The Grimes They Are A'Changin'

November 25, 2003 9:43 AM

A Critic's Coda. William Grimes, departing NYT food critic, gives an interview to Newsweek. "It’s like 'Groundhog Day.' You wake up the next day having eaten a four-star meal, you must go out and eat another four-star meal. And you get up the next day and you have to go out and eat another four-star meal." I think we've all been there before.
posted by adrober (17 comments total)

I think we've all been there before.

Stay in, eat Kraft Diner. Get up the next day, stay in, eat Kraft Diner...
posted by btwillig at 9:55 AM on November 25, 2003

er...Dinner
posted by btwillig at 10:01 AM on November 25, 2003

"But we would eat Kraft diners, we'd just eat more of them!"

Those Krazee Kanucks!
posted by tommasz at 10:04 AM on November 25, 2003

just imagine Ron Jeremy's farewell interview when he retires

Groundhog Day indeed
posted by matteo at 10:11 AM on November 25, 2003

Grimes wrote an interesting Slate Diary a couple of years back that I enjoyed.
posted by PrinceValium at 10:30 AM on November 25, 2003

What a great movie.
posted by sudama at 11:16 AM on November 25, 2003

But how do food critics know what's good and what sucks, if they don't visit 0.5 stars restaurant ? I guess they avoid Red Salmonella places.
posted by elpapacito at 12:33 PM on November 25, 2003

Actually, the Times critics have gotten better about that; it started with Ruth Reichl, a wonderful writer who enraged traditionalists by giving the hallowed stars to hole-in-the-wall Chinatown places. Grimes isn't as eclectic in his reviews, but you can tell he's no four-star snob (see his delight over the improving NYC Mexican restaurant scene—a delight I share).

Good post; I hadn't known about this. I'm sorry to see him leave, but I certainly understand his reasons.
posted by languagehat at 12:43 PM on November 25, 2003

Couldn't the essence of that quote be applied to ANY job, except that, of course, the crap most have to wake up and do everyday is considerably less enjoyable than eating four star meals.
posted by BigPicnic at 1:23 PM on November 25, 2003

Here's my one and only problem with "Groundhog Day" the movie:

It's Bill Murray's last or "perfect" day. He's running around, doing everything perfectly. He's on the ball. So...at one part he's playing piano with the band, and everyone is dancing along, and the little old woman turns to Big Gums McDowell and says, "I taught him everything he knows."

Excuse me?

If all this is taking place on "one day", why would Bill Murray have taken the time to have a piano lesson? And assuming that he DID, does this lady really think she taught him all of that in one lesson?

That one five-second part ruins the rest of the movie for me. I love, love, love that movie except for that one glaring part.

Maybe I should send my copy to that holy-roller place where they re-edit movies and have them cut that one part out for me.
posted by ColdChef at 1:34 PM on November 25, 2003

I have in fact been there. I once spent 6 straight weeks living in the Regent in Sydney, with all expenses paid by my employer. After the second straight week of restaurant food I started craving cheese on toast. By the one month mark I nearly wept with joy as I visited a friend in Newtown and we ate takeout curry laksa in his living room.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 1:41 PM on November 25, 2003

CC, I also had problems with that part, too, but have come up with a rationalization that keeps it from destroying the movie for me. I figure, from her perspective on the last of Bill's days, she just meets this guy who comes in asking for piano lessons, but is basically already a maestro. She endulges him, anyway, and he pays her for the "lesson". Later on that night, when she makes the comment, "I taught him all he knows," she's in fact making a somewhat tougue-in-cheek joke because she didn't really teach him anything at all.
posted by Civil_Disobedient at 2:00 PM on November 25, 2003

It's obviously a joke! I can't believe anyone would miss that one...
posted by Pretty_Generic at 2:40 PM on November 25, 2003

just imagine Ron Jeremy's farewell interview when he retires

Groundhog Day indeed

I just spit hot apple cider all over my monitor plus I wet myself laughing.
posted by Quartermass at 2:50 PM on November 25, 2003

After the second straight week of restaurant food I started craving cheese on toast. By the one month mark I nearly wept with joy as I visited a friend in Newtown and we ate takeout curry laksa in his living room.

so . . . i don't get it. takeout would be restaurant food, too, correct?
posted by _sirmissalot_ at 3:23 PM on November 25, 2003

Wouldn't Bill Murray have gone in for, like, 50 lessons by that point so that she actually would have taught him everything he knows? Of course, as far as she was concerned, she'd only met him once, and her line was just her being a braggart.
posted by LionIndex at 5:51 PM on November 25, 2003

Restaurant yes, haute cuisine no. We're talking $6 noodle soup. A domestic setting and a complete lack of fanciness were the important aspects.
posted by i_am_joe's_spleen at 7:28 PM on November 25, 2003