I am a wine and food cynic

My recent DoctorWine editorials appear to have sparked a lot of interest among our readers. Many enthusiastically agreed with me while others more or less branded me as just a wine and food cynic. This because I dared to criticize the behavior of certain chef-stars and because I defined as unbearable the mentality of those who I defined as “trendy wine snobs”. According to them, in order to become a chef-star like Carlo Cracco or Bruno Barbieri one had to pay a lot of dues, as if this was not the case in other fields, and that if some of them became media celebrities and product spokespersons they deserved to. As a journalist I cannot advertise anything, unless it is for charity, and I think this is a good thing.

Doctors cannot advertise medicines and this is also good. We both belong to professional associations that have a specific ethical code of conduct which does not allow us to engage in certain activities, like advertising. Why, then, is it permissible for a professional chef to pitch a bouillon cube, promote a kitchen furnishing company or advertise a potato chip or even Coca Cola? And they tell the public how wonderful the product in question is while they are allegedly in their work place or in the ‘privacy’ of their own homes. What’s worse is that some even claim they actually use or consume these products in real life. Now, does drawing attention to such falseness make one a cynic? Or is it, on the other hand, a way to make clear to the reading public that perhaps they should nurture some doubts over such claims and those who make them? Is it cynical to say that the elitist and snobbish attitude of certain wine enthusiasts is frankly incomprehensible and unbearable? The people I refer to are those who drink or claim to drink only exclusive, rare and very expensive wines that only come from specific regions and that these are the only wines one should take into consideration. By doing this do they not lift the bar too high and drive many people away from the world of wine because they will consider it to be unreachable, incomprehensive and totally beyond their means? Is criticizing this mentality being cynical or is it a way to urge everyone to keep their feet on the ground? Furthermore, is it cynical to define as inappropriate and counter-educational certain exasperating and violent expressions used by certain media chefs during cooking reality shows?

Perhaps the question should be why so many specialized journalists and critics say so little about this exaggerated behavior. For sure, one would indeed be a cynic if they wrote about something they did not know about and were not involved in. I do not think this is the case. I am convinced, on the other hand, that we are only just beginning to open Pandora’s Box and that while the Emperor may indeed have clothes, they are certainly inappropriate and ill-fitting. And so if you really think I am only being a cynic let me know as soon as you can and I will stop boring you.