Are helicopter parents killing the great chefs of America?

Quasi-relevant to an exciting campaign to have Mr. Sam Sifton adopt The Gas Face* as one of his restaurant ratings, there was an article in the Atlantic that struck some chords. Basically, the idea is that raising kids so that they never encounter boredom or discomfort means they have a tough time as adults. If you work in higher ed, the University of Chicago's twin bagpipe processions, students one way, parents the other, sounds like the raddest idea since FERPA. But I digress. One graf, in particular resonated with a food idea I've been tossing around for a while: 

A FEW MONTHS AGO, I called up Jean Twenge, a co-author of The Narcissism Epidemic and professor of psychology at San Diego State University, who has written extensively about narcissism and self-esteem. She told me she wasn’t surprised that some of my patients reported having very happy childhoods but felt dissatisfied and lost as adults. When ego-boosting parents exclaim “Great job!” not just the first time a young child puts on his shoes but every single morning he does this, the child learns to feel that everything he does is special. 

The Cod suspects that some of these kids growed up and opened restaurants, and not just in Brooklyn. The "great job" ethos resonates with a kind of restaurant that stakes its claim on, say, roasting chickens or baking biscuits. It's good to be able to roast a chicken, tie your shoes, or bake a biscuit, but it does not mean you should be shortlisted for a Beard Award.  See also the disparagement of "ingredient driven" in Lucky Peach, of which more soon. Yes, it's probably better if your restaurant buys from a farmers market than out of a Sysco truck. That said, is the Cod crazy to see a connection between youth soccer teams where everyone gets an award, and tertiary heirs of Chez Panisse who are confident that putting words like "dayboat" and "Berkshire" on their menus mean they must be running a great restaurant? 

*It can be a smile or a smirk.

Comments

[Ahab]

That Atlantic article is a frustrating mix of excellent points and misunderstandings of how those points should be understood.

[Mr. Sidetable]

Jean Twenge, herself a graduate of the University of Chicago. I loved that bagpipe procession.

[Juicy couture outlet]

misunderstandings of how those points should be understood.

[miu miu handbags]

I like all your spectacular writings ! Now let me give you a good website(http://www.replicamiumiu.info) for you . It can show you very good information for you.