Take the Serious Eats 'Mama' vs. 'Show-off' Cook's Test
Is there a gender divide when it comes to cooking in restaurants? Mike Weiss attempted to find out in San Francisco. Take the Serious Eats "Mama" vs. "Show-off" Cook's Test and see for yourself. Below, you'll find Serious Eats' San Francisco correspondent Harold Check's take on the story along with some video that might help you with the test.
Joyce Goldstein, the retired ground-breaking chef-restaurateur behind Square One in SF, framed the argument this way:
Listen, there are two kinds of cooks, there's mama cooks and show-off cooks. Now, not all mama cooks are women but all the show-off cooks are men. Boys with chemistry sets. Boy food is all about: 'Look at me!'
Mama food is there to satisfy you, to feed you, to take care of you. You remember mama food and it makes you happy. That other stuff, it amazes you, but it doesn't make you happy.
Goldstein's argument is brilliant in how carefully she frames both sides. Let's parse what she said very carefully.
"Not all mama cooks are women." That is most assuredly true. Tom Valenti of Ouest in NYC is a mama cook. His food makes you happy. There's tons of technique in his food but he doesn't hit you over the head with it. He almost never shows off. Tom Douglas in Seattle is a mama cook. Daniel Boulud can make delicious "mama cook" food like his short ribs, but he is much more often a show-off cook. Same with Jean-Georges Vongerichten and Thomas Keller. The more chefs you think about the more interesting Goldstein's proposition gets.
"All show-off cooks are men." Try as I might I can't refute this claim either. I can't think of one woman "show-off" chef.
Let's put Goldstein's theory to the test. Here is the first Serious Eats "Mama Cooks" vs. "Show-off Cooks" pop quiz. A list of prominent chefs from across the country follows. Please tell us when you comment whether they are "mama cooks" or "show-off cooks."
- Mario Batali, NYC and Las Vegas (Babbo, Del Posto, Lupa, Otto)
- Alice Waters, Berkeley, CA (Chez Panisse)
- Tom Colicchio, NYC and Las Vegas (Craft, Craftsteak, 'Wichcraft)
- Nancy Silverton, Los Angeles (Pizzeria Mozza, La Brea Bakery)
- David Chang, NYC (Momofuku, Momofuku Ssam Bar)
- Nancy Oakes, San Francisco (Boulevard)
- Bobby Flay, New York and Las Vegas (Mesa Grill, Bar Americain, Bolo)
- Emeril Lagasse, New Orleans, Orlando, and Las Vegas (Emeril's, Delmonico's, Nola)
- Grant Achatz, Chicago, (Alinea)
- Traci Des Jardins, SF (Jardiniere)
Maybe we'll get Joyce Goldstein to grade the tests. Have fun, and answer as many of the questions as you like.
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6 Comments:
I liked the quote from the article " . . . although if you're served a dish with a vertical element, it's a good bet there's a man in the kitchen. "
So . . . is it a phallic thing ? Food as an extension of their sexuality?
aharste at 9:42AM on 06/26/07
I am not sure Bobby Flay belongs on this list of chefs.
vogelap at 11:05AM on 06/26/07
I haven't eaten enough of these chefs' cuisine to comment on all of them. The only two whose food I've tasted are Batali and Chang. To play along with this at best silly, but actually quite mean sexist and divisive game, I would say they are both "mamas". And they were awesome.
Frankly, I think this is a stupid meme. Either the food is good and you want more, or it isnt. She sounds like a bitter old feminist to me. Or a Red Sox fan. Or maybe both. Yikes.
seyo at 12:27PM on 06/26/07
Sounds like she is stealing a little from Sietsema's review of the restaurant Vermillion in the Washington Post http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn?node=cityguide/profile&id=1085645&categories=Restaurants
I'd say Alice Waters, despite all the local ingredients FEELS like a show-off cook. It's all so minimalist and... picky. Her food makes me uncomfortable.
I think Achatz is hybrid. He shows off with technique, but it's merely a vehicle for happiness on a plate.
synaesthesia.dc at 12:39PM on 06/26/07
What separates "mama cooking" from cuisine de grand-mere and the Italian equivalent?
Fat and Happy Food Slut at 2:08PM on 06/26/07
Flay does not belong on this list, neither does emeril even though I think he is great. Emeril is a mama cook. Flay is a show-off cook. Colicchio is a mama cook, chang is a mama cook, Mario is a mama cook, doesn't waste anything. Traci is a show off, but she is great. Every other chefs food I have not had the pleasure of sampling yet so I cannot comment.
nelson5757 at 3:00PM on 06/26/07