By way of diversion from the usual partisan hijinks, let me direct you to this story about Eric Ripert, the chef and part-owner of New York’s Le Bernardin whose TV show features him preparing a dish inspired by something called “life experience” (a walk in Central Park, a deer hunt, the Mississippi River, etc.). Alan Richman, a food writer, invited him to come along for a food shopping trip and subsequent dinner using items found on the trip . . .

From Costco. I.e. the best known of the megabox stores.

Mr. Ripert’s account of the experience is available here at Mr. Richman’s GQ site, and it makes for . . . well, let me excerpt some stuff:

Here I am experiencing what I fear the future of food-shopping could be . . .

Alan asks me to push the cart, and I will not. Yes, I know I am being a spoiled brat, but for me it is an acceptance of the system. I do not want to be seen as somebody who supports this kind of store and this kind of system. . . .

But this is also what is terrible: The meal is excellent. The smoked salmon is very good quality, although we do not know what the farm-raised fish ate. The tiny quiche he bought frozen is even good. The whole meal is this way. . . .

I realize we bought the best products at Costco, and not everybody does that, but I have to confess that they are good. I am not happy to say that.

Well, apart from the fact that if Costco’s PR department saw this story, they’d have a field day advertising this big box with Chef Eric’s remarks, is there anything to be learned?

Oh yes. The main one being that sometimes the “experts” can be blinded by their own prejudices. Chef Eric is probably attracted to the idea of local food markets and out-of-town farms for getting the best food; he had no inkling that a wholesaling outfit catering to suburbia would carry good ingredients, especially since they don’t give the impression that “foodies work here.”

Also, note that Chef Eric doesn’t actually change his mind about megaboxes as food sources. “I am not happy to say that.” Right; it’s very hard to admit that a prejudice is wrong. Especially if the admitter is someone who, by virtue of background, training and reputation, is regarded by the public as an “expert” on said particular matter.

Chef Eric’s main thesis is that good food is most likely to come from inspiration, available only to artists and other people who think like him; his TV show is meant to teach people the idea of an elite. So the idea that “good food comes from Costco” seems to fly in the face of this teaching — and the truth of the idea goes a long way towards explaining his horror at the food’s excellence.

Being told that you’re wrong is something most of us can handle; after all, that’s just words and opinion. Finding out for yourself that your belief was wrong, with evidence that can’t be refuted: that brings out a different side of us. A side that we should be honest enough to accept, but one that we’re all too willing to ignore for the sake of the belief we have that we think defines our uniqueness.

If you ever wonder why AGW advocates don’t seem to want to deal with the e-mails tarnishing their science; why big-L Liberals can’t seem to get their head around the idea of “grass-roots” policy formation; and why Pequistes can’t seem to deal with the idea of needing English — remember this peace and remember Chef Eric.

Not that it should stop you, if you’re in New York, from trying out Le Bernardin. The good chef is at least honest enough with himself to admit that he doesn’t like the idea of equating Costco with good food. How many others do we know who can do the same?

This entry was posted on Thursday, November 26th, 2009 at 13:19 and is filed under Odds & Ends, The Urban Possum. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.