Very well said Andy. When I read his rant in the Guardian interview on Monday, I felt Ben was venting more at the mechanics around awards and guides, rather than independent food writers specifically. I haven't read his book though or the extract, and reading your article is enough to make by blood boil. I expect he hyped up his statements (or perhaps his editor did) to garner controversy, which going by his Instagram, he has succeeded. I wonder if his editor's a food writer?!
He’s really not happy about anyone! He appears to think that everyone who writes about food is a know-nothing who wants to exploit the restaurant industry. It’s worth reading the whole piece as he makes some good points but fails to evidence them properly. I just hated the whole cake-and-eat-it aspect of it though.
Very well said Andy. When I read his rant in the Guardian interview on Monday, I felt Ben was venting more at the mechanics around awards and guides, rather than independent food writers specifically. I haven't read his book though or the extract, and reading your article is enough to make by blood boil. I expect he hyped up his statements (or perhaps his editor did) to garner controversy, which going by his Instagram, he has succeeded. I wonder if his editor's a food writer?!
He’s really not happy about anyone! He appears to think that everyone who writes about food is a know-nothing who wants to exploit the restaurant industry. It’s worth reading the whole piece as he makes some good points but fails to evidence them properly. I just hated the whole cake-and-eat-it aspect of it though.