Life As a Food Critic Stinks

Here’s a classic example of my agreeing with a person’s larger point, while being appalled by the tone they take to prove it. Food critic Ari LeVaux writes for The Atlantic and has a syndicated column called “A Flash in the Pan,” which appears in 21 states. (An aside: LeVaux also published an article in support of Franzia and other boxed wines for The Atlantic.)

In a Jan. 24 article, he describes the difficult life of a food critic. It may seem glamorous to us, but LeVaux assures us that life is really hard. You have to eat lots of bad food. More importantly, though, you have to taste food that goes against your principles. LeVaux, for example, would consider himself a militant locavore were it not for his job. Being a critic also forces him to consume more grease and fats than he would ordinarily. He points out that argue against factory farmed meats and high-fat foods in his articles, but fears his audience would tire of the proselytizing fairly quickly (he’s right about that).

Now, LeVaux makes valid points about the problems within the restaurant industry. There is too much fat and grease in the cooking, to make up for a lack of flavor. People consume food too often without knowing its origins. We rely heavily on factory farmed meat, and eat animals who enjoyed no quality of life.

A quick word to Mr. LeVaux, though. If you believe that strongly in the evils of the restaurant world, change jobs.  Your life isn’t that hard. In fact, you have a job many people would kill for.