Questionable Career Choice

[col klink]

Has anyone invited her to join this thread and defend herself?

Good idea!

At first, I understood where s/he was coming from. I completely understand not liking sushi and the expensive restaurants, especially the sushi parts. As a sushi fanatic I've seen plenty of people turn green as I explain certain exotic and dfiferent pieces.

However, I lost a lot of respect for him/her when a disdain for blue cheese was uttered. How can you NOT like blue cheese!?! Ok, maybe if you're allergic I suppose you could get away with it. Is it possible to be allergic to blue cheese though?

I agree with Mamster that eventually she will turn around on many of his/her previous dislikes, hopefully sushi.

[Holly Moore]

Good suggestion.  I've sent Robin a link to this discussion.

[Bux]

Is it possible to be allergic to blue cheese though?

An allergy to penicillin is common and it's possible to be allergic to blue cheese. My wife is allergic to penicillin and had been advised to stay away from blue cheeses. Some years ago, she bravely toured the caves in Roquefort without ill effects, but she had her hand in her purse clutching an epipen the whole time. Apparently the childhood memory of a reaction to penicillin has not worn off.

[tommy]

Seems unfair to restaurants, along with the reader.

oh the poor poor reader.  

c'mon!!!!

i didn't like blue cheese until recently.  that didn't stop lots of people from asking my opinions and following my suggestions on restaurants.  just to clarify, i only like the *expensive fancy* blue cheese, not the cheap pedestrian stuff.  

[Bux]

In defense of Robin and myself, I'd like to paraphrase the best sig I've even seen online. It said something to the effect that the post represented the author's personal opinions and not his employer's and went on to say that the reader was free to take these opinions as the author probably wouldn't want them in the morning.

interestingly enough, i was using that as my email email sig for quite some time.  seemed *very* fitting for me.

Edited by tommy on May 02 2002,11:44

Apparently you changed your mind. And again when you edited this post. I think I'm getting the picture.

[tommy]

Apparently you changed your mind. And again when you edited this post. I think I'm getting the picture.

i edited it for speeling.  and i still missed the double-word error.  i can't type for crap this morning.  my opinions, however, remain as inane and juvenile as they always were, with or without the disclaimer as a sig.

[Bux]

On a more serious note, not that I'm sure the thread is calling for seriousness, I'm reminded of the introduction to Jeffrey Steingarten's The Man Who Ate Everything. In it, he notes that he was a lawyer asked to write about food for Vogue magazine. At the time he had numerous food aversions and phobias he considered might render him "no more objective than an art critic who detests the color yellow." While I almost put the book down immediately just for that reason, I went on to read how he set about developing a six step program to re-educate his palate and brain. The sixth and final step was relearning some compassion for others still suffering from some aversion. He's a writer of some intellect and perseverance.

[Bux]

i edited it for speeling.

Being wrong or making a mistake is a good reason for changing one's mind. I wish others would learn that. Let me encourage you to spread the gospel.

[Holly Moore]

I am not a regular reader of the Philadelphia Weekly.  I relied on someone else's posting elsewhere, concerning Robin Rinaldi's position and tenure, and as a result miswrote in the initial posting on this topic for which I apologize.  

To set the record straight, 1.) Ms. Rinaldi is writing a general food column and is not a restaurant critic, and 2.) This was not her first, introductory column.

Here is her complete reply to my email inviting her to check out this discussion:

Hi Holly,

Couple of things. That wasn't my first column; I've been

writing the column since February. Also I'm NOT a

restaurant reviewer at all; it's a general column on

food/drink/local Philly restaurant scene/food

trends/profiles/personalities. You can see the archives on

www.philadelphiaweekly.com if you're interested. Also the

discussion sounds interesting--I've often asked myself if

I need to like all the new food trends in order to be a

food writer! I'd like to check out the postings and weigh

in for a fun discussion, but it might not be for several

days as I'm on two magazine deadlines right now. So maybe

I'll "see" you sometime soon on the board--if I get a

break today or tomorrow I'll log on and post. Thanks for

letting me know about it.

:)

Robin

Again, my apologies to Robin for misrepresenting her and to eGullet for the eroneous string.

Though it has led to an interesting discussion.

[tommy]

Though it has led to an interesting discussion.

i have to admit, i started posting to this topic even before i read through the article thoroughly.  but in my defense, i kinda knew where this thread was headed, so i figured i'd jump right in.

no one has ever accused me of thinking before i speak.

(perhaps that should be my sig?)

[=Mark]

How do we know Robin is male?

I get the impression Robin is female, mainly because I doubt any male food writer would turn the phrase "scrunch up my nose" to describe a reaction to a disliked food.

Not only does she claim not to like blue cheese and olives of any type, but raw tomatoes off the vine!  As to the pasta dish I feel it says a lot that her perfect meal was a dish of pasta that only tasted like pasta, where virtually no other flavors were discernable.

[tommy]

As to the pasta dish I feel it says a lot that her perfect meal was a dish of pasta that only tasted like pasta, where virtually no other flavors were discernable.

i thought that at first, but by the time i finished her description i (think) i realized that she was suggesting that even though the flavors weren't sitting there in front of her in large parcels, plain as day, they were there, as if magically.

i despise raw tomato.  i love cooked tomato.

[Priscilla]

[...]large parcels, plain as day [...]

Wow I like that descriptor, Tommy, "large parcels" of flavor.  "Sitting there"--"plain as day."  I like it.  I'm serious!

Priscilla

[=Mark]

I have to admit I'm really not into sushi.  It's not that I have an aversion to raw fish, it's more that I like boldly spiced and flavored dishes and sushi just seems too bland for me.  I'll go to a sushi restaurant but generally view it more as an excuse to eat wasabi and pickled ginger.  The nuances of the cuisine just seem lost on me...

As far as changing tastes, I did not like beets when I was a child and therefore refused to try them again for decades.  Naturally I gave them a try a few years ago and found I actually liked them.  You can't just assume that foods you hated when you were 8 might taste different as an adult.

[Steve Klc]

Here's the link to Robin's catalog:

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives....asp?AuthID=103

She seems fun and accessible--kind of the food writer equivalent of Rachael Ray of the Food Network.

I really liked this Q & A with Frances Lappe:

http://www.philadelphiaweekly.com/archives....asp?ArtID=1816

It would be good to have her hang around here.

[Rachel Perlow]

As far as changing tastes, I did not like beets when I was a child and therefore refused to try them again for decades.  Naturally I gave them a try a few years ago and found I actually liked them.  You can't just assume that foods you hated when you were 8 might taste different as an adult.

Mark, you'd like the pickled beets I made the other day. Boiled the beets whole, cooled, peeled and cubed them. Made a simple marinade by boiling 1/2 cup water, 1/4 cup white vinegar, 1 tsp pickling spice mixture, 1 Tbs sugar, and a shake of our home grown, dried habenero chili flakes. You'd probably add a few more shakes than I did. Sweet, sour and hot beets, yum.

[Jinmyo]

Steve, thanks for the links. Holly, thanks for the clarification.

Having read more of Robin's stuff I have to say I've rather enjoyed them and have a much better sense of what she's doing. I like her.

Too bad about her not liking blue cheeses though, poor dear. I wonder about roquefort butter or other cultured butters on rib-eye steak.

As for sushi, Mark, yes it is subtle and while wasabi can give a good endorphin buzz, it too is traditionally used sparingly.

[stefanyb]

not only am i a restaurant/food critic, but i'm also a music critic.

How did I miss this?  I am really slipping.  Next you'll tell me your real name isn't Tommy but Ruth Reichl (although I don't know about her music expertise).

[tommy]

How did I miss this?  I am really slipping.  Next you'll tell me your real name isn't Tommy but Ruth Reichl (although I don't know about her music expertise).

basically, i'm just really critical.  so if there's a subject, you can bet i have an opinion on it, albeit a mis/uninformed one.

[stefanyb]

basically, i'm just really critical.  so if there's a subject, you can bet i have an opinion on it, albeit a mis/uninformed one.

Ruth,

Oh yeah, sure.  I wasn't born yesterday, as you already know. But if anonymity is what you want, no problem.