http://www.paris-update.com/topics/bon_appetit.htm

Gracious me, Cigal, I didn't know that food critics weren't totally anonymous.

thanks, cigalechanta. Nice reading.

Thanks, cigalechanta. This sounds interesting.

Thanks, I'm glad some appreciate it. I hope the book arrives in the USA soon.

M,m,m-much grist for the mill...I always wondered about the degree of anonymity. There is a food critic in my city that has managed to remain anonymous for nearly 20 years: she posts a picture of herself with a big floppy hat and uses a "name" for the column (which is loved and feared in equal measure by restauranteurs owners.) I was once told that the reason "she" was so good at remaining anon for so long is because "she" is a "he".

Thank you for posting this, Cigalechanta...

I recommend reading 'Garlic and Sapphires: The Secret Life of a Critic in Disguise' by Ruth Reichl.

It addresses this exact issue and is very funny! She would go to great lengths to conceal her identity in NYC as the Times food critic.

Just want to say upfront I'm not dissing the book (it actually sounds interesting)

But does anyone other than me find it amusing that the article's author is a food critic making a living (or a portion of it) writing this article about a book that was written by a food critic who investigated then wrote about other food critics? (So it's food critics being reviewed/critiqued in a book by a food critic, which book in turn is being reviewed/critiqued by a food critic).

That's just an observation, not a critique (of an article critiquing a book critiquing critics!)

My experience in the Dordogne is that you know exactly where the beef, veal, lamb and chickens come from if the butcher has any pride in the local product; and the prices are higher than when the animals are raised anonymously (15€ for a roasted chicken, but it lasted three meals).

Hi surfmom
>...Ruth Reichl.....She would go to great lengths to conceal her identity in NYC as the Times food critic.<

According to the above article:

In "Heat,... Bill Buford describes the preparations at a New York restaurant for the visit of Ruth Reichl,...... As the staff awaited the “anonymous” visit, the entire restaurant was in “a constant state of dress rehearsal,” and while there, she “had the most experienced waiter, plus a back-up waiter, a floor manager and two runners.”

ira, good point. perhaps I can clarify.

If you read 'Garlic and Sapphires', you will understand the great pains she takes to be in disguise. And most of the time, those disguises were successful and she didn't receive preferential treatment, better tables, better food, service, etc. (unless her poor service, rude hostesses, and low-quality food were all fabrications).

At the end of the book, she describes having been 'made' at a few restaurants and how that changed her experience. That is right around the time that she opted to resign from being the restaurant critic of the 'Times' and switch to editor of 'Gourmet'.

She says, "That wouldn't be right (giving up disguises and going as herself). You know what it's like when I'm not in disguise: the steaks get bigger, the food comes faster, and the seats become more comfortable. No restaurant can change the food on the spur of the moment, but when the critic of the NYTimes shows up, they can certainly show her a swell time. ... You know I can't let this happen every time I go out to eat."

Since she didn't follow status quo and didn't give the 'established' restaurants high reviews and was the first to give a Japanese restaurant 3 stars), I tend to believe that she wasn't receiving the benefit of her position.

I could be wrong, but read the book regardless and we'll converse!