The Enigma
I've always been fascinated by this recently I've seen a few things on twitter around this theme.
Now going back in history and an author any self respecting foodie will have on his book shelf, we arrive at Curnonsky - Maurice Edmond Sailland. I've always been fascinated by this enigma mainly I suppose having worked places where the next level was unachievable. Now this leads to the question if we take the Prince of Gastronomy here was a man voted by 3000 chefs as Prince-élu de la Gastronomie, what came first? Now personally I suspect as his writing attracted followers he became a person the industry couldn't ignore.
Going back further we get to Alexandre Balthazar Laurent Grimod de La Reynière and L'Almanach des gourmands which from my minor research alludes to the self promotion and self recognition to being the all seeing and great authority on gastronomy. Now this would seem to be a recurring theme as does that of pandering to the critic/gastronome, and accusations of under hand deals done.
Now-a-days in the days of the internet and for me personally in conflict, I find it's so easy to become that critic. For me whilst I write reviews, these are little more than notes on my experience. I loudly applaud anyone to never take one critics view point over others but to assess them as mirrors reflected.
This then leads me onto another aspect on a rather complicated subject with the birth of the internet we have crowd reviewing such as places like tripadvisor. Now working in the trade I suspect I read through them more thoroughly. I never will take a simple star rating as a guide but will digest several pages of reviews to try and grasp some kind of reflection on the establishment. You see this touches the fact people are sheep, working in the trade I can tell you if one of theses crowd reviewing sites is getting negative reviews the crowd is just as likely to down mark and vs versa should they have favourable reviews. These become self evolving as sheep follow along for ever fearful of standing out.
So going on the above paragraph what we really are talking about is social psychology with group dynamics focusing on social identity theory. Pheww can you see I have a mild intrigue to psychology I have to admit that was a mouthful to comprehend.
So we have the self-aggrandisement of the critic/blogger/reviewer/gastronome the crowd socially appeasing the self proclaimed title. Yet this doesn't really lead us to the answer what does come first? Now I have seen this in my own career, one of my mentors had a famous book come in to review, this was the early days of science in a pan cooking. Now the reviewer slated him, really for not following the trend or fad, thankfully the editor knew better came back and saw through the fad/trend reviewing. Now this chef is extremely good I've eaten in a few very good restaurants I suspect he probably is still around about in the top 40-60 according to the good food guide, yet other guides rate him unfavourably for not following fads and trends.
So in touching fads and trends this touches another thing the promotion of the latest new thing. For me I've always felt fine dining approaches closer to the art world. You see and I'm sure you'll have seen it yourself there is many a great musician, great artist who just hasn't been taken up, or had promotion from the self-aggrandised authority on said field. Yet I'm not to say all are self-aggrandised for sure some have earned the merit.
So to try and bring some kind of conclusion, honestly I'm no clearer to my thinkings in regards to does the self-aggrandising authority bring followers in the form of sheep? You see, for sure without the self-aggrandisement of establishments this can't preclude the review. This in its self in conflict with the service industry where the aim is to serve not to be selfish.
My honest opinion is find a critic you like, who naturally will be self-aggrandising but most importantly always look at the mirrors reflected and try to get a more rounded feel to the review. The most important is to to judge for yourself and in context for it's pointless judging a pub to michelin stars.
On a final note just because somewhere/someone doesn't follow the fads and trends doesn't make it bad, for a good tailor will always be a good tailor. Not to mention it may just be the next fad/trend for just like fashion/art history will repeat it self.. Is the pen mightier than the sword? For a good restaurant will bring reviewers but reviewers will bring followers.
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