Sunday, February 10, 2008
Criticism
I recently had the opportunity to complete the survey for the Zagat restaurant review book, and, as I did so, I developed greater admiration for the food writers who critique their meals on a regular basis, with a palate as well educated as the pen. I found it difficult to contribute more than the most general, clichéd, and trivial remarks, despite eating out almost every dinner and lunch. It truly is a set of skills that surpasses what most amateurs are able to muster, to author descriptions of the act of eating that are more than recitations of the menu. And it is independent of the ability to cook. I am often struck by how many people who are good in an endeavor are not especially compelling in describing that endeavor, and how others who have developed wonderful taste may lack the skills to perform the very activity of which they are the most astute observers. I am reminded of the great Pauline Kael, the film critic who single-handedly established a genre of writing, who once said something along the lines of, “You don’t have to lay eggs to know what a good omelet tastes like.”
Foo
