Distinction

It may be trying to teach Frenchy poststructuralist theory after Thanksgiving, but lots of things on the Internets today look sort of off. The Globe, in the Tech section no less, has an article on the community of people bound together by their shared loathing for  Rachael Ray. As for me, life is really too short to put a lot of effort into hating RR, though champions of mediocrity would be near the bottom of the lifeboat priority list on any vessel I commanded. This idea of disliking Ms. Evoo is not new, but the obligatory soundbite from a consultant offers an interesting explanation:

"If you've got a fan base," he says, "you can weather negative word of mouth." (And the anti-Ray sentiment may be a special case, given that many of her fans are almost certainly motivated by an anti-sentiment of their own, against complicated cooking and "foodie" culture.)

Ray fans, as such, are united "against complicated cooking and 'f----e' culture"? Is indifference to what you eat a banner that really unites people? I don't care that much about professional tennis, but I do not feel the need to find like-minded people, and get together to declare our lack of interest in Roger Federer. Isaac Newton reminds us that for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction, but it is hard to see Ray as a Joan of Arc leading a horde daunted by obsessives like Sarah Deming to the promised land of Turkey Posole -- I think David Carr's explanation a few weeks back makes more sense:

OPRAH taught us we can be better human beings. Martha taught us we can do better than is humanly possible. And Ms. Ray? She thinks better is overrated. Now, you want some nachos and a cold one to go with that?

Better is overrated? Out of context, the concept is kind of chilling, in that it suggests that the notion that quality is obsolete, and distinction outmoded, but the idea of a familiar face telling you to cook basically as you would if left to your own devices on a low-functioning night is compelling. Here, the teleimprimatur of the Food Network is critical, in that it dresses what she's doing as a practice, interchangable with the practice of other chefs. Emeril cooks Cajun, Rach cuts corners. It is all good, and evidently, equally good, as the concept of "better" has vanished. I suppose that means no more Bordieu, luckily.

In other news, the secret foods of the South to be found in Ann Arbor. This UP-centric perspective on what is north and south  is odd to see from the Southern Foodways Alliance. In all seriousness, this looks like a good event for a good cause, but I was not expecting to be directed to the Zingerman's domain when I clicked on a link for "Secret foods of the South."

And oh yeah, wine in juiceboxes at the House of Blues. Before you get all, like "I am glad Alexis Lichine did not life to see this day," remember that the graver offense is against the memory of Robert Johnson. If, as ludicrous as the premise is, the premise of THOB is that it is some kind of simulacrum of a Mississippi roadhouse, then what the fuck are they doing serving wine in any format? Do you think Leadbelly had had one too many glasses of a low-end Cab from Napa when he killed that guy? Did Robert Johnson split a jug of Pinot Grigio with the Devil before he sold him his soul?*
*Before you bring up the song "Drinking Wine (Spo-De-O)" recall that the wine in question a) costs fifteen cents a bottle, and is b) available in a variety of berry flavors.

Comments

[dubarry]

well,over-achieving is certainly over-rated, ne'est-ce pas? and so gauche, aussi.