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The Chicago Foodie Backlash Begins

You will not guilt trip us into liking Carson's.
You will not guilt trip us into liking Carson’s. Photo: courtesy of Carson’s Ribs

You heard it here, folks, there is a backlash against foodies. Well, at least the Tribune’s Christopher Borrelli thinks the food obsessed have gone too far. Oh, wait…there have already been a bunch of these articles already? As our New York branch has already pointed out, there is something a little disingenuous about food writers - Borrelli “occasionally” writes about food - penning diatribes against food culture. Usually these rants mention a bunch of random foodies who are picky about what they eat (who also hopefully take pictures of their food), name drop Michael Pollan in a negative way, and then dig up a couple of quotes from restaurateurs about how annoying people who pay for their food can be. Check, check, and check. So, can we learn anything from this one?

To be sure, Borrelli does his homework. Among the food luminaries that he talks to are Anthony Bourdain, Michael Nagrant, Gary Wiviott, and Amanda Hesser. And, for the most part, the article is mostly about “a plea for calm.” Sure, everyone wants to eat better, but it’d be nice if everyone just cooled out. That’s not the most outrageous thing to ask for.

But we can’t agree with Dean Carson, the owner of Carson’s rib restaurant, who wishes for the days before “’marinades’ and ‘rubs,’” like those are terribly complex food processes that were invented by sustainable food junkies in San Francisco.

We’re not saying the food world doesn’t deserve a good knock on the head now and then. We, too, are getting tired of endless explanations of ingredients and where they are from, and would rather spend a meal talking with friends about other things that where we should eat next. But we aren’t tired of the taste of those better ingredients, nor of people who have dedicated their lives to making good food for us.

Foodie Backlash [Chicago Tribune]

The Chicago Foodie Backlash Begins