Food Critics and the Oscars: The Week in Pop-Culture Writing

Navneet Alang | “Most food criticism is defined by a single word: . It is almost impossible to encounter a review that doesn’t either explicitly or implicitly judge what is on a plate by a standard of what be: whether cacio e pepe is sufficiently al dente, tonkotsu ramen broth unctuous enough, or a late-night bistro appropriately lit. This is of course true of all kinds of criticism. But food in particular tends to locate its ‘should’ in generally absolutist calls to authority, whethermake it?), tradition (is this how they make it?), or, more generously, the coherence of a chef’s vision (is this what she truly to make?).”