I read an interesting article about David Pines, 12 yo, who published a book called Pines Picks: A Kid's Guide to the Best Things to Eat and Drink in New York City. The book is full of restaurant critiques, focussing mainly on the food, as, as he told the NY Daily News: "Adults make too many judgments based on the appearance of the restaurants. They get mad because the glasses weren't all there when they walked in. I'm like, who cares? How did the food taste?".
I think it is great to see that coming from a kid and also see that he can eat everything, except raisins, at a time where children tend to be too picky in what they eat. I remember that when I was a kid, I had to eat what was on the table and there were very little exceptions (broccoli and brussels sprouts!). But it might be a question of education as Pamela Druckerman pointed out in her book Bringing Up Bébé.
Anyway, I half agree with David in his comment. It is true that often, we hear people or critics focussing on certain things and they never talk about the food. I remember that I was astonished to hear Simon Majumdar in The Next Iron Chef only focus on the fact that a Chef put some confectioner sugar on a chocolate souffle ("It is so 80's") rather than telling us if the souffle was good.
Personally, I think it all depends on where you are and people usually adapt their expectations. For instance, I will not expect the same thing if I go to a burger joint like Corner Bistro or an elegant restaurant like Le Bernardin. In the first one, I do not care about the decor, although I like the authenticity, or that they serve their food on plastic plates (I may talk about it, but very briefly). However, at Le Bernardin, I am expecting the whole experience: from the decor, to the service to the quality of the food. Considering the price I pay, I expect it perfect.
In any case, I wish David all the best for his book and hope that he will have lots of readers, young and old!
What about you? Let me know what you think about this!
