AA Gill and Co

[disgusted]

Having just read another one of Gill's mind numbing diatribes. I can't help but think that if he is as good an expert as he thinks he is why dosen't he open his own restaurant so he can show us all how fantastic a restauranteur he is and that goes for the rest of you 'experts' who pontificate week in, week out ..... come on lets see your restaurants.

[Adam Balic]

Too much hard work, for little reward, bad hours and no family life? Sounds too much like a vocation.

If it is any help while restuarant people have to deal will critics, good, bad or ugly, you give us Jamie, Gordon etc and that must even it out somewhat?

[MobyP]

Disgusted (of Inverness? Milton Keynes? Lambeth?) Welcome to egullet!

I think Gill would say he represents the consumer.

A A Gill. A plague of locusts. It's a matter of perspective.

[disgusted]

If it is any help while restuarant people have to deal will critics, good, bad or ugly, you give us Jamie, Gordon etc and that must even it out somewhat?

Give me Jamie, Gordon and the rest who work for a living rather than Winner, Gill, Machler and that other insidious reptile Giles whatever his name is, anytime.

[Adam Balic]

How about we dig a pit and toss the lot in? Place bets on the out come and have few ciders?

[Ian]

Hey, don't forget that there are some good reviewers out there.

Edited March 23, 2004 by Ian (log)

[disgusted]

Hey, don't forget that there are some good reviewers out there.

Only in the sense that some parasites are of some benefit to their hosts.

[Ian]

Only in the sense that some parasites are of some benefit to their hosts.

I disagree.

All the best,

[disgusted]

Only in the sense that some parasites are of some benefit to their hosts.

I disagree.

All the best,

Substantiate your disagreement then, if not ....... bothered.

[Ian]

Substantiate your disagreement then, if not ....... bothered.

I'd be happy to do that for someone courteous.

All the best,

[MobyP]

I am a very big fan of several of the reviewers out there - but to discuss their purpose or meaning or other ontology is to invite the great Silverstone of 200 mile per hour circular arguments. So let us go gently into that good night with a cup of tea and a digestive.

[jayrayner]

Parasites? Us? That's a disgraceful thing to say? Awful. Terrible I mean... ooh, but my heart's just not in it. Dig the pit. I'll push the others in and jump in afterwards. Then we can all fight to eat our way out through Michael WInner. He'll probably have the texture of Kobe beef. Yum.

[curlywurlyfi]

Then we can all fight to eat our way out through Michael WInner. He'll probably have the texture of Kobe beef.

thank you, Jay, for making me laugh out loud.

Fi

[Ian]

Then we can all fight to eat our way out through Michael WInner. He'll probably have the texture of Kobe beef.

Suddenly I'm vegetarian.

All the best,

[Adam Balic]

Parasites? Us? That's a disgraceful thing to say? Awful. Terrible I mean... ooh, but my heart's just not in it. Dig the pit. I'll push the others in and jump in afterwards. Then we can all fight to eat our way out through Michael WInner. He'll probably have the texture of Kobe beef. Yum.

Jay - hey no offense etc, but if it came down to the wire, you would jump into the pit if it meant taking Jamie with you right? I mean, talk about noble sacrifice.

[disgusted]

Jay - hey no offense etc, but if it came down to the wire, you would jump into the pit if it meant taking Jamie with you right? I mean, talk about noble sacrifice.

Oh can I apologise on Jamie Oliver's behalf for being so successful in this industry and giving us a great new concept restaurant . He has raised the profile of chefs no end and opened a window into the reality of kitchen life. Take a look in the reflection of that window before you start knocking him.

[Carlovski]

Probably the same reason he writes a TV column, but doesn't make tv programmes.

Basically, he gets paid because he likes moaning, eating and watching telly.

Are you sure we aren't just jealous?

[John Whiting]

There are competant critics, but there's no effective quality screening. To some degree, a chef must be able to cook, but a critic needn't be able to taste or even to write -- only to abuse.

Nothing is perfect, but on the whole I find the yearly Time Out guide usefully informative, particularly in its coverage of obscure ethnic restaurants. Because the individual write-ups are anonymous, there is less temptation to make them into ego trips.

Where reviews of new multi-million-pound celebrity magnets are concerned, these are bound to be about as reliable as pop concert write-ups.

[Stigand]

As has been said before on this board, the purpose of journalists isn't to gratify the subjects of their articles, but to write prose that amuses or entertains their readers.

It's true that AA Gill and Michael Winner don't do much to advance the state of British gastronomy. But AA Gill is a very good writer, and Winner at least entertains people with his semi-affected awfulness.

This doesn't just happen in the field of food. I wince at the glib ignorance of some journalists when they happen to be talking about something I know about. And I'm as guilty of being a dumb reader as the next person: I know nothing about cars, but love Jeremy Clarkson's Sunday Times motoring columns just for the jokes.

Edited March 24, 2004 by Stigand (log)

[disgusted]

When you are on the receiving end of 'glib ignorance' your perspectives change, you want to address your percieved attacker ( yes it does feel like an attack ) but find that unlike them you don't have a national forum on which to defend yourself and frequently these attacks end with an irrational witchhunt within the restaurant itself.

[Adam Balic]

Jay - hey no offense etc, but if it came down to the wire, you would jump into the pit if it meant taking Jamie with you right? I mean, talk about noble sacrifice.

Oh can I apologise on Jamie Oliver's behalf for being so successful in this industry and giving us a great new concept restaurant . He has raised the profile of chefs no end and opened a window into the reality of kitchen life. Take a look in the reflection of that window before you start knocking him.

And those are good things it is true. Unfortuately, while he talks about the need for improving British eating habits and kiddies food in particular Britian etc, he promotes exactly the opposite for Sainsburys. A cooked Christmas meal, why bother when you can get ready meals from Sainsburys?

I am neither a chef nor a reviewer, so in this regard I value the contributions of both, however this involves being critical. But 'critical' doesn't equal 'negative"

As in every aspect of like, there are good things and bad things, nothing is black and white. The same can be said of restuarant reviewers or chefs. I personally think that the good aspects of Jamie et al., are cancelled by the negative aspects, but this is just my opinion. The same thinking could be applied to restuarant critics. In fact, I doubt if Jamie et al. would be very happy about the idea of not getting the type of promotion and exposure that critics provide?

[Adam Balic]

When you are on the receiving end of 'glib ignorance' your perspectives change, you want to address your percieved attacker ( yes it does feel like an attack ) but find that unlike them you don't have a national forum on which to defend yourself and frequently these attacks end with an irrational witchhunt within the restaurant itself.

disgusted - one point, none of the people here (certianly not me) are AA Gill, so why direct you angry against us? If I knew of the information that you have, maybe I would agree with you, so could you be more specific?

This is an open forum, so why not use to to defend your self against 'glib ignorance' etc, rather then simply venting spleen?

[Andy Lynes]

Disgusted - this is all very cryptic and I'm not really following your line of arguement. Do you have a specific beef with a certain critic, is this a personal thing or are you trying to make a broader comment on the state of food criticism in this country?

[disgusted]

When you are on the receiving end of 'glib ignorance' your perspectives change, you want to address your percieved attacker ( yes it does feel like an attack ) but find that unlike them you don't have a national forum on which to defend yourself and frequently these attacks end with an irrational witchhunt within the restaurant itself.

disgusted - one point, none of the people here (certianly not me) are AA Gill, so why direct you angry against us? If I knew of the information that you have, maybe I would agree with you, so could you be more specific?

This is an open forum, so why not use to to defend your self against 'glib ignorance' etc, rather then simply venting spleen?

I think critics should think more about the consequences of their 'entertaining' articles before they write them. Lets not forget they are only eating one meal out of maybe thousands that are produced by the restaurant they are in, subsequently a disproportionate amount of weight is given to that meal. I remember working for Richard Neat and reading a review published in a sunday broad sheet that contained so many inaccuraties about the meal that was eaten, tell me how could Richard redress the balance? He couldn't, if that's venting spleen well that's your opionion.

[Basildog]

That cuts both ways digusted, what about the critic that gets, by luck , a really good meal, way above the average of a restaurant.Does the chef then ask for a right to reply, demanding to put the record straight?

My arse he does