IMHO you are right with your observation about the food quality. However, the question is what follows from that. If you look at things from an impartial distance, long-haul food in Y is like food from very cheap take away, food in C is often like reasonable pub food and food in F is often not really better than food at a medium quality restaurant, even though it may be presented in a better way and have one or the other fancy ingredient. (And even when there is superior quality the taste buds 10km above the ground don't do it justice anyway.) (It goes without saying that medium-haul food tends to be simpler, of course.)
However, it's not only the food. In a similar fashion, Premium Economy seats are not better than a reclinable garden chair and high quality Business class seats are similar to a foldable sofa on which guests sleep over, and even First can't match a proper bed.
The reality is that while being high above the ground in this cramped metal tube everything appears to be, and actually is, more precious than on the ground. And that's why I am enthusiastic when I have a sleep-over sofa and pub food on a long-haul flight instead of a garden chair with cheap take away food. So it is possible to see the dinner experience on board in a realistic light and still be an airline enthusiast for the pleasures of premium cabins.
In this perspective, the question of whether one prefers eating on the ground to eating mid-air is just a matter of preference, not of being a snob. (Unless you have a snobby attitude about your preferences, of course.)
My personal preferences are as follows: I enjoy dining in long-haul Business, but I clearly prefer a restaurant to domestic US First, just to give two data points.