Praising Bourdain almost always requires qualification but not here. Last weekend at the South Beach Food and Wine fest he took the stage, having just weeks earlier lambasted the festival’s new sponsor, the Food Network and eviscerated many of its “stars.” Now, with these stars in attendance, within several hundred yards of the Rachael Ray book-signing line no less, Bourdain stood to speak his mind in person, no hiding behind the safety of a blog.
“Up until the last minute,” he said yesterday, “I didn’t know if I was going to pussy out.” He didn’t, apparently—if anything his vitriol was more voluminous than on his post—he lanced the boil and the pus just kept coming. Apparently Mikey from Top Chef was in the audience—Bourdain singled him out as an example of hope for the future of food television.
It takes balls to stand up there and mouth off at the TV folks at their own festival, while they’re signing books a few hundred yards away. I always thought the guy was a coward hiding behind his big mouth. I was wrong. The guy’s got balls. (If Mikey by any chance catches a glimpse of this post, I invite you to comment—would love to know that Bourdain wasn’t just lying to me.)
An account from The Palm Beach Post (which also notes the painfully long awards ceremony the night before, consistent with what I heard was a very grim and deathly quiet green room scene among the stars themselves).
———
Serious and fascinating stink over Frank Bruni’s merciless review of Kobe and owner Jeffrey Chodorow’s full-page ad in last week’s pages a letter to Dining editor Pete Wells denouncing Bruni. Bruni was harsh: Kobe “presents too many insipid or insulting dishes at prices that draw blood” and he called the food “insulting” and “alarming.” I sympathize with Chodorow—when the Gray Lady has you in a corner and is giving you serious blows to the head and the kidneys, it feels personal. I’m sure that it wasn’t. In his letter, Chodorow makes a good point that it’s not going to touch his paycheck in a meaningful way but it hurts the employees he cares about. Still, the letter makes Chodorow come off as desperately angry and paranoid, an ungainly response from an otherwise smart restaurateur. Eater has a good recap of commentary.
What I’d love to see is a response from Bruni on his blog—this is exactly what a blog is built for. Not to address Chodorow’s claims that Bruni was attacking him personally because of the Rocco Debacle, or address the tired issue of whether a critic needs to have a culinary background in order to be a meaningful critic, but rather what he thinks about an owner taking out a disgruntled full-page ad, or more precisely, what does he think an owner’s recourse should be in the face of a withering review? And what are his obligations as a critic to that owner, and that staff, in such situations, if any? One recourse the owner has, if he’s got any style and personality, is to start his own blog.
Bruni responded to Nation’s Restaurant News that, well, needless to say, it wasn’t personal.
Categories: Uncategorized | 
Tags: | 
32 Comments »
youtube has a couple short excerpts of Tony in action – the sound is crap, but both are highly amusing.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QipA3lW1pI8
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VzG0PdiDJcI
Cheers to you both, Ruhlman and Bourdain–it’s always wonderful when someone backs up their printed word when put into a position as Bourdain was.
While his fans giggle and smirk as he lambastes fake personalities, it’s a comfort to know that it’s not just a show to him, he really does care. And certainly you do as well–not nearly as cynical as ‘tony of course, but we love ya anyway… In all honesty though, I just want to take a moment as say how terrific and insightful your blog is.
Oooh and thanks for posting the links Erinn, I’m going to go watch ‘em now!
Man, today is just getting better and better…
I’ve been lurking the last few weeks, reading the various posts and comments.
Michael, you are dead on the money when you talk about mediocrity. And Tony wields his sledgehammer well while pummeling the FN.
Both of you, in your own way, go a step further to address these criticisms. You write books about food. Tony continues to make his television show about what he loves — travel and eating.
What bothers me though is how easy it is for other readers to jump on the bandwagon, but do little more than that.
Sure, the FN stars are easy targets. And I, for one, would rather watch Jacques Pepin than Rachel Ray. But it is reasonably clear that the only motive behind the FN is one driven by profit. They are making money on their model, so why would they change it?
But, what are all these passionate people doing about it? As high-speed internet access expands the possibilities for content delivery, we should be thinking about ways to develop and deliver better content, rather than bitching about the FN.
ruhlman, what’s your position on whether a culinary degree better preps a writer to review restaurants? it may be a tired subject, but andrea strong lists you as the top candidate to take over for bruni.
“Give Bill Buford or Michael Ruhlman the job next. These are two guys with the most impressive combination of cooking and writing experience going and I can’t think of two people better suited for the job.”
szg,
I take your point. However, I’m guessing that most readers are (like me) interested observers who are passionate about food, but don’t have the time or skills to necessarily contribute something better (we have jobs in unrelated fields, family obligations, other passions, etc.)
If there was no bandwagon, what Bourdain, Ruhlman and others are doing to “go a step further” would have no point or chance at success.
We can’t all hold public office, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t vote.
Jesse:
I disagree. There’s a difference between supporting Tony and Michael’s commercial efforts, and spending time railing away at an institution.
I agree and understand many of us are passionate about food, but have neither the time, skill (perhaps), and money to turn that passion into a profession.
On the other hand, we can offer positive ideas about things we’d like to see, so that those — such as Michael and Tony — that do have the time, inclination, money and skill can be encouraged to move forward.
The only way to stop Rachel Ray is not to tear her down, but to offer something better.
szg,
Thank you for clarifying. I now actually think we’re saying the same thing. Even at the most basic level of just engaging in discourse, it should be about offering suggestions/solutions, not JUST highlighting problems.
In RR’s case (or Sandra Dee or Paula Deen…), I’d start with “stop watching and don’t buy products they endorse.”
For an avid amateur such as myself, there is already enough “good” content out there (yes, even on FN…I could watch Boy Meets Grill, Good Eats and, yes, Iron Chef America, all day), so it’s just a matter of tuning out what I don’t like personally.
It’s a matter of demand – if there was enough demand for Mario’s show, for example, it would still be on the air. But the 20 million viewers of FN’s programs don’t want to see genuinely educational cooking shows, they want to see entertainment. And there are simply not enough of us that want education to compete against that market. I suggest getting off the couch and getting into the kitchen! Pick up a copy of the Zuni Cafe cookbook and have at it.
Isn’t this all going to be irrelevant in a few years time? With the fracturing of television caused by internet distribution, mass-marketed mediocrity will replaced by a long tail of niche offerings. Interested only in watching cooking shows about charcuterie? It’ll be there… Finding all this content will be a challenge, but if people really want it, they’ll find it.
Thank goodness for YouTube, for so many reasons.
curdnerd,
*cough, cough* I’ve been, uh, doing that for quite a while with some shows. Though I’m not entirely sure that I’m supporting any of the shows by doing what I do per se, be sure that if Bourdain, Buford, Brown, or Ruhlman pass through my neighborhood anytime soon I’d stop by to listen to the talk and get my books autographed.
Unfortunately, my money’s on RR or SL getting a booking in my parts before any of them pass through.
FN serves one purpose and that is to be entertaining. It is no longer the channel to watch to “learn” how to do anything in the kitchen. There are a few, but it is now becoming the network quickie meals because we are in too much of a hurry and stupid road shows. ( Feasting on Asphalt being the exception.)
curdnerd,
echoing what tess just mentioned.
1. youtube is your friend.
2. let’s visit this idea of the fracturing of television.
youtube is not going to give you the content you want. the content on youtube can be separated into two groups, A. done by people who make no money from the video. B. ripped from tv/movies (i.e. – ppl who got paid to offer the content)
do you think mario batali did those FN shows for *free*? who’s going to make cooking shows about charcuterie? you notice that ruhlman publishes *books* on it, but he’s not putting up a youtube video for every recipe in his book?
even with youtube easing the barriers on content distribution, you still have the problem of who controls the content. no one wants to sell content for free if they can make money from it. and even if ruhlman makes youtube videos on charcuterie, in essence he’s taking time away from the pool of time he can use to make money.
anyway, you still have to find someone willing to pay to create “music” [see previous posts on music vs. muzak] otherwise fractured content distribution is just another way to watch clips of south park 5 minutes at a time.
szg wrote: “The only way to stop Rachel Ray is not to tear her down, but to offer something better.”
Couldn’t agree more. Here in Australia, we have a great mix of US, UK, EU and Aus food programs on FN. Luckily, (as far as I know) we don’t have Rachael Ray on FN here in Aus. The Aussie producers have replaced some of the generic crap with some local shows.
I think TV programs like FN will be around for a while. It’s the only place you can sit in comfort and involuntarily be exposed to new, interesting programs – Especially from overseas.
The internet is great for downloading programs you missed, or didn’t hear about until it was too late.
From watching the YouTube clips, we can now safely assume that Tony Bourdain IS an official Culinary Activist. “FN, the drug of the nation, breeding ignorance and feeding irritation”
What a complete bunch of bull from Chodorow.
Let those two act like children, waste newspaper space, I don’t care. But to suggest that “it only hurts my employees” – that takes a lot of nerve.
It only hurts your underpaid, overworked staff if you let it.
If you have made a good living off of the work of your staff, then you have an intense, unquestionable obligation to protect them.
And don’t tell me they’re paid well unless the servers get at least minumum wage PLUS tips.
Our most popular local coffee shop is run by two very progressive guys. THEY DON’T TAKE HOME ANY MORE PAY THAN THEIR WORKERS. If the owners have a bad year, they still split the money equally with their staff. And they have the best place in town.
Don’t give me any bull about childish behavior “affecting my employees”. Please.
Chodorow is a fool. Anyone who will pay $150 for a stake is a bigger fool.
Wow. Was just reading about the Bruni/Chodorow dustup on Gawker.
We’re a little slow on the soap-operatic doings in NYC out here on the Left Coast — where we are still recuperating from the effects of basking, however briefly, in the glow of a Bourdain visit to our humble burg of Fresno before Tony boarded a plane for South Beach and the Food/Wine chefscapade.
Speaking of Mikey, he has a MySpace page:
http://www.myspace.com/114603912
–parkbench
pauper,
i personally believe that a culinary background can make you a better critic but i don’t think it should be be prerequisite. the only prerequisites in my opinion are a love of the subject, a huge curiosity, and the ability to write.
Never mind the bollocks, here come the chef pistols.
Not only does Tony beard the lions in their den, he throws in a free soul patch for their trouble.
Hey, they invited him.
Chodorow showed balls, too. He could have assumed the submissive pose, but decided to play the gunslinger. Only time will tell if he pressed the right trigger.
Maya, I wish those guys who run that coffee shop were the rule in food service, rather than the exception. They sound terrific.
I thought this was an interesting observation in the Palm Beach Post:
“But here’s the thing: Just an hour or so before the talk, Bourdain was doing a book-signing session, sitting in the same seat that Giada had occupied moments earlier. Can he have it both ways — mock the famous and bask in fame at the same time?”
Sure he can and he does, very well.
The whole reviewing thing is interesting, because ultimately, it comes down to one person’s opinion. That person may be very knowledgeable about the subject they’re reviewing (restaurant, book, movie, concert), or might just be a poor schmuck reporter that the editor threw at the project to get it done. It intrigues me how reviews can “make or break” something, because it really is just a subjective matter of personal opinion. I’m sure Frank Bruni’s a smart guy, but is he the be-all, end-all word on food quality? Maybe he has his own personal biases and preconceived notions that color his reviews. Should his word be taken any more seriously than someone you’re chatting with around the water cooler? The key thing is that he’s got a bully pulpit, so that gives him more weight, but when it gets right down to brass tacks, it’s up to everyone who might be interested in that restaurant/movie/book/concert to actually check it out for themselves, and make up their own minds. Reviewers are often not truly experts in what they review, and you have to take what they say with a grain of salt. I’ve been to restaurants that reviewers hated, but found that I enjoyed myself and the food I ate. I’ve seen movies that reviewers hated and I loved them, and I’ve listened to music that reviewers praise to the high heavens … that just sucks to me (case in point … the “Best of the year” lists that alternative newspapers put out every year in december/january always feature too-cool-for-you bands that no one’s ever heard of, and that more than likely, no one ever WILL hear).
So why are people like sheep and follow reviews religiously? I dunno. Maybe it’s because it saves time (”oh, we better not go there, Frank Bruni doesn’t like it”), or people want an expert to come up with an opinion for them, or maybe they want to feel “safe,” by seeing a movie the reviewer loved or eating in a restaurant the reviewer loved … this way saving themselves from possibly a bad time.
That seems almost too sterile, too safe. These are probably the kind of people that Bourdain complains about, who’ll go to an exotic country and eat in their resort’s restaurants only, because they don’t want to risk the “native” food.
Though I really do wonder as newspapers become less and less important in the online news era, will newspaper reviewers become less important? Will Frank Bruni and his successors be less important than someone on eGullet who writes well? or someone else who has a food blog? Will there eventually be so many voices, so many reviewers that in the end, it just won’t matter?
the most amazing thing is that the toady bruni had anything negative to say at all. remember this is the “journalist” who was so adoring of the shrub during the primary and election of 2000 that even the self-abusing TIMES felt it couldn’t give him the white house correspondent slot after the Court appointed Bush president. So he writes a book the point of which was basically,”i’d love to be this guy’s frat bro,” gets sent to cover the Vatican, and then gets the dinner slot. i can’t believe that even a fool such as chodorow takes the bruni seriously.
You know, I sometimes wondered if being at the same high-profile “chefscapades” as Rachael Ray, etc., would sometimes comply Tony to at least forbear comment in favor of civility in their company (and I certainly wouldn’t think less of him if he did). But I think this weekend’s stint at SOBE has laid to rest any lingering doubt that Tony has real cojones, and isn’t just some hypervicious, snark-saturated, verbally rabid Rottweiler. While it’s easy to take pot shots at Tony for making those kind of statements from the safety of print, of a blog or in front of hundreds of his own fans, few of us will ever know how much guts it takes to voice the courage of one’s convictions before an audience that may, in fact, be very pro-Rachael, etc. – and in the proximity of some of those very targets.
While Tony’s technocolor prose and savagely funny snark is the most celebrated aspect of his writing, what I think sometimes gets lost (unless one goes to a lot of his speaking gigs) is his more thoughtful and profound observations on food, culture and history. While he no doubt has an entire secondary career just public snarking – excuse me, public SPEAKING! – shock value and slagging RR isn’t all of it. He might very well spend a lot of time thinking up outrageous bon mots and delightfully profane analogies before he sallies forth out into the public arena (as well he should – wit and color is what is expected of him), but there is a lot of well-reasoned thinking going on behind it, too. I don’t always agree 100% with Tony, and while I understand a lot of his shtik IS being outrageously snarky and off-the-rails, it doesn’t make him JUST that. And it doesn’t make his jabs less truthful. It’s his voice, as a writer, and his opinions as person, and he really went balls-to-the-wall at SOBE.
A while back, Tony’s assistant Beth Aretsky (”Grillbitch”), joked that she and Tony might wear their RR “TIP, bitch!” T-shirts to Miami. While I really thought she was just kidding, now, I’m not entirely sure . . . (!)
Well said, Claudia.
Apparently Mikey from Top Chef was in the audience—Bourdain singled him out as an example of hope for the future of food television.
==============================
I’m not sure why Mikey is such a role model…didn’t he basically underachieve and slack off consistently? I understand Bordain would love to hang out with him and smoke a thai stick with him but that doesn’t mean he’s the great Stockton hope.
Bourdain rocks! You are right he does have guts!
I, too, am curious as to why Tony singled out Mike Midgely as the hope of future food TV – is it simply because Mike is SO contrarian, so “Flinstonianly” perverse that he flies in the face of both the driven, impeccably starched top chef as well, as the perky, vanilla pseudi-foodies? Or was Tony himself merely being wickedly contrarian . . . and perverse?
And while we’re on the subject, this might explain a lot…
http://archive.gamespy.com/comics/dorktower/images/comics/dorktower557.gif
It’s one thing to offend fans you don’t know, but it’s another thing trying not to offend a friend when explaining that Sandra Lee is a freak of nature when said friend expounds on how fantastic SL is for coordinating her outfits with her “tablescapes.” Mind you, this friend also never learned to cook until she left for grad school and hates Rachael Ray.
Who knew one can be so finicky about the nature of their mediocrity?
What prompts this great Bourdain/Ruhlman love for Mikey?
Was it his F-U creation of “Snickers Mashed With A Cheetoh”?
Or his against-the-Top-Chef-rules mixing of alcohol and vicodin?
I thought Tony had left Mikey’s kind of childishness and pointless (or self-destructive) antics far, far behind. What gives with all the repeated props to such a “nothing special” guy?
Someone wrote of the Barefoot Contessa, which got me to wondering about the following dare: would you sniff and lick Ina Gartner’s day worn BVDs, if it meant doing so would win you a dinner for two at either MASA or PER SE?