But if he did serve gourmet Spam, that would be kinda awesome.

Periodically, chefs will do things like that. Because, sometimes you have to challenge received notions of what's good food. Or they want the challenge.

At one point haute cuisine was only within the French canon, and there wasn't even a way to discuss other cuisines.

Spam has its place in certain styles of food. Genki Sushi, I'm informed, has a Spam roll. Which, FYI, I've had (a friend of a friend brings Spam sushi to parties we've attended), and they're awesome.

one can't assume knowledge (or lack thereof) of quality based on one expression of liking something of inferior quality.

And I disagree. Like I said over an hour ago, just because such an assumption could be wrong doesn't mean it's not a valid starting point.

Okay, we do disagree. I know that cooking/good food means more (or something different) to you than it does to me (at least on the cooking front, since I what I do isn't really cooking, not in a creative sense). So we have different starting points when dealing with this issue, and that's...well, it is what it is.

But if he did serve gourmet Spam, that would be kinda awesome.

Sweet Italian Jesus, never give him that idea, because he would SO do it.

In rereading, I think part of the original argument by Hec was that if you add crappy [foo] to high-quality [foo], you are ruining the high-quality [foo] and anyone who appreciates HQ [foo] will be offended. (Hec, yay/nay?)

Which, by the way, I still don't really agree with*, but I can see more than "if you like crappy [foo] you clearly know nothing about HQ [foo]." That, just, no.

If you say the latter in a group of people who like both crappy [foo] and HQ [foo] (like myself and Teppy and Trudy), well, you're gonna stir up some shit.

But your brother doesn't serve Spam at his restaurant. (I presume.) That would certainly affect how people perceived him as a chef and the restaurant.

So, do what you want at home, but don't ask a bartender to make you a dirty martini unless you want to risk his censure and disdain?

Nothing like a kerfuffle on a Monday morning to wake you up.

* I believe there are bourbon purists who believe in sipping only. Give me a bourbon and ginger beer any day, and I reserve the right to put good bourbon in it.

I scoff at critics. Sure, when they talk good about your project, it makes you feel warm and fuzzy and helps sell tickets. But, half the time they are full of crap. The love the dribble shows, and scoff at the brillaint. There is politics involved, and the need to put down the big guy, even if the product is good. Might I remind you, John Hughes films typically didn't get good reviews. Led Zeppelin was panned by majority of critics. I'm sure the same could applied to food and beverage critics. Although, I suppose, if they are doing blind taste tests, that might be a bit more objective.

ION- United Movers is nearly 90 minutes late now for my moving estimate. I'm guessing they are a no show. As this is supposed to be my day off, I will not rush to work. Don't have anything until 1pm. So fuck em. I'm watching Doctor Who: The End of Time part 1.

I feel certain that NYC will have an all-SPAM gourmet restaurant within five years. Probably in Williamsburg, for maximum ironic hipsterosity.

McDonald's is now marketing cupcakes in Germany as a hip New York thing. [link]

part of the original argument by Hec was that if you add crappy [foo] to high-quality [foo], you are ruining the high-quality [foo] and anyone who appreciates HQ [foo] will be offended.

Not Hec, but I do reserve the right to be horrified by anyone using top shelf vodka in a caramel appletini. (Or top shelf gin, but most foofy sugar bomb 'tinis are made with vodka because they are basically drinks for people who don't like the taste of alcohol.)

Is my opinion that, for example, there is no dish that can make Brussels sprouts edible, unsophisticated or useless?

Have you had them roasted with a little balsamic vinegar?

I don't really understand people who aren't interested in food or who don't like or like to try lots of kinds of food but I don't think that makes you useless!

If I'm not making you drink a dirty martini and spoil good gin, why do you care if I like it that way?

Why do people point and laugh at the pics on Go Fug Yourself? Nobody's forcing anyone else to wear those clothes. Why do people bemoan blurbs for embarrassingly bad novels in Literary? Nobody's forcing anyone else to read the finished book.

Well, for one thing, because we don't personally know the people whose pictures show up on GFY, nor do we mock the book blurbs of people we call friends. There's entertainment value in snobbery, to be sure, but it usually goes down easier when it's not aimed at the people you're talking to.

As Jessica notes, the point of the dirty martini is to cover up the flavor of the gin. (or vodka) That's just a waste of good gin.

I like martinis, and I'd love to try a gin martini with really high-quality gin. But I also LOVE olives, and so to me a dirty martini is really the perfect drink. I might like non-dirty martinis better if I had them with really good gin, but that doesn't mean that I'll stop having dirty martinis, because they're my favorite drink.