San Francisco chefs are pissed. One week after Momofuku’s David Chang said that in San Francisco, “There’s only a handful of restaurants that are manipulating food,” and that “every restaurant in San Francisco is serving figs on a plate with nothing on it,” the Asia Society center in San Francisco has canceled a forthcoming Chang book-signing.
Giving what Grub Street calls a “Larry David-style apology,” Chang said it was a misunderstanding yet affirmed, “I’m never gonna open a place in San Francisco.” OK, thanks for that.
By the way, the context for the “figs on a plate” comment was a panel at the New York Food & Wine Festival with Anthony Bourdain that actually sounded pretty amusing. Chang and Bourdain’s other targets included Guy Fieri (“Those dumb fucking sunglasses and that stupid fucking armband,” says Chang), food blogs (Chang copped to calling one blog “The Shitbag”), and Alice Waters (“I’m constantly having [my own internal] argument with Alice,” said Bourdain, as quoted in the New York Post. “I agree with the message, I just don’t think she’s the person to deliver that message … [like] when I see her cooking Leslie Stahl one egg over a roaring fire.”).
The Asia Society book signing was to be the first event in an upcoming book tour for Chang. Ouch.
Image source: Flickr member ∗clairity∗ under Creative Commons
Much as I’d like to bash Chang, it does sound like the quote was in a context where he was exaggerating for the sake of being entertaining. But the “I’m never gonna open a restaurant in San Francisco” quote just sounds like sour grapes.
Sounds like he was exaggerating rather thoughtlessly. Uh-oh, no book signing for him!
http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/549112 – Nectarines at Zuni is all that need be said.
The fresh produce out here is great, but there is almost a corresponding lack of technique which they can get away with here.
You’re going to talk about context? Look at how you took “I’m never gonna open a place in San Francisco” out of context…..
Here’s what Dave said:
There’s no reason why San Francisco shouldn’t be the culinary capital of the world: You’ve got great ingredients, a food-savvy public – and I’m not just talking fine dining, but food in general. The Mission has amazing, amazing ethnic food. But I would never open a restaurant in San Francisco. Number one, the bureaucracy is just ridiculous, if you’re gonna burden all these businesses with minimum wages and health care — and I’m all for giving health care and giving people wages. It’s almost a given. But it’s all too prohibitive.
David-
Open a restaurant in Oakland where it belongs.
Sounds a little too politically correct to me. I think he has a right to his opinion and his book signing. People can boycott it, if there’s so deeply offended. I’m glad there’s nothing else in the world to get upset and political about.
Sorry, didn’t edit. Instead of THERE’S it should be they’re