tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post5937154372432782270..comments2023-10-10T14:43:29.795-04:00Comments on Brooklynguy's Wine and Food Blog: "Spices that represent the stories of our global diversity."Brooklynguyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16321573602782343974noreply@blogger.comBlogger9125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-27888086165893773532010-05-18T13:35:36.390-04:002010-05-18T13:35:36.390-04:00thanks for all these comments.
Timothy - your ba...thanks for all these comments. <br /><br />Timothy - your band analogy is something that i thought of when writing the post, and it rings true for me.Brooklynguyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16321573602782343974noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-86791030912177029202010-05-15T14:45:57.205-04:002010-05-15T14:45:57.205-04:00JGV's new place may well be a cash grab jump o...JGV's new place may well be a cash grab jump on the latest trend, but who cares? If it bring more local food to the mainstream, then it's a good thing, regardless of the posturing. Being upset about sounds similar to indie rock fans being angry when "their favorite unknown band" gets popular and rather than being happy for them making good, decide to selfishly call them sellouts. <br /><br />You could argue that this cheapens the local food movement in some way (i guess), but it only cheapens the niche IMAGE of the movement, since in the end it's about getting more local produce out there, plain and simple. But i can't help but feel that some in the local food camp only want it for hipper-than-thou cache.Timothy Lockhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02382134553586111733noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-5617367336778664312010-05-13T19:55:19.096-04:002010-05-13T19:55:19.096-04:00It's the same in San Francisco. This long-ove...It's the same in San Francisco. This long-overdue shift in attitudes to food won't have succeeded until the local BBQ joint offers sustainably-raised meat. Frankly, I don't see how you could open a 'hip' restaurant these days without trumpeting the sources of your produce, but things have to filter through a few levels yet before they lose their perceived snob appeal.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-90145001187194283792010-05-13T15:09:29.285-04:002010-05-13T15:09:29.285-04:00JGV has actually been working with local farmers &...JGV has actually been working with local farmers & fishers for years, well before he opened ABC. It does seem like he's just jumping on the bandwagon now, but he was actually one of the first in town to embrace local products. I don't think it's fair to pan him without considering the fact that he has helped the local farmers garner more business with other restaurants in the area.Tamarahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00732549726964668342noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-52233532598459973552010-05-13T11:53:21.463-04:002010-05-13T11:53:21.463-04:00I guess JGV deserves some credit here. He was one ...I guess JGV deserves some credit here. He was one the early restauranteurs who adopted the produce-from-within-100-miles approach. To tell the truth, now that farm-to-kitchen is becoming more and more mainstream and more people are enjoying it without going through the thought&experimenting&learning&maturation process most of us have gone through, now that I have lost my cool thing, I feel a little pissed off :) But I agree with Brooklynguy that this is a good thing to happen.Otto Tarchinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13470902111168151572noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-7950524653609616802010-05-13T03:13:05.357-04:002010-05-13T03:13:05.357-04:00Sounds like a restaurant designed by the a green-w...Sounds like a restaurant designed by the a green-washing PR company. Ugh!King Krak, I Drink the Winenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-59544749532800490622010-05-12T23:02:51.374-04:002010-05-12T23:02:51.374-04:00Well put, Peter. If he was serious he could also ...Well put, Peter. If he was serious he could also put a chicken coop in Union Square and a beehive on the roof of ABC Carpet.Deetranehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16732228652575908969noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-67378693054694917882010-05-12T20:32:47.604-04:002010-05-12T20:32:47.604-04:00I think it's both. The top moves the rest of t...I think it's both. The top moves the rest of the market, but it also seems like a cynical ploy to stay relevant (by coincidence, I was looking through a cookbook of his from 1990 today) and cash in on another trend now that he's not creating any more (e.g. Post-nouvelle Asian fusion™).<br /><br />And I'm with Fillay; that's smug self-satisfaction in the special sauce. If he really meant it, he'd take all the capital from this venture and make a garden for inner-city kids who don't know what vegetables are. THAT'S farm-to-market.peterhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17189314044617829401noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3799854524070158890.post-73619352884700949042010-05-12T19:08:40.510-04:002010-05-12T19:08:40.510-04:00No, I think your unease is well-founded. JGV is in...No, I think your unease is well-founded. JGV is in the business of selling status, and what better status symbol than food that is by its very nature limited in supply? (Not to mention loaded with possibilities to connect to cosmopolitan fantasies of diversity.) Sustainably-grown local foods currently have all the characteristics of what Hirsch called "positional goods" - by consuming them you get not only nourishment and sustenance, but you also derive a sense of distinction that sets you apart from the proles. Not just any pork chop, but a *special* pork chop that only the few, the insiders, know about and are lucky enough to consume...Fillayhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11592815326829082844noreply@blogger.com