"At no time in the history of the world, in this culture has one group of people — Americans — so fetishized and worshipped food. And not only have we put certain food on a pedestal, and certain chefs on a pedestal, and certain food talents on a pedestal, we’ve done it to such a degree with so many people that don’t deserve that phrase by any measure, that it’s a little uncomfortable for folks. Look: just because someone can forage some wild moss somewhere — and I’m not taking a shot at [Rene] Redzepi or any of those guys … Just because you can put some sort of like crazy goofy sea snail on your menu doesn’t mean it’s good, or should be cooked or or that you’re doing it the right way." - Eric - Final Countdown

The funny part for me is that (at least the quote) sounds a lot like older restaurant critique, but addressing the much larger stage that the culinary culture has now. The problem of the overpriced 'fancy' restaurant isn't new, but it now has a whole bunch of other things attached to it (like blogs, podcasts, television shows) that very few could aspire to before. - Jennifer Dittrich