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If you hire a critic to write a piece of criticism, and the criticism is good and fair, and the subject doesn't like it, you do not soften the copy. You do not pull the piece, either. You promote the hell out of it and ask the critic what he'd like to write next.

we all stand with jason bailey

Here's something to brighten everybody's day. A great restaurant city needs a big unruly mob of restaurant critics, sowing fear and mayhem.

gochuji

gukbap

Here's a gift link to a spectacular New York thing from my NYT Food siblings: nikita richardson at the beach! @beckyblairh at the sidewalk cafes! Sara Bonisteel at the shore! Pete Wells at Yankee Stadium! Florence Fabricant in the Hamptons (natch)! And more! nytimes.com/interactive/20…

In which the Beard Foundation tries to act as cheerleaders and police simultaneously, and finds it's not easy: nytimes.com/2023/05/31/din…

Turns out lab-grown meat is probably 25 times more energy intensive than traditional beef in its current form, a new UC Davis study has found. Tara Duggan has the story. sfchronicle.com/climate/articl… via San Francisco Chronicle

México en Nueva York:

Los 100 mejores restaurantes de Pete Wells en The New York Times: nytimes.com/interactive/20…

Absolutely, predictably superb and essential work by Matthew Desmond, which may be the clearest explanation of poverty you will ever read:

Why Poverty Persists in America nytimes.com/2023/03/09/mag…

a new thing to worry about

you know the bar is low when the company says don't worry we still use human beings.

Queens Mexican seafood star Mariscos El Submarino is opening in Brooklyn ny.eater.com/2023/1/17/2355…

I spent so many years as a restaurant critic being wowed, being amused, being illuminated. And that was wonderful. But sometimes, I just want to be fed. My reflection on Noma's announced closing >>>nytimes.com/2023/01/10/opi…

'Sausages are true multiculturalists.' Here's hoping that Charles Simic has moved on to a higher realm where everyone appreciates sausages as much as he did. I assigned him this essay long ago for Food & Wine foodandwine.com/news/poetry-of…