Status anxiety

Once I was a restaurant critic. Now I must book like an ordinary person

24 November 2007

Toby Young works out his issues

Much better, I always reasoned, to announce who I was when I made the booking. In that way, I could make allowances for the fact that I was treated well and would end up with a more accurate impression of the restaurant than those critics who mistakenly thought they were travelling incognito. The other advantage of my system, of course, is that it eliminated the risk of not being recognised. God forbid that I should actually be treated like a nobody!

At least, that’s what I believed when I thought I’d be writing my restaurant column forever. Now that it’s gone, I realise it would have been sensible to wear a convincing disguise every time I was on the job, like Ruth Reichl. If I’d done that, I wouldn’t be faced with this horrific status readjustment. It’s like the argument for not travelling First Class on a transatlantic flight if it’s only a one off — once you’ve turned left, you’ll never want to turn right again.

So if you happen to be passing Pizza Express in Shepherd’s Bush at lunchtime on 20 December, do pop in and say hello. I’ll be the bloke in the back surrounded by a very disgruntled group of middle-aged men.

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ian skidmore

November 22nd, 2007 1:33pm Report this comment

acccept my sympathy. I too had a restaurant column and still haven't got over ringing a restaurant and getting a knock back. Fotunaely I live in a diferent pat of the country than I did then. The restaurants I used often framed my reviews in the window. To get a knock back from one of those would have been unbearable. I get a double whammy because I was a theatre critic as well

Once again

November 30th, 2007 7:36pm Report this comment

Perhaps AA Gill could be deflated - he too has fattened up on fine words and free fine foods. Readers know that food critics are professional emperors with no clothes. Newspapers needing to cost cut could start right there. If these clowns paid for their own meals and were totally unknown they would still be of no use to ordinary customers who pay exhorbitant prices and aren't able to get tables because of them. Good cooks attract good customers with the aid of the spoken word. Now, IF someone would critique the lavatories and cleanliness of staff and establishment.........! No takers? Thought not.

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