Rocco DiSpirito

[uncle ovipositor]

So it comes down to on the one hand, from John and others, "I want you to cook for me. "    Eh. Ya gotta love it.

On the other hand, Rocco is only respectable because of his cooking but also disreputable because of the way he handled his cooking. This guy can't win, can he.

Not quite sure what you mean, but I don't see anyone making the argument you're implying here. Rocco's cooking is pretty universally respected. His ability to run a restaurant in front of a camera crew is somewhat dubious. His desire to earn a living as a spokesmodel is sad.

We live in a culture that celebrates celebrity. Models are revered for being models, Paris Hilton is revered (or followed avidly in order to be called out) for being Paris Hilton, ex-TV stars and sports people are all over the place doing this thing called "shilling".

What's your point? That Paris Hilton should be respected for being Paris Hilton? Fine - she's excellent at being Paris Hilton. I still don't want anything to do with her. I can't answer for the culture at large on that, but neither can you. And this has nothing to do with Rocco.

My point about Rocco is that his desire to be a spokesmodel plays to his weaknesses, not his strengths, and his strengths are significant. It has nothing to do with him being a celebrity, and it certainly has nothing to do with Paris Hilton.

I have to wonder if everyone who cries so loudly out at the horror of it would actually turn down the chance themselves if they ever were offered the chance, based on whatever other thing they had managed to accomplish. I can hear the cries of outrage now. "Oh, NO! Not I! I don't do that sort of thing! What? Seventy five thousand for thirty seconds? Oh. Well. Well then. You know, I always did sort of like that product . . . "

Ah yes, the great sell-out debate. For what it's worth, I have turned down ridiculous amounts of money as a professional designer. It didn't take much thought. Because I don't value what I do and care about financially - it's a lot more than that. There are advantages to having ones work put out to a huge audience that aren't financial, but they weren't enough for me in my situation, and the downsides were far more than I wanted to live with. I don't have any regrets and I'm not cynical enough to feel like I should have just held my nose and taken the money and used it to do what I really want.

But that's not really the issue, just a strawman argument, because nobody's arguing that Rocco should or shouldn't make money.

Rocco's finances are not only none of my business, but they're not particularly interesting to me. I'm sure he does fine. If at some point he becomes worried about it, he can get a job. I wouldn't worry too much about him if I were you.

This isn't an issue of hypocracy, as you're slyly implying by saying anyone would take the money if offered the chance to mug for a camera. It ain't about the money, it's about the character.

I don't blame any of you guys for not being Bourdain. Why blame Rocco for not being Bourdain?

Nowhere is anyone saying they'd like Rocco if only he were Bourdain, or that that's the ruler by which he should be measured. He compared himself to Bourdain and it's clearly how he sees himself in the world. That's where that discussion started.

[Hest88]

Late but...

Not being a New Yorker, I too had never heard of Rocco until his ill-fated reality show, and thus everything I knew about him was driven by that media fiasco. I was quite floored later, reading Ruth Reichl's Garlic and Sapphires, over the rhapsodic chapter on Union Pacific and its rising young chef, Rocco DiSpirito. All I could do, between salivating over the food descriptions, was shake my head and feel a bit melacholy at the waste of all that talent.

[Carrot Top]

Not quite sure what you mean, but I don't see anyone making the argument you're implying here. Rocco's cooking is pretty universally respected. His ability to run a restaurant in front of a camera crew is somewhat dubious. His desire to earn a living as a spokesmodel is sad.

←

If you can describe the argument I'm implying (for I'm not sure I was making an argument) I'll think about your opinion of it.

As far as your opinion that his desire to earn a living as a spokesmodel is sad, I don't agree, for I'm not that tied up in Rocco to be made sad by it.

My point about Rocco is that his desire to be a spokesmodel plays to his weaknesses, not his strengths, and his strengths are significant. It has nothing to do with him being a celebrity, and it certainly has nothing to do with Paris Hilton.

No, I didn't say or imply that Paris Hilton should be respected. My use of Paris Hilton was metaphoric. But I've gotten in trouble with literal-minded folk over my habit of doing that before. Was I "answering" for the culture? Goodness I hope I don't sound all that full of myself! And yes, it does have something to do with Rocco but if you don't see it you won't see it so any more discussion on that is moot - we'll just have to agree to disagree I guess.

Ah yes, the great sell-out debate. For what it's worth, I have turned down ridiculous amounts of money as a professional designer. It didn't take much thought. Because I don't value what I do and care about financially - it's a lot more than that. There are advantages to having ones work put out to a huge audience that aren't financial, but they weren't enough for me in my situation, and the downsides were far more than I wanted to live with. I don't have any regrets and I'm not cynical enough to feel like I should have just held my nose and taken the money and used it to do what I really want.

But that's not really the issue, just a strawman argument, because nobody's arguing that Rocco should or shouldn't make money.

Rocco's finances are not only none of my business, but they're not particularly interesting to me. I'm sure he does fine. If at some point he becomes worried about it, he can get a job. I wouldn't worry too much about him if I were you.

This isn't an issue of hypocracy, as you're slyly implying by saying anyone would take the money if offered the chance to mug for a camera. It ain't about the money, it's about the character.

Congratulations on your fine character. I, too, have turned down ridiculous amounts of money, as a chef, uncle ovipositor. I'm not sure it's improved my character, though. I am still rather sly, as you've noted.

Nowhere is anyone saying they'd like Rocco if only he were Bourdain, or that that's the ruler by which he should be measured. He compared himself to Bourdain and it's clearly how he sees himself in the world. That's where that discussion started.

Mmm. Rocco and Bourdain are often compared by others than just Rocco himself.

And again, it was just my sly humor coming out with that remark. Do forgive me.

As a summation of my own feelings, I do not believe that it matters whether or not that I "forgive" Rocco (as you wrote before that you would forgive him if and when he did certain things). Forgiveness for Rocco is simply not anything I'd ever consider he'd need or want from me, or something that I'd be at all invested in.

The debate here for me goes beyond Rocco to what a chef is, both to themselves and to the public, in various ways. There are various ways, too. But let me not flail out into the philosophic and metaphoric again, there's a roast chicken calling my name from the oven at this moment and metaphor-writing takes up a lot of time.

Plus my quoting thing is screwed up and I hate it when that happens.

(Edited to finally fix quoting.)

Edited August 25, 2007 by Carrot Top (log)