Thursday, August 20, 2009

Ratatouille too Late

Although Liguini's terrible command of his bipedalism makes me jelly on my chair, something has just been fixed in my head, and that is the Critic's concession:

Ego
"In many ways the work of a critic
is easy. We risk very little, yet
enjoy a position over those who
offer up their work and their
selves to our judgment. We thrive
on negative criticism, which is fun
to write and to read.

But, the bitter truth we critics
must face is that, in the grand
scheme of things... the average
piece of junk is probably more
meaningful than our criticism
designating it so. But there are
times when a critic truly risks
something... and that is in the
discovery and defense of the new.

The world is often unkind to new
talent, new creations. The new
needs friends.


Last night I experienced something
new, an extraordinary meal from an
singularly unexpected source.
To say that both the meal and its
maker have challenged my
preconceptions about fine cooking,
is a gross understatement-- they
have rocked me to my core.

In the past I have made no secret
of my disdain for Chef Gusteau’s
famous motto: “Anyone Can Cook”.
But I realize only now do I truly
understand what he meant. Not
everyone can become a great artist,
but a great artist can come from
anywhere.

It is difficult to imagine more
humble origins than those of the
genius now cooking at Gusteau’s,
who is, in this critic’s opinion,
nothing less than the finest Chef
in France."
--------
I watched the movie just today. -_-