Food Writing

Like many I try to read as many reviews per week as I can, along with Newsweek, cookbooks, recipe books, blogs, and keeping up with current events it's a wonder I get anything done. But what purpose does food journalism serve? To keep industry standards? Advertisement for a restaurant/chef? Some form of political favor trading? Education of the public and professional alike? Or a complex amalgamation and then some? I read reviews to keep abreast of new restaurants opening, how menus and public food interest is changing and because I don't go out much. Who has the time or money with two young children, a job, a wife (my reading) and everything that comes with these. I would love to go out, visit restaurants not only to experience food but for the whole experience of service, decor, atmosphere and all the little details of a night out. But alas, I keep myself content by cooking at home (a lot really) and reading about someone else's experience. I do keep in mind that I am reading another’s experience. The person writing has their own standards, things that make or break an experience, they may be having a horrible day or even a great one, both of which will influence how they perceive the meal they had, past life experience, temperament, the writers own guidelines as to what makes a good meal, dinning alone, with good friends, with a lover, how much where they plied with alcohol. It goes on and on, a long list, too long to really get into, not that I haven't tried and not that you couldn't figure it out yourself. So what purpose does food journalism serve? With web sites like Yelp, City Search, Urbanspoon, and all the blogs out there do we really need professional reviewers? Are lists like the Chronicles top 100 really needed? As for professional reviewers I think they still serve a purpose, although we may disagree with them they are professional dinners. We may curse their decisions, point to glaring blind spots they have for certain chefs or restaurants (chefs from Chez Panisse are an example) but we know their standards and their blind spots. When I read a review on yelp or on a blog I tend to take it with a healthy pinch of salt when Bauer, Bruni, Sietsema, or other critics review a place I know where they come from, they have a history I can go back to, compare latest reviews to their history I’m not as skeptical. Professional reviewers are also plugged into the industry in ways most are not. They hear the rumors, check the facts and go out more than most can ever afford. I think the most important question is what will the future of critical review be? With newspapers closing and print in danger how will reviewers change the way they deliver their message? I'm sure it will move more online and with the possibility of ads and the increased public awareness of cuisine and good eating, life style blogs and web pages will probably increase. This means less professional voices and with the number of restaurants in the bay area alone (not to mention the nation) it will be increasingly harder to get an overall view of the industry. The free weeklies, web sites like yelp and blogs offer a business model for newspapers in trouble and a move to web centric content may also decrease the cost of publication. But most of the country isn't as well connected as the bay area. It will be a sad day if professional review with all its educated insight and knowledge goes to the background, how fast publications move to a new business model, how the public and the tech industry reacts to these change and how the restaurant industry respond will all have a great affect on this. So a big question, how do you get your information?

Mistakes

It's your first night on the pasta station, 60 + on the books (good, a slow night you think) you have thirteen dishes to remember, not only the ingredients and steps of each dish but how long each dish takes, how to organize yourself and all the little details so that each dish comes out perfect (or as close as you can come this time around). The night starts out slow, you taste each pasta and sauce making sure that everything is okay. You have your expo taste and look to make sure you have the right sauce consistency, portion size and that everything is just so. You've been working well; dishes are going out on time, looking and tasting good. Then an order comes in and you realize you miscounted how many spags you have. You've just made a rookie mistake. First you didn't keep a running count, second you didn't put it on count so now two customers are unhappy, your restaurant may have to comp a meal or drink, costing them money and the rest of the table is waiting for their food while your mistake is fixed. This can ruin a night. Of course you will beat yourself and get mad or frustrated, then you'll probably go through and double check all you placè making sure the mistake doesn't happen again, and to be sure, the next time around your going to double or triple check your counts, maybe write them down, you won't let this happen again, never again (at least until the next time). Mistakes happen; it is the only thing I know for sure. It is inevitable with as much going on in a kitchen, each cook not only trying to keep track of him or herself but also of each other, something can and often does go wrong. It is what happens during and after that really matters. Do you work the problem then let it go, coming back to it after service or does it take you and the rest of the line down like into a truly gruesome and hard fight. Often times when a server says they need something on the fly the first thing cooks or the chef may do is try to find out what went wrong. For me I first want to fix the problem, get the food out, and then find out what went wrong. Learning from these mistakes is what makes us better, it helps us to see and get ahead of potential problems. Once you've cost your restaurant money, your guest’s happiness and your fellow cook’s time you'll make sure it doesn't happen again. Some chefs will yell and scream until the problem is fixed, some will just push through, working the problem then talk about it after, finding out what went wrong and what steps can be taken to ensure it goes smoother next time. Neither is truly right or wrong, it really is a matter a personal style. Some chefs are yellers, and some cooks don't work well unless being pushed, and pushed hard. Other chefs are quiet, won't yell but will let you learn and help guide you. I've worked for both and when I get yelled I made sure to fix the problem and work to never let it happen again. I did become very fast and learn how to work the line when I was being yelled at, I didn't learn how to work the problem, how to push past it and recover so that the rest of the night went smoothly. Yelling made a bad problem worse for me, made it harder to recover and move through. I don't like to yell, I have yelled and it is hard not to when it seems everything is falling apart and you are doing everything you can to just hold it together but generally I don't like yelling it adds stress and confusion to an already stressful situation. It also causes communication confusion. My new home communicates and shares info on a level I haven't seen yet. The sous chef told me what he will tell the exec about my first night on pasta, this is helpful. It allows me to focus not only on what I need to improve, but also lets me know if my perspective is in line with everyone else’s. This is all part of the learning process, and isn't that what mistakes are all about?