I love cooking and baking, and I generally make everything from scratch. I've never followed a recipe that calls for biscuit mix, refrigerated dough in a tube, pasteurized process cheese food, or other "convenience" foods (I never found them convenient or tasty). I don't make brownies from a box, I make homemade pie crust, and I don't think anything with Jell-O in it should ever be called "salad."
But am I a gourmet? No. In fact, I was completely shocked yesterday when I stumbled on edible silver leaf and edible gold leaf and gold flakes. I had no idea that people ate gold and silver, and of course the first image that came to my mind was of wealthy Hollywood actors and actress sprinkling gold on their dinners, as I might sprinkle salt and pepper on mine. My coworker Addie Kidd corrected this image, mentioning that she's eaten both gold and silver before, so apparently those of us who don't have chauffeurs and maids can also partake.
Supposedly, gold and silver leaf and flakes are popular on wedding cakes and other special-occasion desserts. Although the gold and silver are probably beautiful on food, I can't image eating a precious metal. I love how recyclable gold and silver are. When a piece of jewelry becomes worn beyond repair, the metal can always be reclaimed and reused. But let's be honest, once you eat it, no one will be reclaiming it.
I won't be adding gold or silver to my diet anytime soon, but if you're interested, the edible leaf and flakes can be purchased through several online suppliers, including Edible Gold.com and Mister Art.com.
––Katie