Sommelier

Wed, 02 May 2007 19:52:20 -0500

They need a big ceremony so the oversized egos of the "foodies" can strut on display for one another, bragging about the outrageously expensive dinners they've had in restaurants all over the world. The truth is, most of these idiots would turn their (often surgically altered) noses up at the real American foods that James Beard himself ate. My aunt, a good friend of Jim's for decades, swears that Beard would have thrown most of these self-important snobs out of his house in a hearbeat. Tony Bourdain's comments were, as usual, right on the money.

Jen Chung

Wed, 02 May 2007 18:19:41 -0500

The Jennifer Aniston character in the movie Friends with Money (Catherine Keener, Frances McDormand, Joan Cusack are other stars) points out the absurdity of having expensive gala dinners that act as fundraisers- why not donate the money directly to the charity, etc. Although, I guess, in this case, the Beard awards are honoring the industry. But still, you'd think they'd raise more than $100 grand.

Gothamist: Beard's Baggage

Sommelier

Jen Chung