The World's Most Controversial Food Figure

[weinoo]

I've started a number of topics about Alice Waters and they always seem to bring out the love/hate relationship a lot of members seem to have with her. For instance, this one about whether she made it okay for women to join the ranks of their male counterparts in running professional kitchens.

Then, who can forget the Alice Waters' Backlash topic, which generated 14 pages of response. So I think it's fair to say she's controversial, if nothing else.

But there are plenty of others. What about Eric Schlosser, he of Food, Inc. fame? Or Michael Pollan, the author of a number of books, essays, op-ed pieces and an occasional contributor to the NY Times even. Hey, Michael Ruhlman can be controversial especially when he writes book reviews. Speaking of which, our our Nathan Myhrvold doesn't get by without getting some flak either.

Jay Rayner. Frank Bruni. Sam Sifton. All critics who have generated some less than flattering discussion at one time or another.

Ferran, Wylie, Alain, David, Tom, Anthony - chefs too who've gotten their share of "discussion."

I've been fairly U. S. centric here, because that's my world. But really, who takes the cake? Who has to get the gold medal, once and for all, for being the most controversial figure, now and then, in the world of food?

[gfweb]

Alice Waters. The perfect controversy mix of smug preachiness, being largely FOS, and having devoted followers/press who think she's Mother Teresa.

[mgaretz]

Dr. Atkins

[jsmeeker]

First Lady Michelle Obama

[karlos]

Ronald McDonald

[janeer]

Martha Stewart

[David A. Goldfarb]

Hugh Grant (not the actor)

[toolprincess]

Marco white

[Chris Hennes]

Rachel Ray

[Boilerfood]

I see you Rachel Ray, and raise you Sandra Lee.

[Dakki]

You can't mention Sandra Lee and not say a word about Nadia G.

[gfweb]

Guy fieri. I know I should despise him but he's such a joyous knucklehead its hard for me to dislike him.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk

[Moopheus]

I see you Rachel Ray, and raise you Sandra Lee.

I'm not sure Sandra Lee is really controversial. Some of the people mentioned are arguably overrated or overhyped, they have human flaws that make them unappealing to some. But Ms. Lee is just a fraud, and anyone who knows anything about food knows it. There's no question that she inspires an amazing level of visceral hate that may be unmatched for anyone else in the food world. Part of the reason Food TV no longer has fan forums on their web site was that hers was hijacked by anti-Sandra forces. The forum Television Without Pity has an entire subforum devoted to her. People hide her books in bookstores. Even Rachel Ray doesn't get that kind of treatment.

[Chris Amirault]

No votes for Gordon Ramsay, eh?

[Honkman]

Alice Waters. The perfect controversy mix of smug preachiness, being largely FOS, and having devoted followers/press who think she's Mother Teresa.

The topic of the discussion was World's most controversial food figure. Americans tend to forget that the US is just a very small part of the world and that somebody like Alice Waters might be reasonable well known in the US (and even this is debatable) but nearly unknown outside of the US.

[Chris Amirault]

So who gets your vote, Honkman?

[gfweb]

Alice Waters. The perfect controversy mix of smug preachiness, being largely FOS, and having devoted followers/press who think she's Mother Teresa.

The topic of the discussion was World's most controversial food figure. Americans tend to forget that the US is just a very small part of the world and that somebody like Alice Waters might be reasonable well known in the US (and even this is debatable) but nearly unknown outside of the US.

So she's not eligible because she's an American?

[LoftyNotions]

No votes for Gordon Ramsay, eh?

He gets my vote as most dickish.

Larry

[Dakki]

The USA is a small part of the world but it's a disproportionately influential part of the world. I could name a couple of "controversial" Mexican food celebs but I doubt anyone in the UK (for example) has ever heard of them. The converse is also true - except for the UK food celebs who've made the jump to USA (and therefore, international) attention.

BTW, there's a lot more to "America" than the USA, Honkman.

[Honkman]

Alice Waters. The perfect controversy mix of smug preachiness, being largely FOS, and having devoted followers/press who think she's Mother Teresa.

The topic of the discussion was World's most controversial food figure. Americans tend to forget that the US is just a very small part of the world and that somebody like Alice Waters might be reasonable well known in the US (and even this is debatable) but nearly unknown outside of the US.

So she's not eligible because she's an American?

It didn't say anywhere that she is not eligible because she's an American but I would pick somebody who is well known throughout the world. I actually liked the comment from karlos and agree with him that it is "Ronald McDonald". I don't hardly know a country where the McDonald's fast food chain isn't controversial and their impact on food, culture, obesity etc. isn't frequently discussed.

[Honkman]

The USA is a small part of the world but it's a disproportionately influential part of the world. I could name a couple of "controversial" Mexican food celebs but I doubt anyone in the UK (for example) has ever heard of them. The converse is also true - except for the UK food celebs who've made the jump to USA (and therefore, international) attention.

BTW, there's a lot more to "America" than the USA, Honkman.

I don't think that the influence of the US on the "food world" is disproportionately large, more the opposite.

[gfweb]

I would never criticize you for picking a clown, Honkman.

Edited May 1, 2011 by gfweb (log)

[rarerollingobject]

Come on. I daresay Honkman meant, and I agree, that the world's most controversial food figure might well be a North American, but should be at least be someone known to a goodly chunk of the global population, whether that population is interested in food culture or not. And as big/notorious as they are in the US, people like Guy Fieri, Rachael Ray, Sandra Lee and even Alice Waters just aren't that well-known outside it. I'd hazard a guess that even many non-food interested Americans would be 100% confident as to who Alice Waters is. Maybe if the topic title was reordered to "the food world's most controversial figure.." Maybe that's more what weinoo meant?

Very few people in Australia anyway, into food or not, would have heard of ANY of those or some of the others mentioned in this thread. I consider myself into food culture in a big way and I've never heard of Nadia G, and only know who Guy Fieri is from watching US food TV when I'm over there for business.

Rightly or not, I actually think Jamie Oliver would be up there. Many, many people in the Western world (including much of non-English speaking Europe) at least know who he is, at the minimum think he's a bit of a tosser or not, and have even some preliminary idea of the kind of hackles he's raised in Britain AND the US with his better eating 'crusades'.

In terms of the food world's (Western paradigm thereof) most controversial figure..then yep, I'm right back at Alice Waters.

Edited May 1, 2011 by rarerollingobject (log)

[weinoo]

I kinda like the Ronald McDonald explanation from Honkman:

I actually liked the comment from karlos and agree with him that it is "Ronald McDonald". I don't hardly know a country where the McDonald's fast food chain isn't controversial and their impact on food, culture, obesity etc. isn't frequently discussed.

Although the chain is certainly controversial, I don't know that the Ronald character is, but I like the out-of-the-box thinking.

I think Ferran is pretty damn controversial and provokes as much conversation as almost anyone else in the world of food.

[Dakki]

The USA is a small part of the world but it's a disproportionately influential part of the world. I could name a couple of "controversial" Mexican food celebs but I doubt anyone in the UK (for example) has ever heard of them. The converse is also true - except for the UK food celebs who've made the jump to USA (and therefore, international) attention.

BTW, there's a lot more to "America" than the USA, Honkman.

I don't think that the influence of the US on the "food world" is disproportionately large, more the opposite.

Actually, I think you made my point by naming Ronald McDonald. If the vast majority of the world's population is familiar with mass-produced burgers, pizza and fried chicken, cola beverages, etc. it's through USA's influence.

This isn't limited to fast food, either. Go to a sushi restaurant in South America and you'll see California rolls on the menu. Ask someone to suggest a French cookbook and if they're able to name one, I'd wager you'd get Julia Child's Mastering the Art 8 times out of 10. In other words, even Japanese, French and etc. cuisines are mediated through USA.