PrintRestaurant Girl Eats 'Aroused Scallops'
The nation's first food blogger-turned-restaurant critic, Danyelle Freeman, comes out swinging in her debut column in the New York Daily News. Freeman, who wants to be our "restaurant concierge," clearly wants to be taken seriously as an arbiter of taste. Her review of the hipster Italian hotspot Gemma is certainly not laudatory. In fact, it's more than a little critical. However, her penchant for overblown prose managed to survive the best efforts of the editors at the paper: "Equally, a sheath of black-truffle pâté and lemon arouses amply fresh sea scallops."
What does an aroused fresh sea scallop look like?
All kidding aside, Freeman did convey enough information to let me know that I would probably not enjoy Gemma. She is no better or no worse than many other restaurant critics all around the country. Clearly, from looking at the photos in the paper and elsewhere, Freeman aspires to be the Carrie Bradshaw of the food world. But Carrie Bradshaw's columns on Sex and the City were well-written. Sara Jessica Parker's Bradshaw was much more than a pretty face. To be taken seriously as a restaurant critic, Freeman needs to be as well. Anonymity is not the issue here (although Gael Greene, writing on her blog, rightfully takes Freeman to task on the issue). Writing well and authoritatively are.
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5 Comments:
Carrie Bradshaw's columns were well written? Parker may have played her as a good writer, but the proof wasn't in the prose. Glad to hear Gael Greene--the original and far superior Carrie Bradshaw of food writing--give her two cents' worth on her new peer.
Fat and Happy Food Slut at 2:00PM on 08/21/07
My oh my, but that overblown prose is a problem! The bar is "a right of passage"? The stage is "self-conscious"? Not good. I gather she liked the pizza.
maggiesara at 2:33PM on 08/21/07
The information comes through clearly enough, but the medium is far from appealing...
Christina at 4:00PM on 08/21/07
Of course, "aroused scallop" woud make more sense if she were referring to the mollusk's shell, which has a rather famous association with the female sex organs and female fertility in general. Not sure where the sheath of black-truffle pate fits in.
Fat and Happy Food Slut at 7:09PM on 08/21/07
She can't write for beans. I've edited a lot of writers in my time, but rarely have I been more amused at such complete ineptness. Wouldn't have passed muster on St. Brendan's high school paper.
Barbara Hanson at 1:37AM on 08/22/07