Normally I’m a fan of celebrity chef Mario Batali. His appearances on Iron Chef America are always entertaining, and he’s got a great sense of humor. That’s why I was so surprised to see news of this obnoxious nonsense in his restaurants (passed on, as always, by our own Wayne Crews):
The movement [against bottled water in restaurants] burst into public view this spring when chef Alice Waters, the godmother of “California cuisine,” nixed bottled water from her Berkeley, Calif., restaurant Chez Panisse. Soon after, Food Network favorite Mario Batali followed suit at his empire of restaurants including Manhattan’s swish Del Posto, serving filtered tap water in glasses etched with information on the harmful environmental impact of bottled water.
It has come to this: even a man who has written a cookbook dedicated to NASCAR tailgating has become so besotted with going green that he’s operating a restaurant where even the glassware lectures you about environmental correctness. One would think that shelling out $150 for dinner (without wine) would entitle you to a soothing evening of flawless service, completely absent of hectoring water glasses.
Loading ...
Your point seems to be that if you spend enough money (by the way, $150 is chicken scratch) you are entitled to be a pig and all lower orders performing service type functions are obliged to fawn in your presence. I saw a movie about a whole gang of people like you. It was called, I think, Return of the Undead.
The thing about bottled water, if you take the trouble to look into it, is whether the stuff is any better than tap water. It is a reasonable issue of public safety and product facts, and people are entitled to know if bottled water is, in fact, a scam or of no significant value.
Anyhow, I thought they had a whole bunch of naturally carbonated beverages for those who wished to appear trendy without actually laying out any significant amount of loot. I guess it is getting difficult to be a snooty type without actually laying on a spread. Pity.
Seriously, go to a nice restaurant to be lectured by the glasses?I just lost quite a built of respect for Mr. Batali. At least Alton Brown hasn’t gotten all preachy yet.
Hey, you’ve got the ultimate sanction. Yeh boycott the smarmy guy. Go to a place where you can buy your bottled water (if you wish) with some decent grub. Some folk get so high and mighty that they believe that they can dictate how others (not the word others) should behave - a prime example? Al Gore.