Comments on: Chefs as Writers: What Does It Mean To Be Both?

By: Aaron

Aaron — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 22:35:00 +0000

Shuna,
How about writer and photographer? What does it mean to you to show an immigrant linecook pulling something out of a hot oven with tongs when the traditionally romanticized image is of a waspy dandy with a white toque stirring with a wooden spoon in a copper pot? Talk about the man behind the curtain.
Though we are in the era of the open kitchen, the image presented by that arrangement is far from the truth, the full reality. How do you feel when you reveal in visual terms what has typically been hidden by fancifully decorated walls? What boundaries do you draw for yourself? For others?

By: tom

tom — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:59:00 +0000

I too am a chef embarking on a blog site to further expose the goings on of our industry, as well as the
deteriorating food system that we are reliant upon. I find your writing both informative and compelling. Should you be both writer and chef? Is it important to hear the naked truth about an industry that is painted up to be one thing and yet disguises another? Yes, unequivocally yes. Write on! In the vein of Don Quixote, tip at those windmills, and I will follow.

By: Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic

Stephanie V.W. Lucianovic — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:26:00 +0000

"Those who write about my industry, and are not in it, are barely taken seriously."

Hm, I'm as confused as Wendy. Do you mean then that people like Michael Bauer aren't taken seriously when they write reviews of restaurants?

Because I thought you once took his reviews to heart.

By: wendygee

wendygee — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 03:10:00 +0000

I think there are illusions about every industry and unless you are actively in that world you don’t get to see those realities. That is why experiential learning is so important. That is also why it is important to have people share those truths before you pay tuition and get yourself in debt. The beauty of the internet is that anyone can share their opinions and thoughts without having a book deal and a publisher supporting their endeavor. The task of the user is to wade through lots of opinions to find some truth…knowing the source and their credentials is a key factor.
Everyone has an opinion about food…we all eat…and the internet has provided an outlet for expressing these opinions. But are professional chefs the only people qualified to accurately judge the quality of a prepared meal? When you say “Those who write about my industry, and are not in it, are barely taken seriously.” What do you mean exactly? Are you referring to self proclaimed foodies reviewing restaurants and writing blogs? What about the numerous positions that are part of the food industry like farming, food inspection, publishing, teaching, food journalism, food styling, and Cooking Programs, TV and Radio? Many people have not worked in professional kitchens (or have briefly) but have invested their professional careers in a branch of the food industry. Are these individuals qualified to critique the food industry?

By: (de)Classified

(de)Classified — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 20:56:00 +0000

cooking and writing are ruthless in that they will both take everything you have. and you will never be good enough to do everything you want. sometimes the best things happen by accident, sometimes it is after painstaking alone time, they are both professions bound by cliches about which the uninitiated know nothing. to the uninitiated, a new story or a new dish just magically appear. or we creative types were just born that way. do we let them think it's easy, that things just happen, or do we keep trying to teach them how brutal and hard the reality is?

in graduate school i was blessed with writer-friends and now i am blessed with cook-friends and both languages are lingo, clubby, and world weary for reasons those who don't cook or write cannot get. people who do not understand the divisions of being a chef-writer do not understand the grueling hours, dedication, and unsufferably high standards either one of those professions take (let alone the both).

as for exposing the underbelly of the myths of cheffing, i think this is our now and our moment but how to be heard among the chorus of voices, some ill informed and some well meaning if wrong and some comrades in whites, how, i don't know?

By: Charles Shere

Charles Shere — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 20:38:00 +0000

“Impressed at,” sheesh, I meant impressed by of course, what carelessness, oh well, I’m not a chef…

By: elarael

elarael — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 20:17:00 +0000

I find your voice valuable in that you are able to express, (or attempt to - which is just as valuable if not more, IMO), specific bugs in the machine that we as priviledged 1rst worlders are in complete denial of or total ignorance about. Of course your voice is valid - it's Golden, in fact. And you are perfectly positioned to speak exactly as you do, thank god, because some people can only hear truth if it comes from someone with official validation regardless of the fact that anyone with sense can see any truth and it is TRUTH that should be listened to, regardless of who is 'qualified' to speak it.

Regardless, I can only hope it is a labor of love for you to share these truths with the world at large because, are they ever necessary!

Your essay begins to address, for me, how disfunction and those who protect it (out of fear of postive change) serve to deepen the illusion of well-being that our country needs to address before we sink ourselves into a duality of haves and have nots that crushes what's left of our happy little reality here. Yes, we deserve abundance, and yes, there is a way to enjoy that abundance in a way that benefits all of those making it possible. We all take our turns giving and receiving in the way we generate our living, and in that way we are all supported.

There are always outrageously good solutions to every problem. But they only present themselves to those brave enough to look at the heart of that problem. You are wonderfully brave and for that reason, and doubtless many more, immensely valuable. Thank you.

By: Charles Shere

Charles Shere — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:48:00 +0000

Both Chef and Writer think a lot, silently and often alone, even if they're surrounded by people. The same kind of meditation is involved in each metier, and each will certainly inform the other.

I think Pastry Chef is a unique position, involving the team-leader responsibilities common to all chefs, but also requiring great focus on self; and I've been impressed at the egolessness that often evolves in pastry chefs, a quality that helps writers too.

I've been impressed at the writing skills developed on many food blogs, yours included, yours and David Lebovitz's: chef-writing is an important new field.

By: FaustianBargain

FaustianBargain — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 19:36:00 +0000

interesting…can the guy who works at McDonalds flipping burgers and blogs on his days off call himself a chef-writer? will you include him into ‘the club’?

By: Diane

Diane — Thu, 27 Dec 2007 18:17:00 +0000

I am fascinated by the boundries you define. Not being in the industry at all, I find it all a bit clubby – us vs. them – black/white. In general I distrust such definitions and groupings. I find that strong divisions rarely if ever help foster progress, enlightenment or good feeling. But as I said, your world is not mine so maybe it offers some benefits I am unaware of.

In any case, I see no issues at all with combining “chef-writer”. I like reading your perspective – it helps me understand more about what really goes on in a restaurant. But even if it didn’t, I would still like and support it. I fail to see why there would be a conflict at all actually – from my admittedly naive perspective. Are you supposed to provide only omerta or inarticulate grunts when referring to your profession? Is it acceptable only to ramble to friends about your concerns? Are you supposed to limit your (wonderful) writing only to nature-writing and poetry? That’s a fine thing, but limiting yourself to that alone would probably be like chopping off an arm.

Life is short. Do what you want. Write about what you like. Call your profession to task, and show its glories as well as warts to those of us who don’t know it as well as your compadres that do.