Do restaurant critics need kitchen experience? Not necessarily, says Jesse Mulligan. But there are some essential skills.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat gives you the right to be a restaurant reviewer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\n It\u2019s the criticism I hear most often, and though you might think it\u2019d hurt my feelings, being called out online is much more
\n manageable when you realise that everyone is just doing their jobs. It\u2019s the job of emerging food writers to fire shots at the old ones (I used to do it too); it\u2019s the job of columnists to make their take as hot and clickable as possible; and it\u2019s the job of chefs to boost their social media numbers by occasionally railing against the media \u2013 I get it, content is content.\n <\/p>\n
Often the question about qualification is rhetorical \u2013 a way of making a point without really wanting an answer \u2013 but sometimes it\u2019s asked with genuine curiosity. Even when people ask in the nicest possible way, \u201cso how did you get into this job?\u201d, I think it\u2019s often what they\u2019re getting at.<\/p>\n
The biggest misconception is that a restaurant critic ought to have worked in a restaurant. Art critics don\u2019t need to be painters; fashion critics don\u2019t need to be designers; there is no need for a film critic to have served their time as a lighting assistant before they dare write about film. And the same is true of food critics.<\/p>\n
I understand the objection. How can I complain about the prawn cocktail being late when I\u2019ve never had to assemble one under pressure myself (though I could argue a blended family Christmas comes close)? Because my job is to represent the meal not from the perspective of the kitchen but from the perspective of the diner: someone who has no idea what was going on backstage either. <\/p>\n
\u201cHow was your wedding anniversary dinner?\u201d <\/p>\n
\u201cWell, the food never showed up, but that\u2019s because of a supplier issue and a breakdown in communication between the sous chef and front of house \u2013 so all good!\u201d<\/p>\n
Do you have a question for Jesse Mulligan?<\/p>\n
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Send us your restaurant and hospitality questions.<\/p>\n