Late to the party on the Moskin cookbook thing, but in my self-appointed role as peacemaker, allow me to suggest that Moskin, the Times public editor, Paltrow, Mario, Rach, et al, just need to chill out and read some Foucault,* ( specifically his "What is an Author" esssay, or better still, maybe read up on auteur theory.
Gwinnie, et al, seem to be in the throes of an heroic romantic notion of authorship, which is a relatively recent phenomenon, and exists for the sake of copyright as much as anything. But to be an author is to be that kind of author, so there is an idea that a book springs from the brow of its creator. For novels, sure, maybe, academic monographs, sometimes, but for cookbooks, less so. Recipes in a cookbook need testing, in a way that chapter 12 of the new Marcy Dermansky novel does not. It is, by its nature, a collaborative product. Here is where auteur theory might help. Scorsese, for instance, makes movies, but Thelma Schoonmaker edits them. It's silly for Gwinnie to beef, much as it would be silly for Scorsese to insist that he shot every frame of Raging Bull himself. It's not true, but it's also not the point. Scorsese makes Scorsese films, and other folks help him realize his vision, just like if Mario does a NASCAR cookbook. Moskin's article seemed to be more of a memoir ("I was the literary equivalent of a plongeur"), than an expose', but the reaction from various cookbook producers turned it into a scandal.
*See also.
Your blog is very informative and useful. You have written it very well. I have bookmarked your blog.
Posted by: free nike women shoes | Thursday, 29 March 2012 at 02:40 AM
The decline of literature indicates the decline of a nation ; the two keep in their downward tendency.
Posted by: ghd flat irons | Tuesday, 10 July 2012 at 10:19 PM