Freud on food

[jayrayner]

Reading Kim Fletcher On The Press in Monday's Media Guardian (you'll need to register) I learned that the owner of the UK Press Gazette is Matthew Freud. So, it transpires that Sir Clement's major qualification for writing restaurant reviews in that formerly esteemed organ - besides his venerable age and status as a National Treasure - is that his son is the proprietor.

One can imagine the conversation. Matthew: "Great wheeze, Dad. You can take Mum out for dinner and scribble a few words about the experience and I can claim the bills as a business expense." Clement: "That's my boy. Never mind nepotism being a two way street when we clever Freuds can make it  into a motorway."

Of course, there's nothing more important than Restaurants, and I'm sure Sir Clem's opinions and writing style are beyond reproach, but who trusts a PR man who is Elizabeth Murdoch's husband to comment fairly upon the UK Press?

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That would all be true were it not for the fect that Clement was one of the very first of the modern restaurant critics in Britian, in Punch and elsewhere and has more than earned the right to do the job.

As to press gazette the main owner is Piers Morgan, former editor of the Daily Mirror. Does this bother me? Not particularly because, you know, journalists are pretty good at spotting bias in a journal aimed at them, and if it were to turn into some ludicrous propoganda sheet it would very soon die a death.

[Andy Lynes]

I don't really care who gave him the job, I just enjoy reading what he has to say. I wasn't blown away by the review but I'm sure he'll warm up to the job over the coming weeks.

[camp_dick]

That would all be true were it not for the fect that Clement was one of the very first of the modern restaurant critics in Britian, in Punch and elsewhere and has more than earned the right to do the job.

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Not to mention being a jolly good mate and valued collaborator of yours, eh luvvy?

As to press gazette the main owner is Piers Morgan, former editor of the Daily Mirror. Does this bother me? Not particularly because, you know, journalists are pretty good at spotting bias

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Whereas we Daily Mirror readers will swallow any old self-serving bollocks you care to push? At least Piers is a journalist, not a PR man, and he's not related by marriage to the world's most powerful newspaper proprietor (although the jury's still out on his professional ethics)

...if it were to turn into some ludicrous propoganda sheet it would very soon die a death.

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As an Observer journalist, you'd know all about that. Like most discerning readers, I no longer bother with your woeful rag, since the unholy triumvirate of Cohen/Rawnsley/Aaronovitch started telling me that Tony Bliar's adventures in Iraq are only right and proper. But I'm sure the quality of your restaurant criticism remains undiminished by any real world considerations.

[Andy Lynes]

As we all know restaurant criticism has absolutely nothing to do with the situation in Iraq. Please feel free to post about Sir Clemet Freud's reviews in this thread, anything else will be deemed off topic and removed immeadiately. Ta ever so.

[culinary bear]

I no longer bother with your woeful rag, since the unholy triumvirate of Cohen/Rawnsley/Aaronovitch started telling me that Tony Bliar's adventures in Iraq are only right and proper.

Sir,

I find the latest cover of Private Eye, making fun of our beloved and late Princess Diana distasteful. Please cancel my subscription forthwith.

Yours,

Disgusted of Tunbridge Wells.

(editor's note : one should only read the OpEd pieces if one has the salt cellar to hand)

Swinging (oo-er, Tunbridge wells) back on-topic, if Freud's reviews are as good as "No-one Else Has Complained", then I shall not, erm, be complaining. He might be open to the accusation of being a little distanced from some of the readership, but I think that could be levelled at most reviewers.

[jayrayner]

That would all be true were it not for the fect that Clement was one of the very first of the modern restaurant critics in Britian, in Punch and elsewhere and has more than earned the right to do the job.

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Not to mention being a jolly good mate and valued collaborator of yours, eh luvvy?

As to press gazette the main owner is Piers Morgan, former editor of the Daily Mirror. Does this bother me? Not particularly because, you know, journalists are pretty good at spotting bias

←

Whereas we Daily Mirror readers will swallow any old self-serving bollocks you care to push? At least Piers is a journalist, not a PR man, and he's not related by marriage to the world's most powerful newspaper proprietor (although the jury's still out on his professional ethics)

...if it were to turn into some ludicrous propoganda sheet it would very soon die a death.

←

As an Observer journalist, you'd know all about that. Like most discerning readers, I no longer bother with your woeful rag, since the unholy triumvirate of Cohen/Rawnsley/Aaronovitch started telling me that Tony Bliar's adventures in Iraq are only right and proper. But I'm sure the quality of your restaurant criticism remains undiminished by any real world considerations.

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I am, naturally, gutted.

[camp_dick]

I am, naturally, gutted.

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Well, you did need to lose the weight.

[jayrayner]

I am, naturally, gutted.

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Well, you did need to lose the weight.

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er...er.... I know you are.

(This is so much more fun than working.)

[Emma M]

And here I am, reading the 'rules and regulations' that abound eGullet before I start to join in, when I come across this and say to myself 'I'll endeavour to ensure I don't waste space on any pages and edit any quotes' then lo and behold I pop in here to find the very thing being done. And by a hack! Do these rules not apply to the beautiful people ?

Edited October 26, 2005 by Emma M (log)

[Andy Lynes]

Emma, an especially warm welcome from me for such an intelligent first post. I glad you spotted my plea which, as you can see, has so far had sod all effect.

[culinary bear]

Andy, are you going to lead by example and trim your signature down to fewer than seven lines? That must add up to a page of text over the course of a day's posting.

If you look at the Psalits thread you can see some outrageous examples of quotes-in-quotes-in-quotes ad inifnitum - and also a plea from me much along the same lines as yours.

Edited October 26, 2005 by culinary bear (log)

[Andy Lynes]

Andy, are you going to lead by example and trim your signature down to fewer than seven lines?  That must add up to a page of text over the course of a day's posting. 

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Trim my signature?! But I rely on that for what little self esteem I have left after 4 years doing this job.