after dinner sneeze

t says: I like David Chang, and I agree with him … usually.  For the most part I concur that the customer is not always right.  However.  I’d also be happy to do whatever a customer wanted … if he/she paid for it … through the nose …  This way you “win” by getting extra money, and the customer is happier (even if it is a filet mignon oxymoronically ordered “well done”) and will even come back again in the future with – surprise – more money!

But I guess that, for at least right now, culture has dictated that good chefs are celebrities.  They’re the all-powerful, all-knowing experts, given their years of training and experience.  As a result, they get the upper hand and get to call the shots … in the name of artistry, or creativity, or taste, or “objective” rightness (e.g. that dude on Chopped who says that under no circumstance can cheese every accompany fish … there’s got to be an exception somewhere …), orr whatever.  But I’m also sure that should dire times strike these guys, they’d be happy to give you whatever the crap you wanted if it paid the bills …

Which leads me to my only conclusion: I guess sometimes, you have to sell out, and right now is not that time for these chef superstars (which is totally fine – everyone is allowed some fame – and in most cases they earned it, so I’m ok with it).  But, should the time ever come that someone is considering selling out, that they sell out big and sell out hard … like Snoop Dogg.