Toilet Paper

Models eat toilet paper and chain smoke to stay full. Once food became fashionable it started to resemble the industry that doesn’t have anything to do with food. I wouldn’t be surprised to see papier toillete et une cigarette as a appetiser at these fame chasing houses. The scene, chefs replacing models, self professed ‘cool’ clothing brands and other companies that only want your money actually get chefs to model their shoes and clothes and equipment - they call it a partnership. The chefs call themselves brand ambassadors. Thats detrimental to actual ambassadors. Selling your name and image to a corporation in the name of fashion I can understand, if you need money but not if you need your ego boosted. Want that to happen: do your job properly, run a successful business and ignore the noise. Ignore the external requests and cook, clean, taste. If you want to let brands use you as a billboard you should be ready to be branded by iron.

In support of all that don’t let fashion spoil their work. The hard work and belief in what you do is an inspiration. Any bar, cafe or restaurant that makes it work without branding, social media ‘presence’ or a press officer- hats off. Don’t get it twisted I’m not saying anyone using social media is part of this. We are all able to be proud of what we do and share but those who do it for the sake it, those who want to reach the fomo crowds, those guests are the no shows. Those potential customers are no shows in their own lives. They don’t care about anyones business even their own. They hide behind the term foodie and they call everyone their friend but they are just regulars at whatever place is popular at that moment and the people running the place are in the hospitality industry so they do their job and smile and talk and maybe give you a free drink or snack but they are not your friend. Friends in this business are as fickle as fashion. That it something they have in common. Backstabbing, shallow, fame hungry and vacuous support for ‘friends’. Fashion and the movie business go well together, people who run and work in restaurants and bars should get out of the bubble and visit farmers, winemakers, fishermen. Spend a day with one of these and be humbled. What you are doing, serving the end product on a plate or in a glass is nothing compared to what they do. Get off your high horse and feed a horse, food awards are not as important as relationships with the people who provide you are.

This isn’t aimed at anyone in particular but to the industry at large. There’s way too much bullshit out there for someone who cares that could ruin anyones day- this was a thought while waiting for a sandwich in a churrasqueira. This place, it could have a chip shop in Dublin or a soup spot in Istanbul. Its what we search for when we want authentic and traditional without the need to see or use those words anywhere on the menu. I found it by walking past. The queue was constant, some had preordered and walked in to collect and some turned up, ordered and waited. Three servers: one grilled, one fried potatoes and put the food in bags and the other did the till and answered the phone. They knew a lot of peoples names. They worked in a uniform, a t-shirt with the name of the churrasqueira, black trousers and apron. They worked fast and focused. In the twenty minutes I was there not one of the workers took out their mobile phone to snap a photo for the gram or check their dms. Its a basic shop that has a fridge of beer and soda, a grill, two fryers and a till. I bet they are happier and make more money than those places that are desperate for business. The smell of cooking entices, the smell and sight of desperation repulses. No matter how many friends or followers, how well dressed and branded, that is not you, you are what you create and what you offer- whether plates of fried fish, tshirts or a short essay.