The Kitchn recently praised men's magazines for getting more serious about food, from articles by Mark Bittman in Men's Health to Esquire's recipe for spaghetti and lobster. But, as The Kitchn points out, "these are still men's magazines," which means they have their own special angle on food writing. Sometimes that makes their articles all the more entertaining—after proclaiming David Chang the most important chef of 2007, GQ quotes him as saying, "My partner gets to kick me in the balls if he catches me wearing those reflective silvered sunglasses that asshole Europeans wear indoors. I can do the same to him." Nevertheless, GQ knows what its audience really wants—their "article" about model-turned-chef Padma Lakshmi is basically just a photo...
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Alan Richman is a colleague and friend. He is one of our greatest and most celebrated food writers. He is a professional curmudgeon who can be pointed and funny when he sets his sights on appropriate targets. All of that being said, Richman has written a slothful, meanspirited, and myopic piece about New Orleans food, restaurants, and culture in the November GQ. I could go on and on about Richman's shamefully skewed view of New Orleans. But another friend and colleague, Brett Anderson, has written an extremely insightful and cogent response. Please read Richman's piece and Anderson's response and decide for yourself. Chezpim also weighed in on this weighty topic....
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