Chefs vs Critics: The Torture Experience

So tonight I was sitting around with my roommate and we were trying to figure out exactly what to watch. And it hit him, we should watch Bitter Feast; a movie I had no recollection of prior to him saying he acquired it a few weeks back. From what he described, it is a horror film involving a chef and a food critic. I know many chefs who would KILL, pun intended, for an opportunity to get revenge on someone who has sullied their reputation and name, especially if only to be spiteful. In this case, the chef does get that golden wish and man does it intrigue. Honestly, I have to say the movie is not the best food related movie I have seen, in fact it is far behind many, but it has that brilliant theme that kept me watching the entire movie.

Basically here is the plot in a nutshell: Celebrity chef has a TV show and restaurant, loses both because of his pompous attitude and inability to deal with the needs of the public but blames it all on the terrible reviews from the dastardly critic. His profanity flinging former boss, Mario Batali (seriously, no joke, he is in this movie! What a career change from Food Network!), kicks him to the curb and his show is canceled. So he kidnaps the critic and tortures him with his old reviews. THIS IS THE PART I THOUGHT WAS CLEVER!

The chef would give the critic culinary tasks such as making eggs over easy and cooking a medium rare steak that which at one point and time the critic had said chefs could not achieve in his reviews. If not done correctly, he did not get to eat! The chef even has a poisoned dish test involving an open faced ravioli with mulberries and a wild rabbit ragout. One had canned mulberries, the others were fresh. This palate test was to prove that the critic didn't know a damn thing about what he was talking about.

Overall, the movie is not that good but it brought up the concept of testing our critics. Kidnapping, torturing, and brutalizing a critic may seem ideal to some people but for humanities sake, should be avoided... well as best as possible! But why can't we take these critics and put them to the test like they do with us everyday they come into our restaurants, sit at our chef's tables, every time they try to pass judgement on our fares. A critic can make or break someone in this industry, so why can't we make or break them, metaphorically of course.

A TEST! I believe that all food critics should have to pass a test every few years just like anyone in the kitchen does with a servSAFE certification or food handlers license. Who says their palates are not slipping? And with this test, an oath to stay unbiased should be upheld by every blogger, newspaper columnist, and wanna be critic in the industry! So chefs, I have to say keep those knives in the kitchen and not at throats of those who pass judgement, though a reality check once or twice to the critics can change the culinary world.

I'll be back with a street food blog real soon! Thinking of adding instructional videos as well. Continue to follow me on twitter as @ChefGrantKeaton or on Facebook and feel free to send me any suggestions of cuisines you want to adventure next with me. We shall see, until next time, FOLLOW THE FLAVOR!!