The Food Critic’s Life of Luxury, or Not?
If you’re like me and you love food then once or twice you’ve thought about becoming a food critic. It might be cool, free food, writing about what you love, and easy money. Well, we are going to dive into what being a food critic is like, maybe it is not all it is cracked up to be, or maybe it is.
(Actual photo of me when there’s food around)←
First off, the job is very difficult to get, this is because everyone and their mother thinks it sounds like a fun, easy job and they also think they’re qualified to do it. Which is kind of just like what all of us are thinking right now but there are a lot of other things to think about. Food critics are an elite group of people who have been in the journalism field for years writing about anything they possibly could in order to get their name out there. Food critics also work very hard to keep their name secret. One of the things you have to think about is that the chefs that you are writing about take you articles very seriously. Your review could make or break their career and their restaurant. Many food critics have received death threats but they still write truthful to keep their integrity as a journalist. It’s hard knowing that you are affecting another person’s life and paycheck and that really puts off some food critics, but they have to make a living as well.
Food critics try to go into the restaurant anonymously and get out without any trouble. It is best to use fake names and pay with cash or a credit card with a different name on it. They keep their pictures off the internet and keep a low personal profile on social media. Many warn to stay away from big industry parties and they also warn not to become an insider, it just creates more trouble than it is worth. Eventually the high of the job will wear off. No matter how good you think the job is when you start it, it is still going to become just a job that you have to do like everyone else.
If the death threats didn’t put you off you also have to think about how many restaurants don’t make very good food. Some of the food you eat is going to be really good but think about all the bad and medium food out there, think of all the food poisoning. Remember the last time you had food poisoning, now think about having a deadline to get your review in while you’re trying not to physically die. Another not highlight, most food critics go through times where they are eating a minimum of 5 meals a day which means no matter how much exercise you get you are still going to gain 20–30 pounds. You’re in a restaurant for a big chunk of your life which means that any upcoming birthday, anniversary, or special night will absolutely not take place in a restaurant. You will avoid it at all costs, taking away a large part of your social life.
Most of your network is made when you are out eating however you’re also trying to keep a low profile so this makes getting information from others very difficult. These writers are expected to publish multiple reviews a week, keep a social media presences, and find time to eat out. Most food critics have a suffering social life as the people they take out to eat with them are not there for social hour. They try to take out only close friends they are OK eating in silence with. Another option is others in the food industry so they may pick their brain about the food itself. When you finally hang out with your real friends it involves a home cooked meal. Your friends will joke around and ask you to rate their food and it will get uncomfortable quick. They will also be jealous of you because you of course have the best job in the world, right? Wrong.
Most of your readers will not really like you either, they’ll either think your reviews are lenient or they’ll hate your reviews because you’re too strict on their favorite restaurant. But again you have to remember your integrity as a writer your job is to tell people the experience they’ll get when they go to that restaurant. That include everything, the good, the bad, and the ugly. Your so called friends (that are starting to sound like not so great friends anymore) will also believe it is your fault when you recommend a dish and they didn’t like it. They’ll tell you all about their awful experience and make you feel bad for misleading your audience. However you do have to remember that the same dish is different week to week and customer to customer and that’s not something you can help.
Getting into the logistics of the job, the higher end of the salary spectrum is $90,000 but that’s only for the big names in the industry, most make around $50,000 and you also have to think about how much time and money is coming directly out of their pocket and going into restaurants, and keeping up with the changes in the food industry. Another thing that some of us don’t think about is that food critics don’t write about every meal that they eat that week, meaning they only get reimbursed for the small amount that they actually do write about.
So is it all that it is cracked up to be, not so much. But if you really want to work at it you can get pretty big in the industry. By keeping up your social media presence, journalistic integrity, and exercise you can really make something out of the job. But the main thing you have to remember it’s that getting paid the big bucks is no easy task. If after that appealing list of things, you are still thinking that this may be a job for you than go live your dreams. There are a lot of successful men and women in this field you just have to find the right path of success that will work for you.
Jonathan Gold, Los Angeles Times
The first food critic to win the Pulitzer Prize in criticism in 2007 and nominated again in 2011. He has written for many publications including L.A. Weekly, Rolling Stone and Spin. He settled in at the Los Angeles Times very enthusiastic about his career path. Fun fact he favorites small ethnic restaurants.
Alan Richman, GQ Magazine
Currently Richman is teaching The Craft of Food Writing at the International Culinary Institute. He is a correspondent for Gq Magazine and a recipient of 14 James Beard Foundation Award for excellence in culinary writing and numerous other awards. He got his start as a Philly sports writer after serving in the U.S. Army and is now a correspondent for GQ Magazine
Frank Bruni, The New York Times
Bruni has had almost too many areas of writing within The New York Times that they are impossible to name. He got his start at The Detroit Free Press as a movie critic and religion writer. Currently Bruni is the Times’ first openly gay Op-Ed columnist and the author of two bestselling books.
Gael Greene, New York Magazine-2008
Greene pioneered the idea of being a foodie and made a name for herself as an investigative reporter for the New York Post. Greene was famous for her undercover work, making her job as a food critic easy to keep anonymous. She is a fan of using sexual metaphors to describe food (aren’t we all). She retired in 2000 but continued as a columnist until 2008. She has two bestselling erotic novels. Today she makes appearances as a guest judge on food TV and manages her website InsatiableCritic.com.
The job sounds hard and like a lot of dedication but that’s most jobs out there. So if being a food critic still sounds like something that you really want to do then by all means go for it. The journalists above have some amazing accomplishments so don’t let any one stop you from doing what you want to do!
