Look, I think I've been honest right from the get-go.
I've never been a foodie. In fact, I've always been a little squeamish about diehard foodies. And I stumbled into food writing because I was an out-of-work English professor who needed a job, not because I stayed up nights dreaming of the perfect creme brulee.
God knows, I haven't hidden this. My 2006 essay on Salon.com, Food Slut, provoked quite a stir, including daggers from Hans Eisenbeis, then editor of this very publication, who called me dyspeptic and narcissistic, and said that writers such as I "try to reduce the cacophony of their little corner of the world into a trickle valve of distilled meaning, but they must be careful not to let it be curdled by the acid of falsehood-by-simplification." (I swear, he said exactly that. You can read the entire stream of metaphor here.) And while much of what Eisenbeis said may be true, I think if he were a real, serious reporter, he would have interviewed my ex-husband to find out exactly how dyspeptic I can be.
But I digress. . . .
My point is, I've been dissing TV chefs and ice sculpture openings for years. But don't think I'm not aware — painfully aware — that I am, in a sense. . . .all food writers are. . . .riding on the coattails of Emeril Lagasse and Rachael Ray and all those other hyper-irritating people who've made cooking the modern equivalent of Olympic ice dancing.
And NOW, I read in yesterday's New York Times that the Food Network has cancelled Lagasse's show and plans to restructure its programming because -- ye Gods! -- ratings have dropped (and dropped significantly) for the first time in four years.
Well, here's my question: What's your problem? Why have you -- epicures of the first order who use the word chef as a proper noun (as in "Chef is one of my best friends") -- abandoned the Food Network? And does this spell the end for dyspeptic, narcissistic writers who are curdled by. . . .oh, whatever. Is America's romance with chefs and restaurants and all things "foodie" actually coming to an end?
There are signs, you know. My co-blogger, Jeremy Iggers, recently wrote a piece about Zagat, the popular everyman's reviewing system which has been picking up a head of steam. But also, consider this:
On Tuesday, I went into a Juut Salon at Southdale. But this was not just any Juut; it was the one occupying the former Louis XIII space. Now, Treize (as it was called in the business) was the most anticipated new restaurant of all time -- according to many -- the year I started writing about food. Its owner, David Fhima, was sexy and long-haired and he had a suave accent. Everyone wrote articles about him and talked about his genius and showed him in Spandex, jogging around Lake Calhoun, while his palatial, Spectacurama restaurant on the edge of Southdale was being built.
When Louis XIII finally opened, after a series of delays, there were chandeliers and velvet drapes and an $1,800 bottle of Remy Martin cognac socked away in the wall. That was 2004, during food's heyday. Now, can you name a single restaurant opening in Minneapolis or St. Paul that will get the same level of media coverage or bring the glitteratti out to mingle while holding mango duck lollipops on a stick?
Also, in case you missed this part, Treize has since closed and they're now doing bikini waxes in the place where the kitchen used to be. It's my assessment that the wave has receded. Restaurants are fast going back to being establishments where we, uh, eat. Damn.
Seriously, folks, if you've found things to do that are more important than watching the Food Network -- say, reading a book or taking a walk or having really good sex -- I can get behind that. Narcissistic as I may be, I'm hoping you have more to do than sit rapt while Rachael Ray smacks her lips. And if this means the end of my free ride restaurant reviewing career, then so be it. I'll find something else to write about. Don't worry about me.
As the NY Times says, "Still, Mr. Batali said, “They don’t need me. They have decided they are mass market and they are going after the Wal-Mart crowd,” which he said was “a smart business decision. So they don’t need someone who uses polysyllabic words from other languages.”"
As the Food Network makes the transition between those that read Gourmet to those that prefer recipes made from condensed soup, there is no question that the lack of clear direction could cause a decrease in ratings. The business pain is because the Food Network has tried to be gradual (one more year of Emeril repeats) rather than just make the changes it wants to right away and then market the heck out of its new lineup and emphasis.
I like the topic that you have brought up here, but, respectfully have to disagree. Let me start by saying I absolutely abhor the term "foodie." We all eat. We all know what we like to eat. The term has an instant negative connotation it could easily be replaced with "food snob" and carry the same meaning - someone who thinks they are an expert in food and is not just content in their own knowledge, but constantly wants to prove to others that they know more. I actually see this more with wine than food but nonetheless, they are out there. I am a professional in the industry, but I do not consider myself, by any means, an expert. Every day I learn something new. I consider myself an enthusiast, and in direct contrast to this article I have seen more of my kind lately, not less.
I just think back to 10 years ago when I was sort of just getting my feet wet in the industry. There were only two restaurants that I know of that were offering tasting menus Goodfellows and occasionally Cucina. The grocery stores had maybe 40 varieties of fruits and vegetables. And the food network was in its infancy.
Today, I can think of 15 restaurants that offer great Prix Fixe menus on a daily basis, they are using ingredients that are not only new to the twin cities, but 10 years ago no one had heard of or used in cuisine. Your local grocery store has 500 different varieties of fruit and vegetable (some of which surprise and stump me on a regular basis,) and the food network has gone through some of its more tired original cast of characters and is making room for new talent. I am not one of those chefs who rags on Emeril every chance I get. I respect the work he has done. He HAS sold out. Emeril Toothpaste anyone? But has remained rather consistent in his belief that great food is for everyone. And he is ... BAM! ... passionate about food. I respect that. Without passion for what we do, we really have nothing.
It is not the "foodie" that has propelled us forward in this industry, but rather the passionate cook in many of us who never can satiate the desire to learn and taste more.
Ryan, I've LOVED the term foodie. To me, it's about NOT being a food snob or chef or industry insider...it's just for us regular people who are interested in food, eating, etc without all the fluff or crap that surrounds the "insiders" or "professionals". I'm a foodie...love to eat, like to discuss it, do try things on occasion. That's it. What would be ONE good word YOU'D perfer to describe my type?
Ann doesn't adore Anthony Bourdain the way some of us do ("the ideal man"), but after seeing him at the MOA - he's even better in person - I must agree with his observation that Rachel Ray is looking more and more like a kielbasa. And I refuse to buy a package of crackers with her face on it!
What do we think about Paula Deen? She's my new Food Network fave. Emeril's show was good but I could see it being facelifted.
Keep up the fine work, AB.
There are many levels of food enthusiasm, in cooking, fan appreciation, and eating out. I appreciate chefs as artists with more sensitive and adventuresome palates than mine. That does not mean I will fork over a hard-earned paycheck for one sparse dinner. We are Midwesterners after all, and like a full plate and an undepleted wallet. I think that has been the downfall of many a local restauranteur with stars in their eyes. Will you look high and low for the perfect curry paste to make a 40 ingredient recipe? Depends on your level of commitment or sense of life balance I suppose.
To simplify the cooking world into Walmart and soupcans versus the artists is a mistake. Did I cook anything from Malto Mario--no--but I learned a lot. Would I cook anything Rachel Ray or Paula Deen show me? Sure, but I still understand the criticisms, or snipes, depending upon your viewpoint, of those who do not think they are fundamentally revolutionary or original cooks.
Just so long as they don't cancel Giada. That's good television.
I don't have cable, and so I didn't kill Emeril. Bam. Rachel Ray is a cute "every woman" with chutzpah. This is all about chutzpah. You Mz. Bauer have that chutzpah thing too, and a "kind of" endearing lack of regard for the very audience that helps create advertising revenue/your salary. Where your lack of regard ends and your insight takes over is the thin ice you make your living on. Being a good writer is not enough. Just like watching a bunch of cute personalities on the Food Network is not enough to make you a good cook, and spending huge chunks of change at "splashy" restaurants doesn't mean you have style or qualify as a "foodie".