It may just be me, but it seems as if Ruhlman and Bourdain have managed to turn South Beach into a middle school cafeteria, through the device of The Golden Clog Awards, the event that according to Bourdain, "came about over too many beers and late night yakitori. Me and Ruhlman, drunkenly ranting and raving." As the list of nominees indicates, it is not always an honor just to be nominated. Sadly, I missed Bourdain and Ruhlman deliberating poolside at the Raleigh by a couple of weeks -- now how much would you pay for that sandwich?
Eater's been on this production like gravy on biscuits, and had Bourdain handicap his awards. From the introductory Q&A:
EATER: But on some level, the food community
does need a good trophy, no? Other than the Food Network Awards. Is
this not it?
TB: Sure. The Beard Awards make the Golden Globes look like a
beacon of democracy. But me and Ruhlman sure ain't the solution. I
think--if you' examine the categories and nominees--and scrutinize the
actual decision making process determining who gets to go home with the
gold (spray painted baby clog), one realizes that Ruhlman and I are NOT
the right guys for the job of running--much less attending--an alt
Beard award..
Our obligation, at this point, I think, is more along the lines of
pay homage to those we think deserve a name check from the likes of
us...and deliver a good natured knee to the groin to the rest.
To their credit, some "winners" have graciously agreed to play
along. Unless they've been "reached" since then. There have been some
suspicious "disappearances" from our roster of attendees. And... it
hasn't been the most heavily publicized of events at SOBE shall we
say...Coincidence? Or CONSPIRACY!?
The whole business sounds like the table in the lunchroom where the cool kids sit, where you don't want to sit, but where you do sit, because you know they will say worse things about you if you don't. No word if Bourdain and Ruhlman Rochambeau'd to see who would be Lohan, and who would be McAdams.
*The Fesser was there to see if future was spelled with a u. Not so much.
righteous.
Posted by: addison | Thursday, 21 February 2008 at 09:52 AM
I knew there was something stinky about the whole thing but couldn't quite put my finger on it. Leave it to Lohan to be a signifier for all things.
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Posted by: Kraig Powell | Thursday, 17 April 2008 at 09:54 PM