An Excerpt from Ratatouille

This is the review of Anton Ego in the movie Ratatouille after he tastes the dish, 'Ratatouille', made my Remy, the rat. Of course it's a fairy tale but the essence of the paragraph has very much of a relevance in reality as well. A wonderful approach to the conventional mode of critics' way of working, their follies and what should be their actual job. A must read for everyone.

"In many ways the work of a critic is easy. We risk very little yet enjoy a position over those who offer up their work and their selves to our judgement. We thrive on negative criticism which is fun to write and to beat. But the bitter truth we critics must face, is that in the grand scheme of things, the average piece of junk is probably more meaningful than our criticism designating it so.

But there are times when a critic truly risks something, and that is in discovery and defence of the 'New'. The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations. The New needs friends. Last night I experienced something new, an extraordinary meal from a singularly unexpected source. To say that both the meal and its maker have challenged my pre-conceptions about fine cooking is a gross understatement. They have rocked me to my core.

In the past, I've made no secret of my disdain for Chef Gusteau's famous motto, 'Anyone Can Cook.' But I realize, only now I truly understand what he meant. Not everyone can become a great artist, but a great artist can come from anywhere. It is difficult to imagine more humble origins than those of the genius now cooking at Gusteau's, who is, in this critic's opinion, nothing less than the finest chef in France. I'll be returning to Gusteau's soon, hungry for more."