money.” We don’t. We also don’t have “eat gold” money. But as the saying goes, if you have it, flaunt it.
And some people do!
Tita Italian sells 23-karat edible gold in three forms: leaf, powder, and crumbs.
According to the blog post, “Edible gold isn’t just about opulence; it’s a subtle yet impactful way to add a touch of luxury and elegance to your culinary creations.”
In fact, there are people out there who consider gold-covered food “art.”
Keep in mind here, when I say art, I’m using air quotes. When you use air quotes, you can turn anything into art. Randomly throw paint at a canvas – “art.” Throw sticks in a pile – “art.” Pee in a cup – bingo – “art.”
Anyway, back in 2019, French artist and performer Frederique Lecerf put on the dinner as a performance art piece to “celebrate extravagance and exuberance.”
The menu was actually pretty pedestrian: chicken, hard-boiled eggs, and vegetable crisps. What made the meal special, and apparently qualified the dinner as “art,” was the fact that all the food was covered in gold. I’m talking real gold here. The 24-karat kind. There were even gold-covered pastries for dessert.
Now, don’t get me wrong; I love art. But I find the pretension in the art world a bit amusing. Lecerf said she has been putting on these golden dinners since about 2004. She told EuroNews, “She was interested in illustrating the transience of her art through the dinners since nothing remained the next day except the experience.”
Yes! That was exactly what I was thinking when I heard gold-covered dinner — said nobody ever.
And the curators of Vanities Gallery said the idea was to critique the gold market, but at the same time, to show the importance of the material in contemporary art.
What exactly is the critique here? I have no idea. That you can’t have your gold and eat it too? Haven’t they already proved that with cake?
Perhaps I’m being too harsh. Or maybe I just don’t get it. Nobody ever accused me of being sophisticated.
But I do understand the appeal of gold. If you want people to know you have wealth, showing off some gold is a good way to do it. People around the world recognize the value of gold. It is instantly recognized as money. And if you can afford to eat money, well, you’ve probably “made it!”
And consider this – you never hear about people eating dollar bills.
That said, I still have no plans to eat real money either. I’d rather hold on to my gold and allow it to preserve my wealth instead of flushing it down the toilet.
We can help with that.
Call 800-800-1865 and talk to a precious metals specialist today.
Mike Maharrey is a journalist and market analyst for Money Metals with over a decade of experience in precious metals. He holds a BS in accounting from the University of Kentucky and a BA in journalism from the University of South Florida.
