The first article definitely was not what I was expecting. Having read articles from Gourmet because I expected a piece that highlighted the flavors and food. The article brought up really interesting ethical questions about lobsters that I had pushed to the back of my mind. Since my parents are both from Rhode Island, sea food is a big part of our diet. My grandmother often cooks us lobsters in the summer. I've even helped select the lobsters from the boats in Galilee. As I got into the article I started to feel a strange remorse for the lobsters. The questions the author brought up were all legitimate. It was definitely compelling to read and made me question my lobster consumption. I thought it was well written and everything was explained thoroughly. Even the neurological points were clearly defined as not to lose the reader. I even loved the descriptions of how the festival was kind of miserable because that's how festivals really are. They can be fun but entail all sorts of hassles. It was well written and I thought it was interesting.
The second article is what I would expect from Gourmet. There was more emphasis on the foods. Vibrant descriptions of different foods and the preparation mixed in with an overarching story. The cruise ship doesn't sounds like a fun place despite the author kind of not saying one way or another. I feel as if he should stay somewhere luxurious where he can prepare his food without fear of seasickness. I liked his enthusiasm about the experience and the sort of dry humor about the entire ordeal. I enjoyed reading about the ship and his cooking adventures. Despite the central idea not being about cooking it kind of made me want some risotto.
I was really interested in learning about the Maine Lobster Festival in the first piece, until I didn't. The tone and the initial angle of the article was compelling, but there was just so much information that before it even diverged into the ethical discussion, I was lost. Especially considering this was from Gourmet magazine, I found it particularly out of character that it moved away from the food and festival to an ethical debate. Some of the information was very interesting, but again, I just felt he was trying to cram too much into an already too long article (especially with the parentheticals and footnotes). Had this been more about the actual festival and the food he ate there, this could have been much more interesting, to me at least.
I liked the second article far more, mainly because it had a bit of an advantage what with the subject matter. The detail on the food was well balanced with the information about the cruise ship, as well as the writer's personal involvement with the piece. There were a few points that I felt could have been cut or shortened, mainly the opening with the question about red wine (as it never came back into the piece) and the scene between him and his wife. They weren't imperative to the story, but I didn't find them too unnecessary that they detracted from the piece.
I have to agree with Emily. While the ethical questions raised were interesting and compelling, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. It's an interesting piece, but I'm not sure if it belongs in Gourmet magazine. It's rather misleading that it is featured in a magazine that doesn't normally touch on ideas like this and loyal readers may have been thrown off at the topic. They're reading to enjoy food, not to question whether or not it's moral. I think it's a good piece, just doesn't belong in Gourmet.
The second piece was more Gourmet style writing. There was great detail given about the food and the cruise experience and even had some personal stuff thrown in, which I thought was a nice touch. It was well written and a more appropriate, light read that I would expect from Gourmet.
I also agree with Emily and Val. Although it was incredibly interesting, there was a lot of information that had the article reading more like a newspaper article in comparison to what is usually expected from a Gourmet magazine piece. The ethical questions are important, but it feels as if they belong in an article for a different magazine at a different time. There is a time and a place for all of these aspects of the Maine Lobster Festival, but that does not necessarily mean that they belong in the same article. I would have rather seen this article focus on the actual festival, the different kinds of lobster, and more about the atmosphere rather than trying to do everything. For me it dragged on because of this, but it could have been done differently.
The second piece was by far my favorite. Not only did it read more like a Gourmet food piece in comparison to the first one. It read easier and quicker in comparison because of the tone and style of the piece overall. While there are some parts that didn't fit or come back in from the beginning. If this had been more tightly composed I feel that it would have flowed even better. However, because of the tone I enjoyed it far more and it felt more typical and expected for a Gourmet piece.
Of the two articles I definitely preferred the second.
In the article about the Lobster Festival, I found that there were too many informational tidbits to keep me engrossed. Though I understand why the author decided to include information about the lobsters, it was not interesting to me. I liked the details about the food itself, but the entire piece could not hold my attention.
In the piece about the cruiseships, I found that I was much more interested. I liked that the author included personal information. It was more like a story than the first. His character (as well as his wife's) was interesting and kept me captivated. I think that maybe if there was more of a story in the first piece, and less of an informative aspect, I probably would have liked it better.
I am in love with the Lobster article. Maybe it's because I'm from Maine, but I knew a lot of the information presented here. But on that same note, I learned so much about it. Wallace has clearly done his research. Given that I am from Maine, this article does a good job of affirming all my previously held beliefs about lobsters-- gross. The taxonomy section that ends up calling lobsters "sea-insects" is basically everything I've ever believe about Seafood. His narrative is great and engaging, even for someone who grew up in Maine his whole life-- I wasn't bored at all. I love that Wallace and I practically share the same opinions on the MLF, because even though I love Maine, I will never go back.
As for the cruise ships article, that was interesting as well. Anthony Bourdain irked me the wrong way. He and his wife come off presumptuously when they keep making illusions to the rich being boring and snooty. Yet, come on, you're a majorly well-known cook, who got a free ride on the cruise because you write for a magazine as you cook when your television show isn't on TV. I don't know, it just bothered me when he tried to separate himself from them when he was clear a part of them too. The narrative, I think, was almost over descriptive. He used word choice like small and large a lot and while it was interesting to read I wanted more depth and details (more like Wallace) than pointless narrative
I really wanted to like the Lobster piece. I thought, here's a chance to learn something about a topic I know nothing about. However, there was so much information jam packed into one extremely long article that I couldn't retain any of the facts I came across. I would not have expected to read something like this in Gourmet magazine. Perhaps I would have liked it more if it had focused more on the food he ate while at the festival.
Although I thoroughly enjoyed reading the cruise ship article, I didn't expect it to be in Gourmet magazine either. I thought that the focus was more on the boat and less on the food. This piece was successful in the fact that it got me interested in this cruise ship and it made me want to find out more. But that's just it - I was more excited to hear about the ship and not the food. Also, I usually like Bourdain but in this piece, his tone seemed to wobble back and forth between humble and privileged. I was confused as to what he really thought . - Elizabeth Nash
I found the cruise ship article thoroughly underwhelming. Nothing is bad, per se, but nothing is made particularly interesting despite the fact Bourdain is cooking on a giant luxury cruise ship, which should ostensibly make for an interesting article. For an article on cooking, Bourdain does not seem too concerned about detailing much of anything for the reader. The cooking process and ingredients are skimmed over, which may all be very well if the audience is expected to know little about cooking but the article appears in Gourmet––he could probably have talked about it more. Little is said, also, about the ship except the basics of what is where and who. Perhaps the article is so mediocre because the experience was equally uninteresting; at no point does Bourdain make a comment on how great anything is, except maybe his own cooking.
David Foster Wallace’s article is superior in every way, not least because he spends a great deal of time on the excruciating details of how to prepare a lobster and the various activities and atmosphere of the festival. Like Bourdain, Wallace has been paid to write an article about a place which, it becomes clear, he really has no interest in ever being again. While Bourdain quietly notes how antisocial and empty the cruise ship is, Wallace continually makes comments concerning the lackluster quality and entertainment of the various festival events, such as how the parade was cheesy and boring. With such non-issues to discuss, Wallace spends more time on various issues around the very practice of eating lobster, including the ethics of the action, and indeed I almost get the sense that the elaborate moral debate portion of the piece is largely due to how completely boring Wallace found everything else concerning the festival.
David Foster Wallace article: I have heard great things about David Foster Wallace's writing, and I am disappointed that this was the first piece I read by him. Halfway through, it turns into an article about the ethical issues of cooking lobsters, and the questions posed in the last paragraph are too big to tackle in one article. He did a lot of research, but he steered away from the assignment way too much (profiling the MLF). The ethics of lobster cooking should have been a different article entirely.
Anthony Bourdain article: I feel as if this article could have consisted of solely the third page, since it was about the experience of cooking on the cruise ship rather than the snobby people on the cruise ship and the annoying dialogue between Bourdain and his wife. I did not care for this article because of the first too pages, and because of Bourdain's hyper critical voice. Now I see why people didn't care for the hyper critical voice in my last workshop.
I was really fascinated by the premise of David Foster Wallace's article, but after a while, it became too much. When the first description of the piece declared that "one visitor would argue that the celebration involves a whole lot more," I thought it was going to delve into the cultural issue of the festival: the fishing town versus the wealthy resort town, the decadence of lobster versus the home-y ways in which the festival prepares it. Instead, the author explored the ethical issues of cooking lobster. I enjoyed the paragraphs about the history of lobster and its rise to fame as a food because those points were relevant to why people, today, celebrate the ingredient. But debating PETA's claims about whether lobsters feel pain was a sudden shift and went on for far too long. I lost interest after a few paragraphs of it, unfortunately.
I enjoyed the angle of Anthony Bourdain's piece. Before, I had never even considered eating anything but the food provided upon a cruise ship, but his article offers an interesting (and appetite-inducing) alternative experience upon a luxury liner. His descriptions of food were gorgeous, but I almost wish he had included one story about sampling a meal upon the ship - just for comparison. He states early on in the piece that the wealthy passengers will be consuming a lot of frozen food, which he despises, but I would have loved to see him and his wife attempting a meal to contrast to what he cooks for them personally. That said, I could have done without the dialogue, as Bourdain wrote out how he actually talks and the "ain't"s were too jarring for my liking, almost forced.
The first article definitely was not what I was expecting. Having read articles from Gourmet because I expected a piece that highlighted the flavors and food. The article brought up really interesting ethical questions about lobsters that I had pushed to the back of my mind. Since my parents are both from Rhode Island, sea food is a big part of our diet. My grandmother often cooks us lobsters in the summer. I've even helped select the lobsters from the boats in Galilee. As I got into the article I started to feel a strange remorse for the lobsters. The questions the author brought up were all legitimate. It was definitely compelling to read and made me question my lobster consumption. I thought it was well written and everything was explained thoroughly. Even the neurological points were clearly defined as not to lose the reader. I even loved the descriptions of how the festival was kind of miserable because that's how festivals really are. They can be fun but entail all sorts of hassles. It was well written and I thought it was interesting.
ReplyDeleteThe second article is what I would expect from Gourmet. There was more emphasis on the foods. Vibrant descriptions of different foods and the preparation mixed in with an overarching story. The cruise ship doesn't sounds like a fun place despite the author kind of not saying one way or another. I feel as if he should stay somewhere luxurious where he can prepare his food without fear of seasickness. I liked his enthusiasm about the experience and the sort of dry humor about the entire ordeal. I enjoyed reading about the ship and his cooking adventures. Despite the central idea not being about cooking it kind of made me want some risotto.
I was really interested in learning about the Maine Lobster Festival in the first piece, until I didn't. The tone and the initial angle of the article was compelling, but there was just so much information that before it even diverged into the ethical discussion, I was lost. Especially considering this was from Gourmet magazine, I found it particularly out of character that it moved away from the food and festival to an ethical debate. Some of the information was very interesting, but again, I just felt he was trying to cram too much into an already too long article (especially with the parentheticals and footnotes). Had this been more about the actual festival and the food he ate there, this could have been much more interesting, to me at least.
ReplyDeleteI liked the second article far more, mainly because it had a bit of an advantage what with the subject matter. The detail on the food was well balanced with the information about the cruise ship, as well as the writer's personal involvement with the piece. There were a few points that I felt could have been cut or shortened, mainly the opening with the question about red wine (as it never came back into the piece) and the scene between him and his wife. They weren't imperative to the story, but I didn't find them too unnecessary that they detracted from the piece.
I have to agree with Emily. While the ethical questions raised were interesting and compelling, it wasn't what I was expecting at all. It's an interesting piece, but I'm not sure if it belongs in Gourmet magazine. It's rather misleading that it is featured in a magazine that doesn't normally touch on ideas like this and loyal readers may have been thrown off at the topic. They're reading to enjoy food, not to question whether or not it's moral. I think it's a good piece, just doesn't belong in Gourmet.
ReplyDeleteThe second piece was more Gourmet style writing. There was great detail given about the food and the cruise experience and even had some personal stuff thrown in, which I thought was a nice touch. It was well written and a more appropriate, light read that I would expect from Gourmet.
I also agree with Emily and Val. Although it was incredibly interesting, there was a lot of information that had the article reading more like a newspaper article in comparison to what is usually expected from a Gourmet magazine piece. The ethical questions are important, but it feels as if they belong in an article for a different magazine at a different time. There is a time and a place for all of these aspects of the Maine Lobster Festival, but that does not necessarily mean that they belong in the same article. I would have rather seen this article focus on the actual festival, the different kinds of lobster, and more about the atmosphere rather than trying to do everything. For me it dragged on because of this, but it could have been done differently.
ReplyDeleteThe second piece was by far my favorite. Not only did it read more like a Gourmet food piece in comparison to the first one. It read easier and quicker in comparison because of the tone and style of the piece overall. While there are some parts that didn't fit or come back in from the beginning. If this had been more tightly composed I feel that it would have flowed even better. However, because of the tone I enjoyed it far more and it felt more typical and expected for a Gourmet piece.
Of the two articles I definitely preferred the second.
ReplyDeleteIn the article about the Lobster Festival, I found that there were too many informational tidbits to keep me engrossed. Though I understand why the author decided to include information about the lobsters, it was not interesting to me. I liked the details about the food itself, but the entire piece could not hold my attention.
In the piece about the cruiseships, I found that I was much more interested. I liked that the author included personal information. It was more like a story than the first. His character (as well as his wife's) was interesting and kept me captivated. I think that maybe if there was more of a story in the first piece, and less of an informative aspect, I probably would have liked it better.
THIS IS FOR BENJAMIN NADEAU:
ReplyDeleteI am in love with the Lobster article. Maybe it's because I'm from Maine, but I knew a lot of the information presented here. But on that same note, I learned so much about it. Wallace has clearly done his research. Given that I am from Maine, this article does a good job of affirming all my previously held beliefs about lobsters-- gross. The taxonomy section that ends up calling lobsters "sea-insects" is basically everything I've ever believe about Seafood. His narrative is great and engaging, even for someone who grew up in Maine his whole life-- I wasn't bored at all. I love that Wallace and I practically share the same opinions on the MLF, because even though I love Maine, I will never go back.
As for the cruise ships article, that was interesting as well. Anthony Bourdain irked me the wrong way. He and his wife come off presumptuously when they keep making illusions to the rich being boring and snooty. Yet, come on, you're a majorly well-known cook, who got a free ride on the cruise because you write for a magazine as you cook when your television show isn't on TV. I don't know, it just bothered me when he tried to separate himself from them when he was clear a part of them too. The narrative, I think, was almost over descriptive. He used word choice like small and large a lot and while it was interesting to read I wanted more depth and details (more like Wallace) than pointless narrative
I really wanted to like the Lobster piece. I thought, here's a chance to learn something about a topic I know nothing about. However, there was so much information jam packed into one extremely long article that I couldn't retain any of the facts I came across. I would not have expected to read something like this in Gourmet magazine. Perhaps I would have liked it more if it had focused more on the food he ate while at the festival.
ReplyDeleteAlthough I thoroughly enjoyed reading the cruise ship article, I didn't expect it to be in Gourmet magazine either. I thought that the focus was more on the boat and less on the food. This piece was successful in the fact that it got me interested in this cruise ship and it made me want to find out more. But that's just it - I was more excited to hear about the ship and not the food. Also, I usually like Bourdain but in this piece, his tone seemed to wobble back and forth between humble and privileged. I was confused as to what he really thought . - Elizabeth Nash
I found the cruise ship article thoroughly underwhelming. Nothing is bad, per se, but nothing is made particularly interesting despite the fact Bourdain is cooking on a giant luxury cruise ship, which should ostensibly make for an interesting article. For an article on cooking, Bourdain does not seem too concerned about detailing much of anything for the reader. The cooking process and ingredients are skimmed over, which may all be very well if the audience is expected to know little about cooking but the article appears in Gourmet––he could probably have talked about it more. Little is said, also, about the ship except the basics of what is where and who. Perhaps the article is so mediocre because the experience was equally uninteresting; at no point does Bourdain make a comment on how great anything is, except maybe his own cooking.
ReplyDeleteDavid Foster Wallace’s article is superior in every way, not least because he spends a great deal of time on the excruciating details of how to prepare a lobster and the various activities and atmosphere of the festival. Like Bourdain, Wallace has been paid to write an article about a place which, it becomes clear, he really has no interest in ever being again. While Bourdain quietly notes how antisocial and empty the cruise ship is, Wallace continually makes comments concerning the lackluster quality and entertainment of the various festival events, such as how the parade was cheesy and boring. With such non-issues to discuss, Wallace spends more time on various issues around the very practice of eating lobster, including the ethics of the action, and indeed I almost get the sense that the elaborate moral debate portion of the piece is largely due to how completely boring Wallace found everything else concerning the festival.
David Foster Wallace article: I have heard great things about David Foster Wallace's writing, and I am disappointed that this was the first piece I read by him. Halfway through, it turns into an article about the ethical issues of cooking lobsters, and the questions posed in the last paragraph are too big to tackle in one article. He did a lot of research, but he steered away from the assignment way too much (profiling the MLF). The ethics of lobster cooking should have been a different article entirely.
ReplyDeleteAnthony Bourdain article: I feel as if this article could have consisted of solely the third page, since it was about the experience of cooking on the cruise ship rather than the snobby people on the cruise ship and the annoying dialogue between Bourdain and his wife. I did not care for this article because of the first too pages, and because of Bourdain's hyper critical voice. Now I see why people didn't care for the hyper critical voice in my last workshop.
I was really fascinated by the premise of David Foster Wallace's article, but after a while, it became too much. When the first description of the piece declared that "one visitor would argue that the celebration involves a whole lot more," I thought it was going to delve into the cultural issue of the festival: the fishing town versus the wealthy resort town, the decadence of lobster versus the home-y ways in which the festival prepares it. Instead, the author explored the ethical issues of cooking lobster. I enjoyed the paragraphs about the history of lobster and its rise to fame as a food because those points were relevant to why people, today, celebrate the ingredient. But debating PETA's claims about whether lobsters feel pain was a sudden shift and went on for far too long. I lost interest after a few paragraphs of it, unfortunately.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed the angle of Anthony Bourdain's piece. Before, I had never even considered eating anything but the food provided upon a cruise ship, but his article offers an interesting (and appetite-inducing) alternative experience upon a luxury liner. His descriptions of food were gorgeous, but I almost wish he had included one story about sampling a meal upon the ship - just for comparison. He states early on in the piece that the wealthy passengers will be consuming a lot of frozen food, which he despises, but I would have loved to see him and his wife attempting a meal to contrast to what he cooks for them personally. That said, I could have done without the dialogue, as Bourdain wrote out how he actually talks and the "ain't"s were too jarring for my liking, almost forced.