Whew, Newbie, I was wondering if you were coming up for air or not.
I'm certainly not going to respond to all you said. Just wondering how you got all of that out of my post?
I never discussed his recipes.
Didn't talk about the quality or even the content of his books.
Made no comments about the taste, texture, ease of prep, etc. of his food, either as a critic, an interested observer, or a just plain folks type of guy.
All I said was that his books might be available through the library system, and
1. That he was self-contradictory. If you're going to be dogmatic about something, you should stick to your contentions. Not contradict your own dogma whenever it's in your interest to do so--such as when being subsidized, directly or indirectly.
2. That I don't think he's near as funny as he thinks he is. I don't even find most of his weird scenarios mildly entertaining. Obnoxious would be more like it.
Finally, just for the record, food writing covers quite a spectrum. Restaurant and chef criticism is a small part of it. Other aspects include book & video reviews, food travel, book writing, food history and culture, recipe writing, scripting food shows, reviewing equipment, etc. etc. etc. This can be done through various media, such as websites, magazines, newspapers, magazines, and books. It also includes the other side of the street; writing as a
PR or marketing communications person, to present a restaurant, chef, or equipment maker's message to the public.
With the exception of scripting TV and radio food shows, I've done all of those things and more.