Bay Area to Alan Richman: WTF?
Alan Richman's latest GQ column on San Francisco's Ferry Building, "the West Coast's new temple of tastes" is a riveting read until you hit this sentence:
"Alice Waters and sourdough bread aside, the Bay Area has contributed surprisingly little to the culinary ripening of America considering its proximity to fertile growing regions from the Central Valley to Napa and Sonoma counties."
and then all you can do is shake your head, furrow your brow, and start wondering if he's begun smoking crack. The SF Chronicle's Michael Bauer naturally took exception and wrote about it on his blog, saying, "I simply don't know where to begin. Has he heard of wine? Artisan cheeses? Arugula?" and promises to post a list of the Bay Area's culinary contributions tomorrow. (And no, I don't think Rice-A-Roni's gonna make the cut.)
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6 Comments:
Is Richman smoking something? This is like the 2nd or 3rd thng he's said like this.
kitchenbea at 3:57PM on 05/03/07
Isn't he the guy who bagged on New Orleans cuisine too awhile back? I think it's just a form of writing to attract attention and controversy, not saying anything substantial.
toastykitten at 2:16AM on 05/04/07
Yep, it's true: Renowned restaurant writer rips New Orleans but only embarrasses himself. From this link: "wonders if Creoles are a myth, "faery folk, like leprechauns," on the basis of having "never met one." Why do people take this person seriously?
toastykitten at 11:00AM on 05/04/07
It seems like Richman is getting a rep for throwing cities under the bus. The New Orleans thing was unpardonable. However, 98% of this article is a valentine to the Ferry Terminal Market. It says something about the SF food world that this article would provoke such a huffy response.
The Gurgling Cod at 1:08PM on 05/04/07
Cioppino! Mmmm...
Anna at 8:00PM on 05/04/07
2004 it was Jean-Georges.
2005 it was the NYC dining scene
2006 it was New Orleans
2007 it is San Francisco.
I get the feeling that Alan Richman writes these articles for shock value. The same way Madonna poses nude in books. Just to get attention and keep his name topical.
Time for Mr. Richman to be put out to pasture.
Stevie at 9:03PM on 05/08/07